Recapturing old times in Nanjing Qipao

Gao and his team take several photos to recapture beauty of old times. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

It was stunning to see Maggie Cheung wearing luxuriant Shanghai-style Qipaos (cheong-sam) rising and dancing to the rhythm of the unforgettable soundtrack in the film "In the Mood for Love", which takes place in Shanghai. However, there is another way to demonstrate the beauty of Qipao.

Recently Gao Song, who set up his own photography studio focusing on exploring past memories of cities and protecting cultural heritages, started collecting old Nanjing-style Qipaos belonging to the Republic of China period (1912-1949) over the past 10 years. Recently, he brought 50 out of his more-than-300 collection, and started a campaign with Feng Fangyu, his friend and another Nanjing photographer of history and humanism, inviting models to dress in and show the classic beauty of the traditional Nanjing Qipaos.

"I was collecting old furniture and ornaments when I came across to some old Qipaos. Then I searched through some relocation sites and antique markets," said Gao in an interview with Modern Express. "Most items in my collection were found in Nanjing, while there were also some pieces from Shanghai and Ningbo." He added.

When he found a whole package of never-used Qipaos at an old house for demolition on the southern edge of the city, he was overwhelmed with joy. “It was like a miracle that those Qipaos were kept in perfect condition despite years of turmoil,” he expressed his feelings.

"The most difficult part of collecting old Qipaos is how to preserve these delicate pieces. Taking care of these pieces made of refined fabrics required huge efforts," Gao said when explaining why he kept these Qipaos in Beijing rather than Nanjing to prevent them from the humid weather in Nanjing.

Unlike the radiant and ornamental style of Shanghai Qipaos, which people are more familiar with, old Nanjing-style Qipaos had their own characteristics, and used plain and neat colors with simple but elegant patterns.

When asked about his campaign, Gao was aspirational: "I hope these traditional Qipaos could take people backward in time and invite them to the charm of traditional culture."