Peng Ziwei collects the details of the cheongsam display.
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Only if you have faith in your heart can you go far
Peng Ziwei's home is like a small qipao exhibition hall, from the tuodi cheongsam of the 1930s to the Hong Kong workers and Xiangyun yarn qipao in the old photos. "Every cheongsam is a solitary product." Peng Ziwei in 1999 was an "antique cheongsam enthusiast". Since the university opened the door to collect antique qipao, it has been nearly 4 years since then, and more than 140 qipao have been collected. In her view, collecting antique cheongsam is not only collecting beautiful clothes, but preserving and continuing stories and memories from all over China that span a hundred years.
01
"When I look in the mirror, it's like seeing everyone in an old photo."
Peng Ziwei has been interested in traditional old objects since she was a child, she began to collect old fountain pens from middle school, and since then she has shuttled through various antique markets and met some "land skins" (people who collect old things). After college, by chance, a land she was familiar with recommended an antique cheongsam she had just received, and Peng Ziwei felt novel, so she spent 80 yuan to buy this qipao home.
It was a pale blue jacquard silk cheongsam produced in the 1920s, about 130 centimeters long, with a high neck, long sleeves, very thin, only about 50 grams of weight, but it was still quite strong. After returning home, Peng Ziwei put on this cheongsam, "like not wearing it, very light." In the last century, women's necks were generally small, but this cheongsam was unexpectedly fitted for Peng Ziwei. What attracts her even more is the "sense of passing through the times" after wearing the cheongsam, "when you look in the mirror, it is like seeing everyone in the old photos."
Since then, Peng Ziwei has fallen in love with the antique cheongsam. So far, she has collected more than 140 qipao, of which Shanghai, Ningbo and Suzhou are the most produced. She treated each of her cheongsams as treasures, carefully folding them and placing them in special boxes. When asked about her favorite cheongsam, Peng Ziwei took out 13 pieces in one breath, "I can't choose which one is my favorite."
02
The old-fashioned charm under the ingenuity
The types and styles of antique cheongsam collected by Peng Ziwei are not the same, ranging from the wide inverted sleeves in the north to the narrower and thinner qipao styles in the south; there are long fashions from the 1930s, low collars without sleeves in the 1940s, and Hong Kong typhoon qipao from the 50s, and the patterns on the qipao are also very diverse.
Behind the different styles of the cheongsam of different generations is a microcosm of the changing economy, culture and aesthetics in dressing. In the 1930s, the colors, patterns and styles of the qipao were more diverse, showing the more and more open ideas of the people at that time; the qipao in the 40s was different from the previous styles of longer skirts, higher collars, and the pursuit of bouquet beauty, skirts, sleeves were shorter, and the collar was shorter, "the restraint of clothing on women may not be so obvious"; in the 50s, the Hong Kong typhoon qipao joined the vertical tailor, with a chest line and waist line, which reflected the integration of Chinese qipao and Western design.
Peng Ziwei's collection of cheongsam is all handmade and was originally tailored for buyers, and the shape and size will be adjusted according to the buyer's body. "For example, if someone has a wide crotch, the maker will raise the waist line of the cheongsam, and even receive the position of the chest, so that the qipao can not be seen after wearing a trace of the fake crotch." Because of this, Peng Ziwei feels that unlike the current number of clothes, the owner of the old qipao often has a subtle feeling for the qipao, "feeling that it belongs to himself". The layers of craftsmanship and exquisiteness in the production of the qipao reflect the ingenuity of the craftsmen and add an old charm to the old qipao.
03
Memories fall behind
Some of Peng Ziwei's collection of qipao were bought directly from the owners of the qipao or their descendants, and some were obtained many times, and some even turned over from the garbage can. Many have a nice luster and a taste of camphor wood.
"But why are they coming to me now?" Peng Ziwei had some feelings. Nowadays, these cheongsam have been pressed at the bottom of the box of the old house for a long time, and once they encounter demolition, relocation, etc., they are easily changed or abandoned by the owner. She had received two cheongsams left by the seller's grandmother, who told her that she was moving and found 10 boxes of cheongsams when she was packing her belongings, and the last two were handed to Peng Ziwei. "The things that my grandmother saved herself will feel precious, but posterity does not have much memory of these items, nor do they have any feelings."
"Modern people's lives change rapidly, often moving between cities, and these old qipao have become a burden when they get into their hands." After a generation died, the objects and memories associated with them also faded away, which made her regret. "If possible, I would still like to know more about the stories behind these collections", "but I am still too young to know what the road will go in the future". But she still wanted to keep them as much as she could. For Peng Ziwei, the significance of the antique cheongsam is no longer just the original good look. Times are moving fast, people are used to accelerating forward, and many of the past and the past have been left behind, "and the antique cheongsam is like a witness that can bring me back to those past years." ”
Z问 Z答
●How is Generation Z different from the previous generation?
Peng Ziwei: The individuals of Generation Z have a more distinct personality than the previous generation, and we have a higher acceptance of "alien" things and are more tolerant of culture. Pay attention to current events, and have a stronger desire and ability to output than the previous generation.
●What should the responsibility of the Z generation look like?
Peng Ziwei: I personally believe that the responsibility of Generation Z is to work for a more equal society.