The 2019 Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival in London themed Splendid Hangzhou – Worldwide Dance, was held in Potters Fields Park on 27 August. The event showcased “The New Hangzhou”, a blend of tradition and fashion, to London’s denizens, by putting on a ballet performance of Hangzhou’s theme song, Sky City, while hosting the Hangzhou brocade qipao show and giving visitors a chance to experience painting on silk. The event was hosted by the Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism.
As soon as the event started, the interactive experience area became crowded with locals and visitors from all over the world alike. In the sections for qipao and round fan-based painting, designer Yang Yu, who had once studied in the UK, painted the Hangzhou landscape on a silk qipao and explained the technical points of painting on the silk fabric. Under his guidance, many participants soon learned how to draw on round silk fans, drawing the Broken Bridge, lotus flowers, the Tower Bridge and the London Eye.
In the qipao experience area, visitors tried on various styles of Hangzhou-made qipaos, while taking photos of their “new look”.
The event also included the official challenge, “Dance for Beauty”, on TikTok, with the winner garnering a custom Hangzhou-made qipao. On the video platform, Italian dancer Majno, with 4 million followers, performed the Hangzhou Qipao dance wearing a red embroidered qipao, encouraging women around the world to imitate her wearing the Chinese dress or to select one of their own fashion preferences, promoting the concept of an East-West exchange in terms of traditional fashion concepts, while giving new meaning to the interpretation of being a modern woman.
British jazz singer Cat Somers and dancer Ebony Jayne Kitts performed Sky City sporting qipaos fashioned from Chinese national gift silk featuring breathtaking colors, including one in a ‘rainbow-colored and feathered’ Wales Houndstooth.
Model Kristina Garrow posted on Instagram showing herself wearing the traditional Chinese costume, opining that the birthplace of the beautiful qipao is very appealing, and expressed her wish to visit Hangzhou soon.
The 2019 Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival in London presented the silk and qipao culture in a refreshing way, promoting the graceful Chinese culture by combining traditional culture with a themed event.
SOURCE Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism
