On June 13, 2026, the Qipao Culture Heritage and Development Exchange convened in Suzhou, bringing together qipao experts, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) inheritors, and industry leaders from across China. The event was co-hosted by the Suzhou Silk Museum, the Qian Xiaoping Ancient Silk Reproduction Research Institute, the Suzhou Daily Press political and business service center, and Modern Suzhou magazine.
Qian Xiaoping, the 86-year-old national-level representative inheritor of Song brocade (宋锦) weaving technique, drew on her seven decades of experience in silk and textile heritage to discuss the integration of Song brocade craftsmanship with qipao design. Song brocade, one of China’s three great brocade traditions alongside Yunjin and Shujin, is characterized by its fine silk threads, muted color palette, and reversible patterns — qualities that lend themselves naturally to the qipao’s form-fitting silhouette and understated elegance.
Qian Xiaoping’s career spans the full arc of modern Chinese textile preservation. She founded the Suzhou Silk Museum in 1991 — China’s first museum dedicated entirely to silk — and has led the reproduction of over 20 silk artifacts spanning from the pre-Qin period to the Qing dynasty. Her reproduction of the Song brocade “Western Paradise” scroll was selected as the fabric for leaders’ attire at the 2014 APEC Summit. In 2022, she passed the national-level ICH inheritor evaluation with a score of 84.67.
Eight Speakers, Eight Perspectives
The symposium featured eight speakers representing diverse regions and disciplines. Hu Fan, founding president of the China Qipao Association Hong Kong chapter, and Kuang Zishan, chairperson of the Macao Qipao Association, shared their experiences in qipao cultural dissemination and community building in the two special administrative regions. Independent qipao artists Yu Shuangshuang and Liang Suyun focused on design philosophy and contemporary innovation.
Dai Zhongli, founding president of the Jiangsu Qipao Association, analyzed the competitive advantages of Su-style qipao and its market positioning. Professor Lou Lin from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University’s School of Fashion offered an academic perspective on the modernization of traditional dress. Yao Jianping, a national-level representative inheritor of Suzhou embroidery (苏绣) and a Chinese Master of Arts and Crafts, addressed the fusion of Suzhou embroidery techniques with qipao construction.
A Multi-Venue Qipao Exhibition
Running concurrently with the symposium, the “Boundless Jiangnan — Su-Style Qipao Exhibition” opened across multiple cultural venues in Suzhou. The Suzhou Silk Museum’s history hall displayed vintage qipao from its collection alongside contemporary pieces by Fengying Qipao, Xiuniang Silk, Longquan Xili, and the Suzhou Zhangduan R&D Center. A standout piece is a jacquard Paris satin qipao produced by the Suzhou Zhenya Weaving Company during the Republican era, blending French silk weaving technology with Chinese dressmaking — on view only through June 21.
At Renheng Cangjie, 11 heritage qipao pieces from brands using Zhangduan, Song brocade, and other ICH-certified fabrics were exhibited. Additional displays at Gusu Fanhuayuan immersive theme street, the Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore Pingjiang Road branch, and the Qian Xiaoping Song Brocade Workshop collectively presented the latest achievements in Su-style qipao preservation, inheritance, and R&D.
Suzhou Silk Museum director Qian Zhaoyue also introduced the “Qipao Encounters Jiangnan, ICH in Summer” qipao travel photography season, a citywide initiative linking exhibitions, curated photo routes, and immersive experience programs under the integrated model of “wear a qipao, tour Suzhou, shop for ICH.”