Cheongsam: Classical Shanghai Style
Originally the cheongsam was a kind of broad-sleeved and baggy robe worn by Manchurian women. This style went on for about 300 years without any change. But it wasn't until the 1920s that the cheongsam began to be popular among people all over the country, due to the influence of Occidental fashion, which changed the cheongsam's style in ways such as reducing the length and tightening the waistline.
The style of the cheongsam in the 1930s, absorbing the peculiarity of western dress into the traditional Chinese dress, became a combination of Chinese and Western dresses, which brought forth new ideas and changed continuously, led by Shanghai.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Chinese modern couture (fashion) reached its peak, with the 1930s in particular being the gorgeous pinnacle. At that time, the cheongsam became the representative and typical attire. Overnight, the cheongsam, formed in the Shanghai style that is modern in touch and Chinese in feel, came into fashion all over the country and even the world.
The lifestyle of Shanghai's swelldom (people of rank and fashion) and gentlefolk (prominent families) followed the fashion and enjoyed luxury, enjoying Western leisures such as swimming, promenades, dance and golf. Influenced by the Occidental fashion, the cheongsam became more slender, slinky, and skintight with a high kick pleat (allowing the wearer to walk easily) so as to match the delicate and lively figure of the Shanghai women in the 1930s.
The cheongsam of that time had two traits: combining Chinese with Western style and varying a lot.
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