
How the qipao found favour as a film mood-setter and red-carpet favourite
It's officially awards season – and almost Lunar New Year – which means we're about to be treated to a slew of exquisite fashion moments as celebrities walk the red carpet in designer looks. In years past, qipao-inspired dresses have had their moment in the limelight as a series of actresses, singers and media personalities have donned outfits drawing on the traditional Chinese dress for major international events, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Met Gala, New York.
The qipao, also known as the cheongsam – meaning 'long garment' – is distinctive for its mandarin collar, curve-hugging bodice and thigh-high skirt slit. The silhouette was dominant in the 1920s and 30s and has since become synonymous with conventional Chinese beauty and style. It has often been used as a visual cue to capture a certain aesthetic in cinematic masterpieces, including The World of Suzie Wong and Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love . Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love. Photo: Handout
Though traditionally made with simple, knotted button fastenings on one side of the lapel, modern iterations of the qipao incorporate an array of contemporary individual elements to create designs that feel fresh and current on today's fashion scene. Examples from Chinese designers and brands forging a path in global fashion – such as Guo Pei and Shiatzy Chen – are sometimes photographed on the world's swankiest red carpets. A modern qipao-inspired outfit by Shiatzy Chen. Photo: Handout
For years, qipao-inspired dresses were the go-to choice for Chinese actresses making their first forays into the world film scene at major festivals, including those of Cannes and Venice.
Actresses such as Li Bingbing, Fan Bingbing and Gong Li have worn elaborate interpretations of these dresses on the international stage, garnering both good and bad reviews. While a recognisable part of Chinese culture, overly embellished versions can risk looking like costumes when not executed with precision. Movie idols Tony Leung and Gong Li arrive for the screening of 2046 at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. Photo: AP
At the Cannes Film Festival in 2004, actress Gong Li walked the red carpet with Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi in a green-blue dress featuring a cloud print often found in traditional Chinese art and a silhouette heavily influenced by the qipao. The garment featured many of the design elements of the traditional long dress, but was given a touch of sex appeal with an open neckline. Taylor Swift wears a Chinese-inspired Zuhair Murad gown at the 2012 Grammys.
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Asia Times
6 hours ago
- Asia Times
Eternal Queen of Asian Pop's last encore from beyond the grave
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I study how pop music has served as a tool of soft power, and I've spent the past several years researching Teng's music and its legacy. I've found that Teng's influence endures not just because of her voice, but also because her music transcends Asia's political fault lines. Born in 1953 in Yunlin, Taiwan, Teresa Teng grew up in one of the many villages that were built to house soldiers and their families who had fled mainland China in 1949 after the Communists claimed victory in the Chinese civil war. Her early exposure to traditional Chinese music and opera laid the foundation for her singing career. By age 6, she was taking voice lessons. She soon began winning local singing competitions. 'It wasn't adults who wanted me to sing,' Teng wrote in her memoir. 'I wanted to sing. As long as I could sing, I was happy.' At 14, Teng dropped out of high school to focus entirely on music, signing with the local label Yeu Jow Records. Soon thereafter, she released her first album, 'Fengyang Flower Drum.' In the 1970s, she toured and recorded across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Southeast Asia, becoming one of Asia's first truly transnational pop stars. Teng's career flourished in the late 1970s and 1980s. She released some of her most iconic tracks, such as her covers of Chinese singer Zhou Xuan's 1937 hit 'When Will You Return?' and Taiwanese singer Chen Fen-lan's 'The Moon Represents My Heart,' and toured widely across Asia, sparking what came to be known as 'Teresa Teng Fever.' In the early 1990s, Teng was forced to stop performing for health reasons. She died suddenly of an asthma attack on May 8, 1995, while on vacation in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at the age of 42. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Teng's story is that Teng Fever peaked in China. Teng was ethnically Chinese, with ancestral roots in China's Shandong province. 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When I was studying in the US, I often met Asian American students who belted out her songs at karaoke nights or during cultural festivals. Many had grown up hearing her music through their parents' playlists or local community celebrations. The release of her recently discovered song is a reminder that some voices do not fade – they evolve, migrate and live on in the hearts of people scattered across the world. In an age when global politics drive different cultures apart, Teng's enduring appeal reminds us of something quieter yet more lasting: the power of voice to transmit emotion across time and space, the way a melody can build a bridge between continents and generations. I recently rewatched the YouTube video for Teng's iconic 1977 ballad 'The Moon Represents My Heart.' As I read the comments section, one perfectly encapsulated what I had discovered about Teresa Teng in my own research: 'Teng's music opened a window to a culture I never knew I needed.' Xianda Huang is a PhD student in Asian languages and cultures, University of California, Los Angeles. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
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RTHK
7 days ago
- RTHK
Zheng ousted by Sabalenka in French Open
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