What is a Cheongsam?

This is a Cheongsam.

I been going through a vintage cheongsam online shopping phase lately, and can't even tell you how many times I've come across some white gurrrl ebay/etsy seller modeling a cheongsam n labeled it "geisha style" "kimono" or whatever. Yeah babes if you dunno what it is just call it "asian" or "oriental", I know we all look the same.... but hopefully this may help?

Cheongsam is basically what y'all ended up calling the modern version of a qipao. Qipao is a the chinese dress worn by the Manchu people, during the Manchu ruling Qing Dynasty since majority population were still Han Chinese, it was made the law that everyone wore the qipao instead of Han dress, and men had to have half their heads shaved with the long plat or you'd pretty much have you're head chopped off. Traditionally the qipao was baggy and loose fitted, during foreign rule period in 1920's Shanghai the qipao was made modernised to suit the night club scene aka the high class whores, opium heads, and gamblers. Slimmer fitting sleeveless and high side slits, in more modern materials.
the traditional qipao

And well, a Kimono is Japanese. I'm not gonna lie, it looks kinda like the old Han dress in it's wrap around style... I'm not even gonna go into that it's way too confusing well cuz that's probably where it came form thousands of years ago. Although no one Japanese would want to admit that.

 Cheongsam

Kimono

Ziyi Zhang same bitch different dress

Cheongsam

Kimono

Girl on girl

 Cheongsam

Kimono

I might watch In the Mood for Love in repeat tmw, that or take in new cheongsam I bought so I can wear it. Oh and who else hated Ziyi Zhang in memoirs of a geisha? Ewww....