In 2013, Liu set up a professional committee of Qipao art, under the Shanghai Sino-foreign culture and art exchange association, with the aim of attracting more women to engage in cultural exchanges between China and the world. Now in her 60s, Liu has maintained a slim figure since her retirement, allowing her to wear the Shanghai-style Qipao in various colors and styles. 'In addition to the masters passing on the craft to their apprentices, the inheritance and promotion of Shanghai-style Qipao is also inseparable from a group of fans who come to our stores almost every year to tailor and customize their robes,' said Jiang Manzong, a fourth-generation inheritor of the Longfeng cheongsam craft.

Longfeng cheongsam mainly has nine crafts, namely inlaying pieces, rimming the inlaid pieces, making fringes, sewing curved lines, embroidering, painting, hollowing, carving and making knot buttons. In 2011, the craft of making these garments by hand was listed as an item of national-level intangible cultural heritage. The Longfeng Qipao, a style of cheongsam associated with Shanghai, and which emphasizes the beauty of female curves, is particularly popular. It has evolved over time, and nowadays it represents a new fashion option for Chinese women who value tradition and elegance. In Hong Kong, it is more well-known as cheongsam, meaning 'long gown' in Cantonese. The team's attire drew praise from the foreigners on board, and Liu and her friends were invited onto the stage to show off their Qipao costumes.įeaturing a high collar and delicate cloth buttons on the front, the Qipao originated in China's Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was not until 2010, when she took a cruise to Japan with a model team in traditional Qipao dress before her retirement, that Liu was truly impressed by the charm of Chinese clothing culture. SHANGHAI, July 14 (Xinhua) - When she was young, Liu Peizhu preferred to wear Western clothes.

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