Men’s Cheongsam: History, Culture and Craft
By Brenda Li
The classic form and traditional craft of men’s cheongsam are critically endangered. Despite the inscription of traditional cheongsam-making technique on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, we still need to race against time to have the classic form, craft and dressing rules of men’s cheongsam comprehensively researched, documented, preserved, inherited and promoted if salvage and active inheritance are to be attained. The public is welcome to download this book and partake in the salvaging and safeguarding of this critically endangered gem of Chinese culture.
About the Author
Brenda Li holds a BA degree in Chinese literature and history from the University of Hong Kong and DPhil and MPhil degrees in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from the University of Oxford. She is a multi-disciplinary scholar: Tibetologist and author of Tibet-related books; Project-Based Researcher, Translator and Editor of the Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH) and Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM); Coordinator and Instructor of the Certificate Course in Cheongsam Design and Production at the HKU SPACE; Researcher of the HKMH 2013 exhibition “A Century of Fashion: Hong Kong Cheongsam Story” and their 2018 Men’s Cheongsam Research Project; appointed by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office (ICHO) in 2019 to write a brochure recording their male cheongsam-making course launched in association with the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THE-i); Advisor of Hong Kong Cheongsam Association; one of the Authenticated Transmitters of Hong Kong Cheongsam Making Technique. Dr Li has been very keen on producing homemade clothes since her girlhood. She makes male and female cheongsams for research and demonstration purposes and has dedicated to promoting cheongsam culture and the transmission of cheongsam-making skill in recent years.
Chapter Intro
Chapter 1: Historical Perspective
Every culture has its origins and so does sartorial culture. To understand the development of men’s cheongsam over the past century, history is the starting point.
Chapter 2: Classic Elegance
Despite losing popularity after the mid-1950s, men’s cheongsam never loses its privileged identity and has since become a symbol of status. Whatever the cause, lacking the luck to prevail or due to an inexplicable power of self-preservation, its classic form, cut and crafting technique seem to have been locked in freeze frame in the 1950s and remain well-preserved today.
Chapter 3: Deconstructing Men’s Cheongsam
The structure, form and tailoring technique of men’s cheongsam must be comprehensively researched, documented, preserved and promoted if active inheritance is to be attained.
Chapter 4: The Art of Wearing Men’s Cheongsam
Safeguarding men’s classic cheongsam without knowing the rules of wearing it is like having forged a sublime sword but the sword manual is missing. Without the manual, the sword will never be able to manifest its true strength.
Men’s Cheongsam: History, Culture and Craft
By Brenda Li
The classic form and traditional craft of men’s cheongsam are critically endangered. Despite the inscription of traditional cheongsam-making technique on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, we still need to race against time to have the classic form, craft and dressing rules of men’s cheongsam comprehensively researched, documented, preserved, inherited and promoted if salvage and active inheritance are to be attained. The public is welcome to download this book and partake in the salvaging and safeguarding of this critically endangered gem of Chinese culture.
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