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The following four factors promoted Shanghai's fashion's generation and popularity long ago: First, at that time, foreign trade was so prosperous that Occidental textiles, such as camlet, woolen cloth, and lace, entered the Chinese market continuously, updating and broadening people's selection and concept of costume; second, there were various fashion columns in all big newspapers and magazines, popularizing the latest fashion information from the West; third, some department stores held many fashion shows regularly; and fourth, fashionably dressed movie actors and actresses became the models of many people.

In Shanghai, the fashion center of China, all the latest styles popular in the Occident was blown (or brought) here in only three or four months. And other areas in China all imitated the Shanghai style.

At the beginning of the Republic of China(1911-1949), the men fashion mainly adopted the Ma Gua (mandarin jacket worn over a gown) and the Chang Pao (long gown); both costumes, when worn as formal attire, had a certain form in style, material, color, and size. During the beginning of spring or late autumn, men usually wore a sleeveless waistcoat, instead of the Ma Gua, outside the Chang Pao.

Following the western trend, the men in Shanghai, especially the staffs of many foreign companies, were among the first group to wear the western business suits. But the traditional costumes like the Ma Gua and Chang Pao costumes were still in use.

At the same time, the intellectuals and young students favored the "students' costume," which Dr. Sun Yat Sen (Sun Zhongshan) was very fond of. Dr. Sun made some changes to the costume, which was later named "Zhongshan Costume" after him.

In the 1920s, Shanghai's women fashion gradually adopted a gorgeous style, mainly featuring the Qi Pao (cheongsam, a close-fitting woman's gown with a high neck and slit skirt), which can easily display a woman's figure. The cheongsam is fit for Chinese women with a slim figure; as Shanghai women are especially slim, the Shanghai-style cheongsam became the leading feature of Shanghai's fashion culture in the 1930s.