Recalling the "Cheongsam Event" in old Shanghai

Jin Taijun was born in Shanghai in the 1930s. He entered Lao Hongxiang at the age of 14 and became the only descendant of the second generation of the Jin family to study clothing. Recalling the "cheongsam event" at that time, a trace of warmth appeared on his face with his long hair. The cheongsam event in the 1930s. As a Chinese and a direct descendant of Hongxiang Company, even though he has a full head of hair, 76-year-old Jin Taijun’s eyes always show pride whenever he talks about that period of history. . "Hongxiang is the pride of the Chinese people." Before liberation, Shanghai had its own clothing brand, and at that time the people who came to Hongxiang to customize clothes were celebrities from the political, literary and artistic circles. Entering Hongxiang at the age of 14, Jin Taijun became the only descendant of the second generation of the Jin family who studied clothing. The office is on Nanjing West Road. It is spacious and bright. He also works with a Jewish designer and a fitting model. Mr. Jin’s seat is next to the floor-to-ceiling glass window. In the blink of an eye, he can see the shops outside the window. and crowds. Holding chalk, from drawing to cutting, these processes have not changed even after 60 years. "Fashion pays special attention to the three-dimensional shape. Men's clothing can usually be cut, but according to the rules, after the women's clothing pattern is completed, it needs to be simply stitched to make a sample." Usually a tailor can make two sets a day. Have the model try it on and then make corrections. "We often finish the work on the first day and come back to check again the next day, mainly to see if the details are in place." From the perspective of production technology, the cheongsam of the 1930s gradually changed, and the cuffs and shoulders became smaller. , the waist, hem, and chest are all tightened, but the length is still below the calf. In addition, the cutting structure has also changed from flat to three-dimensional. At this point, Jin Taijun stretched out his hand and gestured: "In the past, it could be laid flat on the table, but now it cannot be placed flat. The most special thing is that the cheongsam at that time had a chest dart, which was similar to a cover. This It is very iconic, because before that, women wore corsets and tied their chests tightly. However, under the influence of foreign culture in the 1930s, women began to highlight the curves of their breasts. "Movie stars and female cotton factory workers all wore cheongsam. 30 In the 1970s, Shanghai was very close to international fashion. You can see foreign fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper's, and Bazaar, as well as original tailoring books, as well as Hollywood movies that are popular in Shanghai. After get off work, Jin Taijun often goes to the cinema early, finds a sofa to sit down, and drinks tea leisurely while observing the clothes of the guests. He will specially note the costumes of foreign actors in the movie, and then draw the styles when he returns home. In the past, Chinese and Western tailors were separated in Shanghai. Cheongsam was originally the exclusive preserve of Chinese tailors. However, due to the huge consumption of cheongsam, more and more Western-style clothing stores began to make cheongsam, as did Lao Hongxiang. . "It was mainly for the convenience of customers, because many people wear cheongsam inside and a Western-style jacket outside. By the mid-1940s, cheongsam had been completely westernized and extended to the current style. At that time, it was called improved cheongsam, also known as improved cheongsam. Chinese and Western cheongsam are not collectively called cheongsam now. "How big is the consumption of cheongsam?" Mr. Jin said: "Women of almost all ages wear cheongsam, including primary school students. At that time, cheongsams were made of cotton, leather, and various materials. They were worn in spring, summer, autumn, and winter all year round. It was not just the rich who wore cheongsam. , In those days, female cotton mill workers in Shanghai also wore cheongsams because they were cooler. "Fashionable people will wear several sets of cheongsams when they get married. Mr. Jin recalled that when he got married, in addition to two sets of dresses, his wife also put on four cheongsams, each embroidered with patterns of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum. My lover always wore cheongsam until liberation. It is a very tempting and challenging job for Master Hongxiang to work as a Hongxiang worker based on commission on turnover. Most of the salespersons can speak fluent English. They must first receive 3-7 years of training and learn how to cut and sew. You can become a salesperson only after you pass the exam. Income is calculated based on sales commission. If 100 pieces of clothing are sold, the monthly income is equivalent to the value of 4.5 pieces. If we change to the current market situation, if each piece of clothing sells for 2,000 yuan, then the salesperson's monthly income will be 9,000 yuan.

In Lao Hongxiang, there is a team responsible for making cheongsam. Jin Taijun clearly remembers the skillful Master Zhang, who led a team of 6-7 people to make cheongsam. “The prices for making clothes in Hongxiang are very high.

