With its well-defined lines and myriad designs, the cheongsam combines light and soft fabric with a tight-fitting cut to show off the beauty of the female silhouette and highlight a woman's graceful manners and elegant charm.

 

It was in the 1920s that the cheongsam first became all the rage, as students, teachers, ladies from wealthy families, singers and movie stars in Hong Kong began wearing the dress, and the vogue then experienced a surge in the 1940s and 1950s after a large number of tailors from Shanghai emigrated to Hong Kong. As the tradition of wearing the cheongsam has been passed from generation to generation, the garment has undergone several changes. It remains hugely popular in Hong Kong today and continues to be worn by many women to important occasions.

 

Showcasing around 130 exhibits, including a range of cheongsam from the late Qing and early Republican periods to the present day, this brand new exhibition has been specially curated by the Hong Kong Museum of History for ‘Hong Kong Week 2013@Taipei'. Among the items on display are beautifully crafted cheongsam belonging to a number of prominent ladies, such as four-time Asia Film Festival Best Actress winner Linda Lin Dai, renowned Cantonese opera artist Pak Suet Sin, former Miss Hong Kong Loletta Chu-Lo and pop music diva Teresa Teng. The exhibits also include valuable artefacts related to the garment's history in Hong Kong, including a number of cheongsam tailoring tools, merchandise printed with images of stylish women dressed in cheongsam and invaluable historical photos and videos. Display after display of elegant cheongsam not only tells the story of how Hong Kong women grew up with this elegant dress, but also illustrates the changes in their status in particular and Hong Kong society in general.

 

‘Hong Kong Week 2013@Taipei' is presented by Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee, in association with Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan) and supported by Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Hong Kong Tourism Board.