When East meets West: The politicization of kei pou (qipao) or cheongsam in Hong Kong

Abstract

Kei pou (qipao in Mandarin) or cheongsam, the oft-interchangeable style of dress has been labelled as the ‘Chinese national dress’ due to western media. However, the perception originally stems from colonial mindset lacking understanding to the diverse Chinese diaspora. This article argues not only is kei pou or cheongsam the representation of Hong Kong’s local culture, but also the symbolism of Hongkonger’s cultural identity. Through object-based research, the article engages with a rare red quilted kei pou purchased in Hong Kong in the 1980s. The dress illustrates the true Oriental beauty with the symbolism of elegance and sophistication of Hong Kong women from an East Asian perspective. The article clarifies the etymological confusion between kei pou and cheongsam through their stylistic taxonomy and historical development and examines the cultural-political connotations of these two styles of dress and their semiotics in constructing the identity of Hongkongers. Consequently, the research proposes the interconnected relationship between the city and the dress, in which exists not only within the contexts of marginalized culture in the Eurocentric world, but also within the authoritarian-ruled China.