The 2026 Central Plains Qipao Fashion Week and Oriental Cup Model Show will take place from July 20 to 24 at the Zhengzhou Olympic Sports Center Jianguo Hotel in Henan Province. Organized by the Henan Fashion Industry Association, the five-day event has attracted nearly 5,000 registered participants spanning ages 4 to 70, making it one of the largest qipao-focused fashion events in central China.
The show is divided into three main segments: children’s modeling, professional modeling, and the Central Plains qipao competition. Contestants were selected through nationwide auditions covering over 40 universities and more than 200 modeling agencies, reaching a candidate pool of over 200,000. The event is expected to draw tens of thousands of on-site spectators, including participating families, aesthetic education professionals, fashion enthusiasts, cultural tourism visitors, and industry buyers.
A distinguished panel of judges will oversee the competition, including Wang Guihua, committee member of the China Professional Model Committee; veteran model mentor Qiu Xiyan; Yan Hua, founder of the Supermodel Aesthetic Education Initiative; Hao Jia, one of China’s Top Ten Designers; Zhou Bingxi, chair of the Yiwu Fashion Week Organizing Committee; and talent scout Gu Shaojie. Their presence underscores the event’s professional credibility and its role in advancing qipao culture on a competitive stage.
The fashion week will feature a custom-built immersive guofeng runway with professional lighting, tiered seating, and dedicated brand exhibition zones — blending qipao’s Eastern aesthetic with contemporary stage design. Each day’s schedule includes themed qipao collections, designer showcase segments, and brand engagement opportunities. Previous editions of the Oriental Cup Model Show drew over 5,000 daily on-site attendees, with multi-platform live streams reaching 1.1 million views per session and total online engagement exceeding 100 million impressions, repeatedly trending on Baidu’s Zhengzhou local hot search list.
A comprehensive media and influencer campaign supports the event, with millions of followers across short-video platforms, local lifestyle bloggers, and fashion KOLs generating behind-the-scenes content, runway highlights, and contestant interviews. Brand sponsorship opportunities span fashion apparel, beauty and skincare, jewelry, luxury accessories, beverages, cultural creative products, family aesthetic education, photography studios, and local specialty brands.
The Central Plains Qipao Fashion Week represents the growing mainstream appeal of qipao culture across all age groups in China. By offering a platform where children, adults, and seniors can participate side by side, the event demonstrates how traditional Chinese dress continues to evolve as a living fashion category rather than a historical relic.