With roots in 17th century China, the qipao It is an elegant garment for the woman who is enjoying a renaissance today. It has a high neck and a tight cut, with slits on both sides of the skirt.
Intrigued by its growing popularity, people are flocking to the Internet and Shanghai stores to see what the attraction is around them. The truth is that there is a growing trend for online ordering of the qipao where you can choose the color, the neck, the fabric and the length.
Each design has a detailed description, with an illustration, which makes it easy to choose your favorite. You can also find the different shapes and lengths of qipao, such as qipao with short sleeves, long sleeves to the ankles, knees or even mini-skirt in length. .
The price for a quality custom qipao ranges from 5.500 yuan ($ 806) to 12.000 yuan ($ 1.758). There are many designer boutiques and costume shops on Shanghai's Changle Road, for example, that specialize in qipao design. You can buy ready-to-wear qipao straight from the store.
The history of this updated garment goes back to when the Manchus ruled China during the Qing Dynasty, where certain social strata emerged. Among them were the banners (qi), mostly Manchu, which as a group is called Qí.
Manchu women typically wore a one-piece dress that came to be known as the qipao. Under dynastic laws after 1636, all Han Chinese were forced to wear a tail dress and in Manchuria the qipao gave way to traditional Han Chinese clothing under pain of death.
However after 1644, the Manchu renounced this edict, allowing the main population to continue wearing Hanfu, but gradually until they began to wear the qipao and changshan.
In the next 300 years, the qipao became the adopted clothing of the Chinese, and was eventually adapted to suit the preferences of the population. Such was their popularity that the garment form survived the political upheaval of the 1911 Revolution that overthrew the Xinhai Qing dynasty.
