Museum of Resistance and Resilience Main MenuPraxis #1: Curation and Annotation (Group Project)details of Praxis #1 assignmentPraxis #1.1 War, Memory, And Identity: Beyond Victims and Voice Museum of Resistance and ResilienceProfessor Marjory Wentworth Honor's Class at College of CharlestonPraxis #2 Media Intervention, Multimedia Essay (Individual Project)Entry 2 in our Museum of Resistance and ResiliencePraxis #3 Manifesto of Future Resistance and ResilienceMedia Intervention/Media PostsFinal Course Reflection - A Letter to the FutureDue November 18Vicki Callahanf68c37bed83f129872c0216fae5c9d063d9e11baLisa Müller-Tredecc71af55f5122020f2b95396300e25feb73b6995
12020-09-21T12:19:06-07:00Qi Pao15plain2020-09-22T21:48:52-07:00 The qipao is a feminine body-hugging dress with distinctive Chinese features of Manchu origin. Throughout the years, its meaning has changed according to the context, most often seen as traditional wear in China, worn during special occasions. However, in the early years of the Republican Period in China, wearing the qipao was seen as a political symbol as it was a promotion of gender equality. Most notably, the qipao was worn as a form of silent protest during the May Fourth Movement and New Cultural Movement in China during the 1920s.
The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement that grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4th, 1919 in response to China's response to the Treaty of Versailles. This Treaty allowed Japan to continually occupy many parts of China. The New Cultural Movement on the other hand criticized traditional Confucian ideas and promoted Western ideas: particularly science and democracy (Britannica).
Historically, the qipao was loose fitting and baggy, however, as women in China became more "liberated, educated, and self aware, they expressed themselves in form-fitting, brightly colored qipao that sent a message: Look at me" (Shanghai Daily, 2012). Clothing is a form of communication that goes beyond words – it shows expression, individuality, and power.
For example, an educator named Wu Yifang, "one of the first women to graduate from a Chinese college," wore a qipao in 1945 to sign as the first female delegate at the United Nations Conference (Shanghai Daily, 2012). The qipao in this instance was a patriotic statement and was also a push towards gender equality.