In the Qing Dynasty, the most representative costumes of Manchu people were robes and shirts. At first, there was no saying about cheongsam. Non-flag people call this traditional dress of Manchu people (flag people and people of other nationalities in the flag) cheongsam. Later, due to the widespread spread of this statement, the flag people also called it cheongsam. The appearance of cheongsam is to facilitate the nomadic life of grassland people. The original style is relatively simple, generally round neck, big waist, narrow sleeves and buttons. It is very different from the traditional wide robe and big sleeve clothing in the Central Plains, which is convenient for riding and shooting.

Cheongsam can be worn by men, women and children. In order to cope with the weather characteristics of different seasons, it is divided into different materials such as single, clip, cotton and leather. After the Qing army entered Shanhaiguan and occupied the political power, the standard-bearer's life went deep into the Central Plains and gradually enriched. With the communication with other nationalities (mainly Han nationality), the style and style of cheongsam have changed greatly. It can be said that the cheongsam of the Qing Dynasty has been developing and changing, and it is hard to say what the development trend is. Let me talk specifically about the characteristics of women's cheongsam in different periods of the Qing Dynasty.

Women's robes in Kangxi period

Women's cheongsam, like other cheongsam, is constantly changing in style. Generally speaking, robes were still popular in the early Qing Dynasty, shortened to knee-length in the late Shunzhi period, and were still popular in the early Kangxi period. In the middle of Kangxi, people changed back to short styles, and there was no fixed system, which was somewhat similar to our popular trend today. Women's cheongsam is different from other cheongsam, paying more attention to decoration. It likes to embed lace in neckline, cuffs, skirts and other places. One of them is commonly known as "dog tooth" in Beijing. Cufflinks are also places where patterns are often made, such as a style called "big sleeves". Cheongsam is made into long sleeves, and the cuffs cover the wearer's hands. Then, colorful patterns are embroidered on the lining of the cloth at the cuffs, and the part longer than the hand is pulled up when wearing, so that the lined lining is exposed, and the cuffs are piled into two layers, which is different from the cloth above and more unique. It is worth mentioning that at that time, Beijing was a place leading the fashion trend. For example, the atmosphere in Beijing at that time tended to be inlaid with lace. For a time, "Eighteen Inlays" were popular in Beijing, and the decoration was very complicated. In addition, people in the Qing dynasty often wear cheongsam with a vest (also Manchu clothing, generally sleeveless, similar to our vest or vest today). The vest should be above the waist at first, and then gradually shorten. When women wear cheongsam, they can also make some articles on the vest, such as making tight models or adding some decorative patterns (like cheongsam, skirts vary a lot). By the way, the cheongsam in Qing dynasty was originally opened on all sides, but later it was gradually changed to open on both sides, and some of them could not be opened.

chi-pao

Sleeveless jacket

References: Ceng Hui: Research on the Cultural Changes of Manchu Costume, Doctoral Dissertation of Minzu University of China, 2008.

Wang Jinhua and Zhou Jia. Illustration of women's dress in Qing dynasty. Beijing: China Light Industry Press, 2007.

Zhou Xibao. History of ancient Chinese costumes. Beijing: China Theatre Publishing House, 1984.