Chinese New Year is when a kind of collective madness descends on Chinese people all over the world. No other holiday even comes close. Masses of workers making their once-yearly pilgrimage to the countryside cause transit nightmares in China. In Los Angeles, restaurants and supermarkets shut down. In Malaysia and Singapore, days of cooking culminate in the traditional New Year’s Eve family banquet. Not going home for New Year’s is unthinkable. Well, if you had been disowned you could probably avoid it but even then, I think you would still be expected to show up in the street outside, kneeling in tears for parental forgiveness (the plot of many Chinese soap operas).
Unsurprisingly, all of this eating, mahjong-playing, and giving of hong bao (red cash envelopes) is an invitation to largesse in more ways than one, but I’d like to share a secret diet aid that Chinese women have been relying on for years. All you need to do is squeeze into a body-hugging cheongsam or qipao, which is fortunately always in fashion at this time of year. I recently had to do this when I attended a formal Chinese New Year banquet and discovered, to my dismay, the efficacy of this garment.
But first, a brief history. This high-collared dress is actually not Chinese at all. It’s a derivative of Manchu clothing, which Chinese people were forced to adopt when the Manchus (a non-Chinese tribe from the north) defeated the Ming dynasty in 1644. Originally, Manchu robes were loose and somewhat shapeless, but by the 1920s, they had transformed into the fashionably tight, form-fitting sheath so beloved of Hong Kong movie stars.
The Cheongsam Diet:
- A few days prior to the event, try your cheongsam on repeatedly. You will find that no matter how nicely fitted it originally was, it is always too small on the day of the event, so plan accordingly.
- On the big day, suck in your stomach and squeeze into your dress. The unforgiving silhouette will cause you to automatically straighten up and adopt the posture that your mother has been nagging you about for years.
- Add a pair of dainty high heels. No cheongsam looks good with flats or (horror!) slippers or clogs. I like to think that this echoes the teeter-tottery shoes that Manchu women wore to imitate the bound feet of Chinese women, but the truth is, with a dress like this that’s basically a sausage covering, you should shamelessly exploit all options to appear willowy. (“Willowy” being a favourite classic Chinese description).
- A further note about heels — no platforms please! Platforms are the antithesis of “willowy”.
- When you arrive at your event, you will discover that it is extremely difficult for you to stand up and sit down without exposing yourself to everyone in the room. This, along with your high heels, will deter you from multiple trips to the buffet table.
- If you should actually manage to snag a plate with food, you will be unable to eat large quantities because of the highly restrictive Mandarin collar. I was forced to watch my husband devour the duck on both our plates because I literally could not swallow large mouthfuls.
As I tottered home at the end of a lavish evening, I realized it was the first time in a long while that I hadn’t stuffed myself. Compared to my date who had ingested most of my meal as well as his, I felt relatively bloat-free. Still, the lack of food made me cranky (now I understand why models have perpetual frowns) and sadly, the diet lasted only as long as the dress was worn. Which leads me to think that the cheongsam is only a temporary solution, unless, like Maggie Cheung in the ultimate cheongsam movie In the Mood for Love, you have one for every day of the year.
Suggested Snack:
- None. Or weak sips of Chinese tea
Photo credits: 1. Still from the movie “In the Mood for Love”. 2. Clark Gable and Li Lihua, Associated Press Dec. 3, 1954.
Happy new year! If you enjoyed this post, follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page.
Yangsze Choo 
23 responses to “Cheongsam – the Chinese Diet Aid”
Perhaps you’ll try a corset next and report on your findings.
“a sausage covering”! ha ha!
that is why i am glad koreans wear the huge, billowy dress that easily double as a maternity dress. it’s the antithesis of the chinese one–flatten the boobs (although that is not too hard in korea…) and hide any middle bumps or lumps under a large, curtain-sized skirt. comfort and room for any amount of food and beverage!
Sold. I’m off to go order some from China. I’ll be slim in no time! 😉
The cheongsam diet sounds too painful!!!
I wore a corset to my sister’s wedding and even though I stuffed myself non-stop, everyone congratulated me on my hourglass figure.
After I got home, my other sister saw me take it off and literally explode to twice the size in a single second. She was so impressed her eyes nearly popped out.
“I need one of those!” she said excitedly.
As soon as you want to be slim, you just put it straight back on again!
[…] Cheongsam – the Chinese Diet Aid. […]
Too funny! But after shopping in Hong Kong, I agree! Especially love your shoe recommendations!
Now that you’ve all mentioned corsets, I’ve started to wonder whether Li Lihua in the photo above (with Clark Gable) is actually wearing one underneath her cheongsam!! It was the Fifties after all…
hahaha, this is too funny and true about cheongsam!
Thanks nostalgiceatery — sounds like you’ve had personal experience with one 😉
haha, actually I tried to sew a roomier one for everyday wear (and tried to match it with flats… guilty confession!) but of course without that very nice effect a cheongsam should have.. now I am inspired from your post to sew a true elegant cheongsam 🙂
Aaahhh! A project I actually have on back-burner is to sew a cheongsam. I’m writing my second book, set in 1930s Ipoh, which has a character who is a seamstress. I was thinking that in order to write about her convincingly I should try to sew one (a traditional one with no zip) and even bought a Japanese pattern book on cheongsam but haven’t got around to it yet. Please keep us posted about your cheongsam progress!
wow, that’s really cool! I look forward to hearing more about the progress of your book.
[…] we headed out (I had thoughtfully left my high heels at home so that I could eat more without toppling over), I recalled the time I was eating lunch by […]
“weak sips of Chinese tea”…. funny post, though some experienced tailor would suggest cheongsams that are not so “sausage cover” tight. I have also summed up some tips about wearing a cheongsam discussed in a talkshow 🙂
cheers!
I hadn’t thought of this fashion-diet aid for CNY. 😀
Knowing the youngest generation, a lovely cheong-sam would be ruined by chunky platform shoes these days.
I love my cheongsam – had never thought of it as an aid to dieting but then I’ve never dieted (I’m naturally underweight). I wear mine with narrow trousers a lot of the time (Scotland being cold a lot of the time)
Juliet
http://craftygreenpoet.blogspot.com
Narrow trousers sounds like a good way to go! I enjoyed your blog, especially the picture of harebells. I lived in Sweden some years ago, and I remember finding them here and there. They must love the cold!
Great Article! Look forward to more knowledge. In my honest opinion, real success starts within. Keep it up!
Cheongsam dresses
There are a lot of other “mordern” cheongsams that are made of comfortable, stretchy material. I prefer wearing these. My great grandmother on the other hand, wore traditional ones everyday. If you get your cheongsam properly made for your body, like she did, it shouldn’t be too uncountable for you and can still improve you figure.
I can fit into my mother’s cheongsam –I think she had bigger hip bones than I. I still have the dress….I’ve never worn it except in front of the mirror. It’s pink and the shoulders are abit broad.
Aww, I’ve always wanted to wear the cheongsam. It looks so beautiful but I want to eat, too…
Brilliant post that really made me smile! I love the Qipao and have been collecting them for a little while….wearing them whenever possible….but have not thought about it as a dieting aid. But you are right that it instantly constricts one into self-awareness. Still wish more women would not shy away from it and wear it more often. Have a fabulous weekend!
May
http://www.walkinginmay.com
~Walk through a day in May…Love~Qipao~Vintage
Thhank you for sharing