For centuries, women from the oriental world are considered to be the epitome of grace and charm. Their elegance and beauty stand out through various external expressions, for instance, their taste of dressing, in particular. Among numerous types of costumes, Qipao is undoubtedly the most influential one. Qipao, also known as cheongsam in Cantonese, is a type of feminine body-hugging dress with distinctive Chinese features. The modern variety of Qipao is a one-piece, form-fitting dress that has a high slit on one or both sides. 

Ribbon-cutting ceremony at China National Silk Museum

An exhibition named "Poetry: Global Qipao Invitational Exhibition, 2020" kicked off on October 16, and will probably last until the beginning of next year at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province. The exhibition has included 40 exquisite pieces designed by artists from all over the world. Since the first exhibition in 2018, China National Silk Museum keeps holding the series of the Global Qipao Invitational Exhibition every year. 

The theme of the Qipao exhibition this year is “Poetry”. The poetic theme decodes the organizer's hope of spreading the culture of Qipao in a poetic way, with a poetic concept. They are three units of this year's exhibition -"Grace of the Nine Regions", "Romance of the Seven Seas" and "Fashion of the Octopath". 

The first unit "Grace of the Nine Regions" is inspired by the first poetic anthology of China - The Book of Songs. The poems found in The Book of Songs clearly reflects the awe ancient Chinese held for the nature in which they believed. It was a great gift of hope and good fortune. All the pieces included in this unit are inspired by Chinese poetry and endows the Qipao with a thousand years of elegance. 

Plum Blossoms, designed by Shih Shan-Ying, a representative piece of Unit One

Turning to the second unit "Romance of the Seven Seas", this part tries to exhibit the "romance" of world poetry through the medium of Qipao. Pieces included in this unit bring together the characteristics of world poetry and also showcase the most poetic essence of those designers from different cultural backgrounds.

Kołbiela, designed by Dorota Kołodyńska, a representative piece of Unit Two

In terms of the third unit "Fashion of the Octopath", the Qipao pieces in this unit connect fashion and poetry, highlighting the self-expressions of the poetic and picturesque feelings. 

Resonance, designed by Dafna Stoilkova, a representative piece of Unit Three

As part of the celebrations of the Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival, the exhibition showcases not only the charm of Chinese sericulture but also the determination of China to further open up and embrace the world. As a birthplace of silk culture, Hangzhou is an ideal place for providing abundant materials for Qipao and other silk-related costumes. In recent years, by holding a series of events on silk culture, such as the Silk Road Week and Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival, Hangzhou has done pretty well in terms of digging deeper into the "silk-ology". 

During the nearly half-year exhibition, a range of qipao gowns with distinctive characteristics will be put on display, telling the history of Qipao's "poetic" essence and showcasing its magic power that has merged the fashions of East and West.

(Edited by Ye Ke)