从满族妇女的服装到流行长久的各款旗袍，首届中国民族服装服饰博览会上展出的旗袍系列，使人们可以从中看到记录其上的近代中西文化交流思想史。

　　旗袍原是满族妇女服装，本世纪二十年代初，汉族妇女开始穿着。一千多年来，在浓厚的封建礼教氛围中，中国女装的裁制一直采用直线，胸、肩、腰、臀完全平直，女性身体的曲线毫不外露。旗袍也保持着这种特色。

　　旗袍表现曲线美

　　在西方文化的影响下，中国妇女开始领悟到“曲线美”，对旗袍不断改进，推陈出新，力求把自己优美的身材曲线表现出来。但这并非一帆风顺，于是中西文化冲突的“拉锯战”，便被缝在旗袍上。

　　二十世纪初期，盛行“旗袍马甲”。也就是内穿喇叭型宽大袖子的短袄，外套前后摆及地的无袖长马甲。一九二六年，短袄和长马甲合二为一，成为现代旗袍的最初款式。以后两年，旗袍在边、袖、襟、领等处作了一些改动，增加了装饰，出现繁复的变化。但仍保持旧式旗袍马甲的平直宽大风格，袭用传统的直线裁制方式，显露不出女性的窈窕身段。

　　二十年代后期和三十年代，围绕思想潮流的此消彼长，旗袍在长短、宽窄、开衩高低以及袖长袖短、领高领低等方面展开“较量”。

　　开衩时高时低

　　1929年，受欧美短裙影响，原来长短适中的旗袍开始变短，下摆上缩至膝盖，袖口变短变小。后来又有校服式旗袍，下摆缩至膝盖以上1寸，袖子采用西式。

　　这一改变遭到舆论非议，1931年后旗袍又开始变长，下摆下垂。三十年代中期，旗袍长度发展到极点，袍底落地遮住双脚，称为“扫地旗袍”。原先能遮住手腕的旗袍袖子缩短至肘部。以后袖长越来越短，缩至肩下两寸，1936年后几乎无袖。

　　过去的旗袍是不开衩的，旗袍在缩短袖子时，也悄悄地在左边开了低衩。后来衩越开越高，渐渐高及膝部，高到大腿。由于有人反对，袍衩一度回到膝盖以下。但舆论压力一减小，袍衩又迅速升高，1933年后流行大开衩旗袍。

　　传统旗袍是上下一条直线，外加高高的硬领。三十年代初期，袍腰开始日积月累地收缩，到一九三四年后，女性身材的曲线终于全部显露出来。高耸及耳的领子也逐渐变矮，后来有的成了无领旗袍。

　　在传统与现代、维护传统的“善”与追求美的思想潮流碰撞中，旗袍越来越贴近时代、贴近生活，脱离原来的样式，变得经济便利、美观适体。

　　文革也革旗袍的命

　　但是，从五十年代到改革开放前的一段时期，旗袍被说成“四旧”、“封、资、修”。国家主席刘少奇夫人王光美出国访问穿了一身旗袍，在“文革”中竟成了一大罪状。

　　中国的改革开放，促进了思想大解放，原来单调的黑、灰、蓝色被五彩缤纷取代。消失三十余年的旗袍又重新穿在爱美女士的身上。

　　上海市历史博物馆副研究员范文海说：“在中西文化交流中，旗袍成为一种中西合璧、具有海派风格的女性服装，成了中国妇女的国服。”

　　中国的民族服装服饰难以计数，仅在本届博览会展出的就有三千四百多套。尽管民族服装很美，但由于缝制复杂，穿着烦琐，很多人已不再穿着。但旗袍却在不断的推陈出新中日益受到青睐，成为中国一道流动的风景。  

Manchu cheongsam was originally a women's clothing
Manchu women's clothing from the long sections of the cheongsam to pop, the first Chinese national exhibition Clothing & Accessories Fair on the cheongsam series, so people can see on the recorded history of Sino-Western cultural exchange of ideas.

Manchu cheongsam was originally a women's clothing, the early twenties of this century, Han Chinese women began to wear. Thousand years, in the thick atmosphere of the feudal ethical code, the Chinese women's tailoring has been using a straight line, chest, shoulders, waist, hip completely straight, without curves of the female body exposed. Cheongsam also maintained this feature.

Cheongsam performance curves

Under the influence of western culture, Chinese women began to realize the "curvy", on the cheongsam continuous improvement, innovation, and strive to build their own graceful curves demonstrated. But this is not plain sailing, so the conflict in Western cultures, "tug of war", it is sewn to the cheongsam.

The early twentieth century, there was a "cheongsam vest." That is worn inside the wide sleeves of Duanao speaker type, before and after the swing jacket and sleeveless long vest the land. In 1926, long jacket and vest merged to become the first modern cheongsam style. After two years, the cheongsam in the side, sleeve, lapel, collar, etc. made some changes, an increase of decoration, appears complicated changes. But still maintain the old style cheongsam vests, large flat, Xi Yong tailoring the traditional linear way, revealed no women slim figure.

The late twenties and thirties, around the ideological trend of the shift, cheongsam in length, width, height and slits short sleeve long sleeve, turtleneck collar and low fronts "contest."

Slits of highs and lows

1929, affected by Europe and the United States short skirts, the original length of the cheongsam began to moderate shorter, reduced to the next put on the knee, sleeves shorter smaller. Subsequently, uniform-style cheongsam hem shortened to 1 inch above the knee, sleeves with Western.

This change has been public criticism, began in 1931 after the variable length cheongsam, drooping hem. Mid-thirties, the development of the extreme length cheongsam, robe bottom floor covered feet, known as the "sweeping cheongsam." Cheongsam originally to cover the wrist sleeves shortened to elbow. Sleeve after getting shorter, shrinking under the bridge until you come two inches, after 1936, almost sleeveless.

The cheongsam is not the past, slits, the qipao in the shorter sleeve, they quietly opened in the left lower panties. Later, at increasingly panties, gradually and knee high, high to thigh. Because it was against, gowns panties once back to below the knee. However, a reduced pressure of public opinion, gowns panties and quickly increased after the 1933 popular large slits cheongsam.

Traditional cheongsam is a straight line from top to bottom, plus a high collar. Early thirties, began to accumulate and to shrink waist gown, to 1934, the female body's curves eventually all be revealed. Tall and ears of the collar is gradually grow shorter, there was no collar cheongsam became.

Tradition and modernity, the maintenance of traditional "good" and the pursuit of the ideological trend of the U.S. crash, the cheongsam getting close to the age of life, from the original style, has become the economic convenience, beautiful fitted.

The life of the Cultural Revolution are also leather cheongsam

However, from the 50's to the pre-reform period, cheongsam is said to "four olds", "letters, capital repairs." President Ms. Liu Shaoqi Wang Guangmei visits abroad wore a cheongsam, the "Cultural Revolution" in it became a big indictment.

China's reform and opening up, promoting the ideological emancipation, the original monotonous black, gray, blue colorful replaced. Disappeared 30 years again to wear traditional costumes and women in the beauty of the body.

MODERN LABORATORY Shanghai Museum Research Associate, said: "In the cultural exchange, the cheongsam became a Chinese and Western, with Shanghai-style women's clothing, has become China women's national costume."

China's national costume dress is difficult to count, only there on display in this exhibition more than 3400 sets. Although the national costumes beautiful, but complicated sewing, wearing cumbersome, many people no longer wear. But the cheongsam is continuously promoted in the growing in popularity and become a mobile landscape.