Art and Design Commons^™

Investigating How Qipao And Hanfu Dresses Are Representative Of China, Jennifer Tibberts

Senior Honors Theses

This research investigates why hanfu and qipao represent the nation of China. Previous sources have described the dresses, Chinese history, and Chinese fashion aesthetics, and have questioned why many people wear these dresses today. However, previous studies have not investigated what aspects of hanfu and qipao make both Chinese people and outsiders associate these dresses so strongly with China. This research looks deeply into the importance of fashion to expression of identity, characteristics and ideals of Chinese clothing, what hanfu and qipao are, how the dresses connect with Chinese history and traditions, and why the styles have phased in and …