In 1929 the government announced the "Clothing Regulations," which stipulated styles of formal clothing for both men and women. Formal men's wear included blue robes, black mandarin jackets and the closed-collar, uniform-like coats named after Sun Yat-sen that were matched with Western-style pants. Formal wear for women, on the other hand, was either blue blouses and black skirts or long blue gowns with a hemline between the knee and the ankle. These long blue gowns are what we know today as ch'i-p'aos.
Its name (ch'i means banner and p'ao means gown or robe) suggests its origin: clothing of the banners, the military divisions of the Manchus, who ruled during the Ching dynasty. In the Ch'ing-pai lei-ch'ao (A Classified Collection of Ching Fiction), it is recorded, "The women of the eight banners wore the same clothing, which was not split into separate pieces for the bottom and top."
"The ch'i-p'ao was the formal wear of the Ching Dynasty. Early on, ch'i-p'aos were simple--plain and somewhat oversized, still maintaining some of the character of a nomadic herding people. By the end, both the sleeves and the body of the ch'i-p'ao had become a bit tighter fitting," says Ma Yu-chi, a famous leading lady of Peking Opera who grew up amid the social world on account of mandarins of her maternal grandfather's position as a high-ranking Ching official.
The Stipulating of National Dress:While it may be difficult for people to understand some 60 years later, the selecting of ch'i-p'aos as national dress was controversial at the time. Fu Jen Catholic University Professor Wang Yu-ching, who founded the first course in the history of Chinese clothing 30 years ago, points out that the stipulating of national dress has an unusual background. In 1928, the KMT's Northern Expedition was successful, and Nanking was established as the capital. At that time, there were many pressing matters that the government had put off resolving. Government officials lacked formal clothing to attend the funeral of Sun Yat-sen. Therefore, the government promptly announced the Formal Clothing Regulations in April of 1929.
At that time, the clothing and accessories of the general public could be divided into two types: the Western-style clothing worn by a small number of xenophiles and persons who had returned from study abroad and the Ching-style hats, shoes, robes and jackets worn by the vast majority of the population. As for stipulating the ch'i-p'ao as national dress, some held that the ch'i-p'ao, which was Manchu after all, was not representative of China. But after 268 years of Manchu rule, the clothing of China was completely different from the clothes of the Song and Ming Dynasties. Resurrecting the long dead would not be easy. Hence, after 10 sessions of discuson, it was decided that the clothing of the day would do.
"At the time, we wore light blue ch'i-p'aos. Their bodies and sleeves were made of two pieces afabric--one in the front and one in the back -- which were sewed together. Big and loose, they were very convenient for being active in," recalls painter Liang Tan-feng of her student days in Hangchow in 1945.
The Changing Ch'i-p'ao: The 1940s were the period in which the ch'i-p'ao underwent its greatest transformations. With Western influences and the leadership of movie stars in matters of dress and appearance, the ch'i-p'ao went from being big and loose to being waist-hugging and tight, revealing beautifully a woman's curves. Its collar, sleeves, length, patterns and buttons were also constantly being transformed.
At first high collars were in style. On even the hottest days of the summer, fashionable women would wear stiff collars that went as high as the ears. After a while, low collars became the rage--the lower the better--to the point that the collar was dispensed with altogether in some ch'i-p'aos.
Likewise, sleeves were sometimes long and sometimes short before some ch'i-p'aos became brazenly sleeveless. Still, in accordance with the mores of the time, only women of bold and rebellious character would dare to wear a sleeveless ch'i-p'ao.
Afterwards, the changes to the ch'i-p'ao were not as great. The trend was toward comfort and convenience. The hem lines and sleeves were shortened and collars were low. Taking a cue from western fashions, pleats were added to the front and back and seams added to take in the fabric around the dreasts and at the waist. The ch'i-p'ao had already become much like its modern incarnation--far removed from the ch'i-p'ao of the Ching Dynasty Manchus.
It is interesting to note that while ch'i-p'aos originated in the northeast, they were popular all over. When the government moved to Taiwan, Taiwanese women gradually began wearing ch'i-p'aos. In one respect, it was as if the Taiwanese, who had previously been under Japanese rule for so long, put all of their longing for their fatherland land into the clothes they wore. In another respect, ch'i-p'aos were the most valuable clothes at that time, and only wealthy women could afford to wear them. Hence, for the year's major festivals and other special occasions, it was hard not to want to make one and do a little showing off.
Maternity Ch'i-p'aos: The women of that time did not just wear ch'i-p'aos; they needed to know how to alter them. "Particular care was taken to ensure that a ch'i-p'ao fit the body. As soon as you were a bit fatter or thinner, you couldn't wear it any longer. Women were always taking them in or letting them out until it got to the point where women could make their own," recalls Liang Tan-feng with a smile. When she was pregnant, she wore "ch'i-p'ao maternity clothes" that she had made herself.
