Jiapei Ke
Qipao Diary
My project, Qipao Diary, documents a popular form of women’s clothing worn in China between the 1920s and the 1940s, coinciding with the Republic of China’s rise to power following millennia of imperial rule. One of the reasons that qipao became popular during the Republican Era was that this form of dress made it easier for women to move around and was more suitable for work. Another was that as Chinese citizens met feminism and advocated for the liberation of women, wearing qipao provided a way to represent the fight against traditional values., and allowed women to emulate men in pursuit of gender equality During this time, Western ideas were introduced into China. The qipao was gradually improved and modernized, highlighting the beauty of the female body, and adding many Western elements, people began to wear it with Western stockings and high heels, its length was gradually shortened, and a slit was added to the skirt.
Publication
This publication discusses the influence of history on clothing design, the history of qipao, and the relationship between qipao, feminism, and the integration of China and the world.
In the publication, I experiment with images, patterns, and fabric to create collages. I combine a variety of materials from both western and eastern cultures to represent China’s integration in the world. And I layer different qipao fabrics to create new patterns.
I’m interested in qipao as a classic form of women’s clothing that was worn when China was a new republic, and as a representation of the advent of feminism in China. With this work, I hope that others can see and learn about this important form of Chinese cultural history. Qipao’s history represents the history of the liberation of Chinese women, the defeat of China’s feudal dynasties, and the exchange and integration of Chinese and Western cultures. Qipao symbolizes the steady lifting of the shackles that were historically been placed on women, and the change in our understanding of women’s liberation —from imitating men to advocating women’s own physical beauty.