Qipao history on display at exhibition in Brussels

An exhibition featuring a range of qipao gowns, old photographs and traditional illustrated calendars opened the evening of April 26 at the China Cultural Center in Brussels next to the European Union headquarters.

The exhibition, From Shanghai to Brussels: One Hundred Years of Qipao History, started with a brilliant qipao show, filled with enchanting Chinese charm.

More than 200 people attended the opening ceremony. Those present included Zhang Ming, head of the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Union, his wife Cai Xiaoli as well as Chinese and European diplomats.

“Qipao literally means the bannerman’s gowns in the Qing Dynasty,” Zhang Ming said in his speech, “But qipao in the modern sense was not born until the middle of the 19th century.” At that time, during the opening-up and economic expansion of Shanghai, the city’s social life and ideas of culture and beauty all underwent great changes. It was within that social climate that the qipao was designed, becoming the iconic national garment of Chinese women during the 20th century.

Zhang said: “It is a bidirectional process for the world to understand China. I hope our European friends can know more about China’s conditions and people through the qipao exhibition to better understand new development in China, making contributions to communication and cooperation between China and Europe.”

Gao Chunming, representative of the sponsor of this exhibition and president of the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Conservation Association, introduced that Shanghai was a city possessing memories of the vicissitudes of time and a modern air. The qipao prospering in such a city reflected the collision and fusion of the fashion of the East with influences from the West.

“As an important project of the 2018 China-EU tourism year, the exhibition will surely deepen the cultural exchanges between China and Europe,” said Tan Shu, director of the China Cultural Center in Brussels.

Some of the qipao in the exhibition are from Shanghai collectors, and some from qipao production enterprises, aiming to help European visitors fully understand the history of the qipao and appreciate its charm.

A female diplomat from the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Union is wearing a qipao at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on April 26. [photo/CYOL.com]

A foreign member of the Huafeng Hanfu Association in Belgium is wearing a qipao at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on April 26. [photo/CYOL.com]

Students of the Sunshine School of the Chinese Embassy in EU walk down the aisle at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on April 26. [photo/CYOL.com]