Cheongsam

Cheongsam

A woman in a cheongsam
Type	Dress / female outwear
Material	Diverse, such as silk, silk-like material, cotton[1]
Place of origin	China
Introduced	20th century

Cheongsam
"Cheongsam" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	長衫
Simplified Chinese	长衫
Literal meaning	long garment
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin chángshān Bopomofo ㄔㄤˊ ㄕㄢ IPA [ʈʂʰǎŋʂán] Wu Shanghainese Romanization zan3se1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization chèuhng-sāam Jyutping coeng4-saam1 IPA [tsʰœŋ˩sam˥] Southern Min Hokkien POJ tn̂g-sann Tâi-lô tn̂g-saⁿ
Qipao
Chinese	旗袍
Literal meaning	banner gown
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin qípáo Wade–Giles ch'i2-p'ao2 IPA [tɕʰǐpʰǎʊ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization kèih pòuh Jyutping kei4 pou4-2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ kî-phâu Tâi-lô kî-phâu

Cheongsam (UK: /tʃ(i)ɒŋˈsæm/, US: /tʃɔːŋˈsɑːm/) or zansae, also known as the qipao (/ˈtʃiːpaʊ/) and sometimes referred to as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the qizhuang, the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people.^{[2][better source needed]} The cheongsam is most often seen as a longer, figure-fitting, one piece garment with a standing collar, an asymmetric, left-over-right (youren) opening and two side slits, and embellished with Chinese frog fasteners on the lapel and the collar. It was developed in the 1920s and evolved in shapes and design over years.^{[2][better source needed]} It was popular in China from the 1920s to 1960s, overlapping with the Republican era, and was popularized by Chinese socialites and high society women in Shanghai.^[3][4] Although the cheongsam is sometimes seen as traditional Chinese clothing, the cheongsam continues to evolve with times as it responds to the contemporary modern life.^{[2][better source needed]}