History of Cheongsam

旗袍通常指一类当代中国的女性礼服式样。旗袍起源于满族服装。20世纪上半叶有过大幅度改进，成为民国时期中国都市女性主要时装。现在常被视为中国的传统女性服饰之一。被视为代表中国文化精髓、反映中国传统女性美、体现中国元素的传统女性服饰主流。

传统的男式旗人之袍现在一般称长袍、大褂、长衫，虽然是满族男装“长衫”的音译，在实际应用上仅指女装旗袍。

The cheongsam is a body-hugging (modified in Shanghai) one-piece Chinese dress for women; the male version is the changshan. It is known in Mandarin Chinese as the qípáo Wade-Giles ch'i-p'ao, and is also known in English as a mandarin gown. The stylish and often tight-fitting cheongsam or qipao that is most often associated with today was created in the 1920s in Shanghai and was made fashionable by socialites and upperclass women.