Where Does "Cheongsam" Come From?...
The cheongsam has a history of over 300 years, but with the many superb features and fabrics, all distinctively Chinese, the popularity of the cheongsam has only been increasing in the international world of high fashion.
Cantonese, the main dialect of Guangzhou (once called Canton) and surrounding areas, lent English the word cheongsam during British colonial days - it fitingly means "long dress". The dresses are also commonly called qipao in the Mandarin tongue. When the early Manchu rulers came to China proper, they organized many people into "banners" (qi) and called them "banner people" (QiRen, which the Manchus were often after called). The standard one-piece dress worn by Manchu women was thus dubbed "qipao" or "banner dress." Although the 1911 Revolution toppled the rule of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, the qipao and all its original charm has lasted.
Moreover, with later improvements this paradigm of female fashion has become the traditional dress for Chinese women. Diverse colors and patterns and many special designs can be found at every special occasion in China today. It is doubtful the inimitable model of female fashion that is the cheongsam (or qipao if you prefer) will ever fade from what has become a global appreciation.

The best way to understand the cheongsam is to have one of your own, made just for you!

Snuff Bottles

Legend of the Beginning...
It is said that the incredible art of painting on the inside surfaces of glassworks through amazingly small openings began in one moment of pure insight. Taking snuff was common in Europe, and made its way to China, becoming rather popular during the Qing dynasty. Thus, upon an afternoon an official stopped off the beaten track to find his snuff bottle was nearly empty, so he scraped a little of the powder from the inside of the bottle using a slender bamboo stick. It happens a young monk nearby noticed through the clear glass the little markings left on the inside, and struck upon a great notion! Today these interior paintings are brilliantly protected within crystal vials and exquisite glass, and are among the most detailed and exquisite works in the world.

Chinese Fans

A Colorful History...
Though the history has yet to place the first fan or discover how exactly it was invented, one thing is sure: fans have been culturally and personally integral to Chinese life for thousands of years. Perhaps a thatch roof was being built and, as one fellow was placing a great frond down, the whisp of displaced air gave another something more than just some surprising refreshment on a hot laborious day; perhaps the insight for the great fan finally arrived.
Fans have certainly been made of palm leaves since then, as well as paper and silk mounted on bamboo, wonderfully scented sandalwood, ivory, jade, and even gold and silver. Practically all their designs have been the media of great artists. They've been wrot as skillful carvings, diverse paintings and drawings on silk and quality paper, and found their way to the heart of high culture via artists enjoying the special qualities that came with the folded fan or the composite variety with intricate etchings, and a wide range of other mechanics. They've also been simple and ubiquitous.
Over 3,000 years ago they were usually made of feathers, lending an exquisite added charm to imperial pomp, ceremony, and especially court dancing. The elite and beautiful dancers could take on unprecidented grace in the movements and form of heavenly phoenixes. What a site it must have been! The colorfulness and naturalness of these early forms were certainly as culturally significant to early people as they were appealing. Even today whole forms of dance movement center around the gliding, folding, and unfolding of fans, and to see the motion of fans in each hand weaving and unfurling as one with the fluid body, or in a beautifully choriographed group, is quite remarkable.
But it is also as uplifting when a fan is used in the simplest or most graceful way on a warm afternoon. And for some reason, there is no place or person that can't be alchemised into something more special with a fine Chinese fan.