Since she's been full grown, Liang Tan-feng hasn't worn anything but ch'i-p'aos. Whether painting, making speeches or teaching, she always wears one, just as she does when she travels. "I wore a ch'i-p'ao with a windbreaker on top when climbing Jade Mountain, and I climbed faster than anyone. Passing a stream, I picked up its hem and crossed without a drop of water touching it," says a laughing Liang Tan-feng, who currently owns more than 200 ch'i-p'aos. The ch'i-p'ao is her "registered trademark."
Like Liang Tan-feng, many wives of government officials are also classic ch'i-p'ao fans.
Yu Tung Mei-chen, the wife of a former premier, has never worn Westernclothes. On the way from Chungking to study in America, she passed through India. Surprisingly, she found a tailor there who could make ch'i-p'aos. "I was afraid that when I got to America I wouldn't be able to findanyone who could make ch'i-p'aos. So I had him quickly make a few for me," she recalls with a smile.
Reveal a Chinese Beauty: Just what is it about a ch'i-p'ao that makesit so eternally fascinating?
"Gracefulness in shape and delicateness in workmanship,"says Liang Tan-feng, who holds the ch'i-p'ao in the hig hest of esteem. She believes that the ch'i-p'ao is best suited to the gentle curves and classic feminine charm of a Chinese woman. As an example, she cites the Miss Wonderland Beauty Pageant of 1988, which was held in Taipei. All ofthe contestants were given clothes of the host country to wear--ch'i-p'aos--but when the curtain went up, the effect was anything but beautiful. "The healthy looks of foreign women are complete ly different fromthe gentle delicateness of Chinese women. Foreigners wearing ch'i-p'aosare like Chinesein bikinis: they're out of character."
The ch'i-p'ao is certainly graceful and well suited for a Chinese woman, but to someextent its assets have become liabilities in today's developed industrial and commercial world. Their fine work requires great expenditure of time: An experienced tailor can make only one or two a day. Depending on the quality of materials, the labor costs for a ch'i-p'ao can range anywhere from NT$3,000 to NT$6,000. If one adds a border or embroiders such patterns as clouds of good fortune or a ju-yi, an S-shaped jade ornament, it can easily run in excess of NT$10,000. Up against cheap and convenient mass-produced clothing, the ch'i-p'ao naturally doesn't stand a chance.
"They are constraining" is probably the biggest criticism modern women have of ch'i-p'aos. During an age when men worked outside and women stayed in the home, a woman wearing a ch'i- p'ao possessed a certain gracefulness sitting in a pedicab or ricksha. But a modern working woman whowears a ch'i-p'ao while riding a crowded bus or running across the street is not a pretty sight.
A Uniform for the Service Industry: As a result, only people employedin a few kinds of service industry jobs, such as flight attendants, clerks in highclass souvenir shops and waitresses, wear ch'i-p'aos on a daily basis. And because nothing is betterat revealing a woman's feminine chrm, ch'i-p'aos, originally the most dignified of clothing, now have an enduring popularity amid the debauchery of the nightlife industry, wherethey have been modified to be even tighter fitting and more revealing of the body's curves and where the slits on their sides have grown ever higher.
In the rendering of novelist Pai Hsien-yung, Yin Hsueh-yen of the Parliament Dancing Hall, Madame Chin of the Paris Night Dancing Hall and Chuan-chuan of the May Flower Girlie Restaurant all wear ch'i-p'aos: "a ch'i-p'ao of thin white gauze like the wings of cicadas," "a tightly fitting black ch'i-p'ao with interwoven strands of gold" and "a garnet colore ch'i-p'ao with ornamented relief". . . . Each woman was seducingly beau tiful and exceedingly fascinating and charming. Down to the present, th ese kinds of ch'i-p'aos have proved most popular with their wearers' customers.
But as far as most people are concerned, the days in which ch'i-p'aos were worn are gradually fading into the distant past. For the graduation ceremony at National Taiwan University, women used to follow the tradition of wearing ch'i-p'aos. For such an important occasion, some womenwent to the trouble of making a ch'i-p'ao for themselves while others would have mama's old onealtered. Yet these kinds of traditions are declining. Maybe wearing a ch'i-p'ao is already no longer a symbol of adulthood.
Furthermore, thebright red ch'i-p'ao that was once required bridal clothing is gradually being replaced by Western-style clothes. Wang Hsiao-chuan, the managerof the clothing department of the Lin Lu Photo Studiopoints out, "Previously, among 10 brides, there'd be two or three who would rent a ch'i-p'ao. In recent years there have been fewer and fewer. This year there's only been one ch'i-p'ao rented for every 20 or 30 brides." For other photo studios, the situation is about the same.
Free-lance writer Teng Pei-wen, who has been married for about a year, describes her experience of trying on a ch'i-p'ao before her wedding as "not knowing where to putmy hands and feet." At a loss about how to move in a ch'i-p'ao, she decided against wearing one. "But on the day of the wedding, the women presiding over the ceremony were wearing ch'i-p'aos to do battle in," says Ten Pei-wen, laughing.
