China's enduring symbol of haute couture

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It takes between three weeks and three months to craft a qipao at HanartQipao and every piece is handmade by the 40 tailors in the workshop. Last year, the shop sold 2,000 dresses which were made using a variety of premium fabrics such as silk, leather and velvet.

"Our clients are mostly successful businesswomen or the wives of successful businessmen who have adopted a rather genteel Chinese traditional lifestyle that includes drinking tea, reciting poems and collecting antiques," said Zhou.