My first encounter with Cheongsam is when I was 15 years old, we were moving house, I helped my mother with packing. At the bottom of everything, there was an old wooden camphorwood chest caught my eyes, my mother and I lifted up the heavy lid, some strong smell of moth balls breezing through me, I looked inside curiously and found some clothing – a set of my grandfather’s suit and a piece of grandmother’s cheongsam and a fur coat.
They were all made in 1930s, belonged to my grandparents. My grandparents wore these clothes when they went to study in Japan back then, my grandpa was one of the pioneers in the field of railway transportation in the old China.
Although I had listened to grandparents’ stories like hundreds of times, it still fascinated me each time they were told by my mother again. My mother went on telling me that at the end of The World War II when they were all out on the streets celebrating the withdrawal of Japanese Soldiers in Harbin, people all dressed in different traditional costume, my Grandma was wearing her favorite Cheongsam, the particular one now kept by my mother. She carried my mother and walked happily and tirelessly in the crowd too. My mother remembered the joy and excitement she and everyone else experienced on that day in 1945, the war was finally over. At the end of her story, my mother said sentimentally, “I would pass them on to you when you grow up.”
I took out the Cheongsam carefully, had a good look at it, it was dark green color silk velvet fabric with same color print of leaves and flowers, I tried to touch it, feeling silky and soft, it is made of dark green color, jacquard silk velvet fabric. My grandmother gave this piece of history and treasure to my mother when she got married in late 1960s. I became excited that I was going to inherit it too, as back then cheongsam had almost disappeared in people’s daily fashion, I only saw actress wearing it in old black and white movies, starred by Zhou Xuan, Ruan Ling Yu, but never saw real people dressed in Cheongsam.
That piece of my Grandma’s Cheongsam means loves, memories, exquisiteness and cares to my mother and I.
Later on I was living in Shanghai quite often between 2000-2012 after I landed in Singapore in 1995, With Singapore and Shanghai are both homes to me, I started to understand and appreciate more about Cheongsam!
Shanghai ladies are more sophisticated and famous for leading the fashion in China. Modern Cheongsam was also first born in Shanghai around 1910s-1920s. In Singapore, a cosmopolitan country also called garden city, Cheongsam too has her group of followers, not only the local people wear it for key holidays, functions and events, some visitors around the world also like to tailor made their Cheongsam here. There are long standing shops well known in the expatriate’s community for making good quality, value-for-money Cheongsam in just 2-3 days or even shorter. Members from Cheongsam Association get together share our love for Cheongsam, design their own Orchid Cheongsam, spread joys for being as beautiful and gracious as the best way we can.
Cheongsam is classic and figure flattery, Cheongsam Button, Binder & Binding, Embroidery and Cutting are the four key elements when making a Cheongsam. Button design could resemble the shape of butterfly, dragonfly, chrysanthemum, or plum blossom, or even the word of longevity symbolizing kindness and happiness for the wearer. Embroidery on Cheongsam may also feature landscapes, birds and flowers, or even poems in their design.
Cheongsam is always special to me, it is a family heritage of generations, my Grandma, my Mother and Myself, we have all loved Cheongsam and taken pride owning and wearing Cheongsam too.
Lynn Lam
林 琳
Consultant, Xin Zhong Consultant Services Pte Ltd