"Ordinary customers, if they specialize in making cheongsam, will go to small shops outside. At that time, most small tailor shops were in the form of a master leading several apprentices. Usually there were no decent stores, and many times they provided door-to-door services. And Most of the people who come to Hongxiang to make cheongsams are wealthy people, and they usually make them as a set, such as making a coat and adding a cheongsam. “At that time, the wages paid to the workers alone for making a long coat were 20.2 yuan. The fabric is not included, so the labor cost for a coat is at least 50 yuan, while the price of a cheongsam is about 10-20 yuan, and a small tailor shop outside may only cost 4-5 yuan. "Although the price of making a cheongsam in Lao Hongxiang was higher than that of other shops, there was a concept that persisted at that time. If you don't go to Longfeng or Hongxiang to make cheongsam, you will lose your value. From my father who is a tailor Here, Jin Taijun learned solid cutting skills. He believes that cutting and design are inseparable parts. "It is impossible to become a good designer without cutting and craftsmanship. A designer cannot just draw pictures." "At that time, China's tailoring technology was already very impressive. Jin Taijun recalled that a British man came to apply for a job as a tailor. He also showed his professional diploma obtained in the UK and asked for a salary three times that of Master Hongxiang. Jin Taijun took it. Two identical design renderings let Tailor Yang and Master Hongxiang compete on the same stage. As a result, Master Hongxiang had already finished the work, while Tailor Yang was still busy drawing the body measurements: the cheongsam must be pure in all 36 parts of the body. For manual customization, the "body measurement" step alone requires measuring 36 places on the whole body, and there are hundreds of button patterns. However, with the impact of mass fashion and the accelerated pace of life, the traditional cheongsam production skills have now been eliminated. On the verge of being lost, few people can anymore wear the cheongsam made by traditional processes. In the movie "In the Mood for Love", Maggie Cheung's slim figure wearing more than 20 sets of cheongsam touched the hearts of many viewers like a gust of wind. Since then, cheongsam shops have sprouted everywhere. Although there are many cheongsam clothing shops on the streets of Shanghai, according to experts from the Shanghai Art Institute, A real cheongsam must be tailor-made by hand. The "body measurement" step alone requires measurements at 36 places on the body, with hundreds of button patterns. Judging from this standard, the practices of many cheongsam shops are obviously too rough. Hongxiang’s old tailor Jin Taijun also told reporters that common decoration methods mainly include inlay, rolling, inlay, swing, plate, embroidery, pasting, etc. These are almost completely close to the techniques used today. For example, there is a fancy style called Ruyi heads are very technical. "I have seen the best handmade clothes with more than 200 'Ruyi heads' for decoration, but it is estimated that no one knows how to make them now, which is a pity. "The cheongsam is tailored to fit, well-made, and uniquely decorated. It pays most attention to tailoring and handicrafts. However, due to its exquisite craftsmanship and long time-consuming process, it has been impacted by the development of modern clothing, and the traditional craftsmanship is on the verge of being lost." "Gao Chunming said this. Zhang Liming, head of the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center Office, said, "What needs to be protected is not the cheongsam itself, but its production process. If we don’t pay attention to further passing on and protecting our skills, these will never be found in a few years. "It is understood that the companies that have applied for the "World Heritage" for the cheongsam production process include the Shanghai Art Institute and the "Chinese time-honored" enterprise Shanghai Longfeng Chinese Clothing. The final results will be announced on June 9, the "Cultural Heritage Day". In addition, Shanghai Art Experts from the institute are also taking advantage of this opportunity to review the development history of cheongsam, which is intertwined with social fashions, aesthetic psychology, and cultural customs in the modern and modern historical transition periods. They will hold a large-scale cheongsam clothing exhibition in the future. According to reports, the cheongsam was originally worn by bannermen in the Qing Dynasty. It has features such as a stand-up collar, a large right lapel, and slits at the hem, which are very suitable for the physical characteristics of Oriental people. It is associated with Shanghai. Gao Chunming, director of the Shanghai Art Institute, said that the cheongsam was named after the "banner uniform". Although it appeared in the north, its "birthplace" was Shanghai after improvements in the 1920s. The cheongsam became popular among Shanghai women. This kind of cheongsam absorbed the Western three-dimensional tailoring method, especially adding Parisian fashion elements such as dresses and evening gowns, showing women's exquisite curves and graceful figures. At this time, this kind of cheongsam was related to the earliest The Manchu robes are completely different. In addition to retaining the core elements of the original cheongsam, innovations in tailoring, decoration, texture, and interest have given the ancient clothing new vitality like a phoenix rising from the ashes. With the continuous improvement of craftsmanship, the styles of cheongsam are becoming increasingly diverse.

In the 1930s, a group of movie stars such as Ruan Lingyu, Hu Die, and Zhou Xuan, as well as the popular calendar fashion beauty paintings, and the cultural dissemination of major newspapers and magazines, all used cheongsam as an important element, which invisibly greatly promoted Shanghai-style cheongsam. It has become popular all over the country and has almost become the standard clothing for Chinese women. Since then, coupled with changes in social aesthetic concepts and changes in the pace of life, cheongsam has gradually faded out of people's daily clothing and only appeared on some special occasions. However, the symbol of noble and elegant temperament has continued.