Learning from the 60s: Cheongsam as Daily Wear With Dr. Brenda Li

Cheongsam, a loaned word derived from a Chinese term literally meaning ‘long dress’, refers exclusively to a traditional Chinese female dress form that first came into vogue in Shanghai in the 1920s and saw its golden age in Hong Kong in the 1950s-1960s. Noted for its elegant body-hugging silhouette, exquisite Shanghainese tailoring, unique East-West appeal, amazing versatility and distinct national identity, this dress form was embraced by all local urban Chinese women in its heyday. Although the cheongsam ceased to be a mainstream outfit in Hong Kong after the 1970s, it continued to receive support from the local elite and on special occasions. The apparent revival of the cheongsam in the last two decades has seen this dress form in a new context and subjected to greater freedom of expression. However, reintroducing it back to our daily wardrobe has met many difficulties. Let’s see if the cheongsam images of the 1960s can throw some light
on this.

* Jointly presented with Cheongsam Connect.

雖然近年較多香港人使用「旗袍」一詞，其實「長衫」這地道說法在香港有悠久的歷史。戰前的「香港長衫」唯上世紀二十年代「上海旗袍」潮流馬首是瞻，但戰後卻能擺脫上海旗袍的影子而闖出新天地。大批南來的「上海裁縫」和他們的精湛「海派工藝」造就了二十世紀中葉香港長衫的「黃金時代」。長衫普遍成為香港城市女性的常服、便服及宴會服，將中華女性引以為傲的身分、端莊形象和東方美態發揮得淋漓盡致 。七十年代以後，雖然長衫不再是主流服，卻仍受不少精英階層的女性擁戴，並繼續成為喜慶宴會的最得體服裝。長衫潮流在二十世紀末明顯復甦，傳統與創新並存，中西更見融匯，然而要把長衫重新普及仍是困難重重。讓我們向上世紀中葉的光影圖像取經，看看有何玄機可以讓長衫重新回歸城中女性便服與常服的行列。

Speaker
Dr. Brenda Li holds a BA degree in Chinese literature and history from the University of Hong Kong and DPhil and MPhil degrees in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from the University of Oxford. She is a multi-disciplinary scholar: Translator and writer in Chinese art and culture, project-based Researcher and Editor of the Hong Kong Museum of History and Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Instructor of Tibetan language and the ground breaking Certificate Course in Cheongsam Design and Production at HKUSPACE, and author of two books on Tibetan history and culture. She was Researcher of the exhibition “A Century of Fashion: Hong Kong Cheongsam Story” organised by the Hong Kong Museum of History in 2013. Dr. Li is an advocate of local cheongsam culture and she makes her own cheongsams.

講者簡介：
李惠玲為香港大學中國文學及歷史學士，英國牛津大學西藏與喜馬拉雅研究碩士與博士；資深中國文史美術翻譯及寫作人，藏學研究學者及作者，身兼多職及同時涉獵不同的學術範疇。現時為香港歷史博物館及香港文化博物館特約研究、翻譯及編校員，香港大學專業進修學院西藏語文導師，並為該學院新開創的「長衫製作及設計證書課程」講授香港長衫歷史和文化。曾為2013年香港博物館舉辦的「百年時尚：香港長衫故事」展覽作研究員並撰寫展覽目錄。李博士喜愛縫紉，所穿的長衫全是自己縫製，近年積極推廣本土的長衫文化。