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Thirty-seven cheongsams and related artefacts from different eras will be on display at an exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History from tomorrow (January 29) until March 3 (Monday). Entitled "A Century of Fashion: Hong Kong Cheongsam Story", the exhibition will offer members of the public an opportunity to appreciate the cultural legacy and innovation surrounding cheongsams in Hong Kong.
Last year, the Hong Kong Museum of History staged an exhibition on Hong Kong's cheongsams as an opening programme of Hong Kong Week 2013@Taipei. This was the first-ever exhibition by the museum held in Taiwan. Some items have been specially selected for the Hong Kong exhibition and these include cheongsams once worn by the renowned Cantonese opera artists Pak Suet-sin and Yam Kim-fai, film actress Linda Lin Dai and leading business figure Mrs Vera Waters. Visitors will also be able to see the cheongsam, crown and sceptre worn and carried by Mrs Loletta Chu-Lo at the 1977 Miss Hong Kong Pageant. A cheongsam worn by pop diva Teresa Teng will also be on show for the first time in Hong Kong at the exhibition.
Speaking at the opening ceremony today, the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Raymond Young, said the Hong Kong Museum of History will continue to collect cheongsams for women and men for research and to enrich the museum's collection.
Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony included the Chairman of the History Museum Advisory Panel, Dr Philip Wu; the Honorary Life President of the Wai Yin Association, Mrs Loletta Chu-Lo; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung; and the Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History, Ms Susanna Siu.
Apart from presenting the cheongsam's unique style that highlights the curves of the female silhouette, the exhibition will also showcase different types of tailoring and sewing tools, tailors' measurement forms and sewing sketches. Videos showing the patterns and sewing of cheongsams as well as the making of flower buttons will be screened, and visitors will see the transformation of Hong Kong's cheongsams from the late Qing dynasty era through to the early Republican period and contemporary days. The exhibition will also recount the development of Hong Kong's cheongsam industry, characteristics of cheongsam craftsmanship and fascinating stories of cheongsams associated with Hong Kong women in different eras.
The Hong Kong Museum of History has also published an exhibition catalogue, "A Century of Fashion: Hong Kong Cheongsam Story", which features a wealth of insightful articles, images of exhibit highlights and historical photographs. The catalogue provides a review of cheongsam culture under three topics, namely "The Emergence and Development of the Cheongsam in Hong Kong", "Hong Kong's Cheongsam Tailors and their Craft" and "Cheongsam Legends in Hong Kong". This 196-page catalogue is now available for sale at a price of $100 at the museum's gift shop.
Admission to the exhibition is free. The Hong Kong Museum of History is located at 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.
For details of the exhibition, please visit the Hong Kong Museum of History's website at: hk.history.museum/en_US/web/mh/exhibition/current.html or call 2724 9042 for enquiries.
Ends/Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:28
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