Learn Chinese with the word “旗袍”

In Chinese films and TV series, we can often see women wearing “旗袍”(qí páo, cheongsam, a Chinese style dress)”. It always impresses viewers seeing female leading role in a “旗袍 (qí páo)”.

在中国的电影和电视中，我们常常可以看到穿旗袍的女性。女主角穿旗袍的样子，都给人留下了非常深刻的印象。

“旗袍 (qí páo)” is one type of Chinese traditional costume. It first appeared about a century ago, developed from the changes of women’s costumes in Qing Dynasty. The royal nobility in Qing Dynasty was also known as “bannerman (旗人-qí rén)”. In Chinese language, “袍 (páo)” means long clothes. As it was the female “(旗人-qí rén)” who wore this kind of long clothes (长袍-cháng páo), the name “旗袍 (qí páo)” was born.

旗袍是一种中国的传统服装。旗袍最早出现在大约一百年以前，是从清朝女性的服装变化而来的。清朝的皇室贵族，也叫做”旗人”。”袍”在汉语中，指的是长长的衣服。因为是”旗人”女性所穿的”长袍”，所以就有了”旗袍”这个名字。

During the Republic period, “旗袍 (qí páo)” became popular. At the same time, feminist movement came onto the stage in the world, and in China. Women hoped to have equal rights and social position as men did. “旗袍 (qí páo)”, was seen as a female costume with great individual characteristics, and began to appear in Shanghai, still considered the most fashionable city in China, and then spread throughout other big cities. Gradually, “旗袍 (qí páo)” became the major formal wear for Chinese women.

旗袍刚开始流行是在民国时期。这个时期，也是中国的”女权运动”开始的时期。女人们希望拥有和男人一样的权利和地位。旗袍，这种富有个性的女性服装首先出现在中国最时尚的城市，上海，然后在其他大城市流行起来。慢慢地，旗袍就变成了中国女性最重要的正装。

The “旗袍 (qí páo)” at that time was quite different from the modern variety. The earliest “旗袍 (qí páo)” was very long with a high collar and sleeves. Later, all of these parts have been simplified. Now it is more comfortable and charming to wear the modern “旗袍 (qí páo)”.

那时候的旗袍，和现在的旗袍不太一样。最早的旗袍很长，领子比较高，还带有袖子。后来，这些部分都被简化了。这样，现代旗袍穿起来就更舒服，看上去也更加妩媚。

The Chinese traditional costume is relatively loose and conservative, while “旗袍 (qí páo)” highlights the beauty of the feminine shape, but still keeps the features of Chinese traditional costume – patterns, buttons, edging and collar, all of which adhere to the traditional design style of China.

传统的中国服装，一般比较宽大、保守，而旗袍更加体现了女性的线条美。同时，旗袍也保留了中国传统服装的特点。比如衣服上的花纹、扣子、边饰和领子等地方，都运用了传统中国风格的设计。

The beauty of “旗袍 (qí páo)” is combining traditional and modern features. Until now, it is an important formal dress-code in China. Not only Chinese females, but those from other countries are fond of “旗袍 (qí páo)”. Many famous Hollywood female stars love wearing the gorgeous “旗袍 (qí páo)” for red carpet shows. In China, some brides will prepare two dresses for the wedding, a western white wedding dress and a Chinese “旗袍 (qí páo)”.

旗袍的美，是一种传统和现代结合而形成的美。现在，旗袍仍然是非常重要的中国式_礼服。不仅是中国的女性，许多其他国家的女性，也很喜欢旗袍。许多著名的好莱坞女明星，也喜欢穿着华丽的旗袍，走上红地毯。在中国，有些新娘们结婚的时候，要换两件礼服：一件是西式的白色婚纱，另外一件就是中式的旗袍。