Its Gradual Decline and Fall: As buyers of ch'i-p'aos are fewer and fewer, so too are the stores selling them. Many ch'i-p'ao tailors have been forced to change professions, and few of the younger generation are willing to study the craft. According to the estimates of Yang Cheng-kuei, president of both the Taipei Sewing Business Association and the Chinese Costume Research Association, there are about 20 or 30 shops in Taiwan that specialize in making ch'i-p'aos and another200 or so that do them in addition to other work. In his own company, the Han Tang Dress Co., 40 tailors have been reduced to five or six over the course of 30 or 40years.
Reflecting on the decline of the ch'i-p'ao, Tsai Meng-hsia, who runs the Lung Ti Dress Co., began working hard to improve the ch'i-p'ao 15 years ago. "It can only be called Chinese clothing if modern Chinese arewilling to wear it," she says.
To make it easy for modern people to put it on and take it off and thus save time, Tsai Meng-hsia has replaced its tight-fitting lines with a more loose and comfortable fit and has substituted a zipper for buttons . In order to strengthen the design, she has used fashionable colors an d added accessories such as shoulder pads. Except for such work as sewi ng the border and attaching the sequins, which must be done by hand, ma chines are usedin the production process to lower the costs.
The Rise of Creative Chinese Clothes: Yet the new and improved ch'i-p'ao appeared on the scenewithout catching the fancy of consumers. TsaiMeng-hsia quietly went onwith her work for several years "until the movie The Last Emperor won that award," she exclaims. "Europeans and Americans suddenly became interested in this mysterious country China. It wasn't until European designers started making some Chinese- in-fluenced clothes that Chinese turned around and looked at Chinese formal clothing."
Besides Tsai Meng-hsia, many other designers, such as Carson Huang, Lu Fong-chih, Li Chun-chih, Li Yu, and Isabelle Wen, have proceeded withcreating these Chinese-style clothes. Maybe the designer adds a few Chinese buttons or tassels orsome ornamentation in the shape of a ju-yi or clouds--or maybe she adds a Chinese touch to the lines of the lapel, shoulder, sleeve or hem.
Carson Huang points out that except for a decline last year as a result of the poorly performing economy, the market for these creative Chinese clothes has been steadily growing in recent years. The rate of growth this year has been 30 percent. From this rapid growth of business, one can see that new and improved ch'i-p'aos and these creative Chinese clothes are replacing the traditional ch'i- p'ao as the national dress.
Only with incessant creation and improvement can there be advancement, and the ch'i-p'ao is no exception to the rule. But on the resplendentpagein the history of Chinese fashion devoted to the traditional ch'i-p'ao,the graceful movements of the willow-waisted women will forever engender in people a nostalgic longing for that dignified, graceful age.
[Picture Caption]
Ch'i-p'aos were clothing of the Ching Dynasty court. There were relatively fewer waves embroidered in the hem early on, relatively more later.This ch'i-p'ao was worn by the empress during the early years of the 19th century. (Provided by Ma Yu-chi)
Yu Tung Mei-chen, wife of the former Premier, always puts on a stately ch'i-p'ao before going to a formal occasion. (photo by Vincent Chang)
Ch'i-p'aos are "the registered trademark" of Liang Tan-feng. Only in a ch'i-p'ao can she gather her energy to paint or lecture. (photo by DiagoChiu)
This set of Chinese clothes for children has a festive look. With Chinese buttons, a juyi, a border and embroidery, it is full of traditionalstyle. (photo by Huang Li-li)
(Left) Designer Tsai Meng-hsia already has 15 years of experience in modernizing the ch'i-p'ao. (photo by Arthur Cheng)
(Right) A line up at the 1988 Miss Wonderland International Beauty Pageant, which was held in Taipei. From countries all over the world, these women are wearing ch'i-p'aos that give soft lines to their healthy bodies. (photo by Arthur Cheng)
The new and improved ch'i-p'ao is not as close fitting. Hence, machines can be substituted for hand work in the manufacturing process, and they can be produced in large quantities. (photo by Diago Chiu)
Yu Tung Mei-chen, wife of the former Premier, always puts on a stately ch'i-p'ao before going to a formal occasion. （photo by Vincent Chang）
Ch'i-p'aos are "the registered trademark" of Liang Tan-feng. Only in a ch'i-p'ao can she gather her energy to paint or lecture. （photo by DiagoChiu）
This set of Chinese clothes for children has a festive look. With Chinese buttons, a juyi, a border and embroidery, it is full of traditionalstyle. （photo by Huang Li-li）
The new and improved ch'i-p'ao is not as close fitting. Hence, machines can be substituted for hand work in the manufacturing process, and they can be produced in large quantities. （photo by Diago Chiu）
（Left） Designer Tsai Meng-hsia already has 15 years of experience in modernizing the ch'i-p'ao. （photo by Arthur Cheng）
（Right） A line up at the 1988 Miss Wonderland International Beauty Pageant, which was held in Taipei. From countries all over the world, these women are wearing ch'i-p'aos that give soft lines to their healthy bodies. （photo by Arthur Cheng）
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