【Qingdao News Network Original】
(Reporter Sun Zhiwen)
The cheongsam, which can be said to be the national uniform of Chinese women, is the most dazzling essence of oriental clothing culture, and its gentle affection and unique charm have fascinated the world.
At the end of Qingdao Taitung Pedestrian Street, there is such a small qipao shop, with an area of more than 40 square meters, storing fabrics of different colors and materials and hundreds of finely crafted cheongsam.
The owner of this shop is the "cheongsam craftsman" Cheng Congbao, who made the first cheongsam in 2000 and now has nearly 10,000 cheongsam made by his hands. In his view, the cheongsam carries the character of the nation and the memory of history, and making a cheongsam is not only making clothes, but also inheriting Chinese clothing culture.
The first cheongsam was worn abroad
Some people say that the most understanding of women in this world must be men. For Cheng Congbao, who has 23 years of experience in handmade cheongsam making, it is his mission to design the most suitable cheongsam for every customer.
Cheng Congbao was born in Anqing, Anhui Province to a family of tailors, and at the age of 16, he learned from a teacher and embarked on the road of clothing customization. In 1994, determined to come out and have a break, he chose Qingdao. From apprentice to employee, to opening his own shop, Cheng Congbao spent 6 years, during which he made many types of clothes, but it was not until he received a special order that he was deeply impressed by the charm of the cheongsam.
It turned out that in 2000, an overseas Chinese came to his store by chance to order a Chinese dress and prepare to take it abroad to an important banquet. What is the clothing that best reflects Chinese beauty? The cheongsam must bear the brunt. Although he rarely tried it before, Cheng Congbao gladly accepted the order. In his opinion, his own technology should not stagnate, and he must continue to break through and innovate in order to be qualified to rely on this craft to eat. Repeated measurement, patterning, and try-on, in order to allow customers to wear the best effect, generally only 3 days of man-hours of cheongsam, Lao Cheng took nearly two weeks.
The brocade robe is gorgeous and ladylike, delicate and slender. When he learned that the customer wore this Chinese red cheongsam embroidered with peony flowers and shined at foreign banquets, Cheng Congbao also felt particularly proud: "The cheongsam can best highlight the dignified temperament of oriental women, and I am very happy that my works can be recognized by foreigners." ”
In 23 years, nearly 10,000 cheongsam pieces have been made
After completing the first qipao work, the cheongsam with complex workmanship, testing skills and carrying the character and historical memory of the nation became Cheng Congbao's "obsession", and he slowly realized that "no matter how well the suit is done, it is also an imported product, only Chinese clothing like the cheongsam can best reflect the beauty of our Chinese and best represent China's clothing culture!" ”
Therefore, he began to focus on the production of qipao, from material selection, tailoring, to cutting, production, and every process of customizing the cheongsam, Cheng Congbao devoted a lot of time to research. In order to understand the best cheongsam making technology, Cheng Congbao also traveled to Shanghai, Nanjing and other places many times, between handicraft workshops and clothing factories, field visits to study, and delved into the traditional cheongsam making process.
In this way, Cheng Congbao drilled deeper and deeper in the world of handmade cheongsam. 10, 100, 1000... Up to now, nearly 10,000 cheongsam have been made by his hands. Customers wear cheongsam made by Cheng Congbao or participate in performances, attend ceremonies, or leave beautiful images and enter the marriage hall, it can be said that this cheongsam has witnessed countless "highlight moments".
What makes Cheng Congbao most gratifying is that more and more couples now like to hold traditional Chinese weddings, and traditional costumes such as cheongsam and Xiuhe are becoming more and more sought after by young people, which directly promotes the inheritance and development of Chinese traditional clothing culture. Cheng Congbao: "An old man in Qingdao often asks me to make cheongsam, and I made the cheongsam worn by her daughter's wedding, and the small cheongsam worn by her granddaughter for 'centennial photos' is also made by me." ”
The family inheritance is difficult, and there is a desire to continue this skill
Today's garment manufacturing industry, mechanized production, assembly line manufacturing tide, but Cheng Congbao has always insisted on taking the road of handmade customized cheongsam, in his opinion, "only handmade is soulful and emotional". Such ideas are especially precious in this flashy and complicated modern society.
Cheng Congbao: "For example, this buckle, the handmade line is very soft, can be integrated with the line of the cheongsam, if it is mechanical manufacturing, it is relatively stiff, whether it is the shape or the feel, it is not a boutique." ”
At the same time, Cheng Congbao also said that in the context of industrial production of clothing, the inheritance of hand-made cheongsam skills can be described as difficult, and there are many people who want to learn, but there are very few people who are really willing to sink their hearts into study, especially family inheritance and collective inheritance: "My child is not willing to take this road, he thinks that spending several days to make a piece of clothing is boring and boring." ”
Cheng Congbao told reporters that although it is difficult to inherit, he still does not want to bury this craft in the wave of industrial production, "I very much hope to pass on my craft to young people who really love traditional clothing and are willing to promote traditional culture. ”
Adhere to the thing of doing a good job in cheongsam all his life, always refine his skills, and always maintain a ingenuity, Cheng Congbao is a well-deserved "cheongsam craftsman"!