Cultural Relic Story: This artifact is a gambiered Guangdong gauze cheongsam worn by Song Qingling. It features网状镂空装饰 (mesh-like openwork decoration) at the neckline and cuffs and was one of her garments in her later years. The cheongsam was widened on both sides. Song Qingling wore this cheongsam on multiple occasions for state affairs.
Gambiered Guangdong gauze, also known as "Xiang Yun Sha," is a silk fabric dyed with a pure plant-based dye from the Dioscorea cirrhosa plant. Its production process is unique, resulting in limited quantities. The fabric is cool and pleasant to the touch, lightweight and soft, dries quickly when wet, and is resistant to wrinkling. It is renowned in the textile industry as "soft gold."
Source: Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Former Residence Memorial
This was a gambiered Guangdong gauze cheongsam particularly favored by Soong Ching Ling. It featured a high collar and short sleeves, and was hand-sewn. She wore it frequently during the 1950s. Later, as her figure changed, she was reluctant to discard it. Instead, she had the sides of the cheongsam carefully opened and panels of matching fabric inserted to widen it. The alterations were so finely executed and neatly pressed that the seams were barely noticeable to the untrained eye.
From 1925 to 1949, cheongsam was Soong Ching Ling's primary attire. Even after the founding of New China, she continued to wear cheongsams on significant occasions. Her cheongsams always retained their distinct characteristics: she consistently chose relatively simple and elegant styles, steadfastly avoiding extravagance. When she wore a cheongsam, it accentuated a demeanor of restraint, grace, and virtue. This style perfectly aligned with both the aesthetic sensibilities of the Chinese people and the physical characteristics of Chinese women.
The American journalist Edgar Snow once wrote: "Soong Ching Ling was always neatly dressed in a softly colored, perfectly fitted cheongsam. Her jet-black hair was smoothed back and coiled in a bun at the nape of her neck, and her beautiful face had the quality of a carved cameo." This is precisely the first impression she left on many.
Text Source: Soong Ching Ling Former Residence
▲Taken by the author at the Soong Ching Ling Former Residence.
NALANGE CHRONICLES
Editor-in-Chief: Wang Xuan
Photographer: Xiao Tie
Calligrapher: Zhi Ming
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