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Changshan


A About this sound changshan  (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: chángshān; literally: "long shirt") in traditional Chinese dress is a long jacket or tunic worn by men. In function, it is considered the male equivalent of the women's cheongsam (qipao). It is also known as a changpao (chángpáo ) or dagua ( dàguà). These types of dress were widely adopted beginning under the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty, who required that men in certain positions wear this style. It took more time for the majority of women to adopt the new style of qipao rather than hanfu.

The Mandarin Chinese word changshan is cognate with the Cantonese term 長衫 chèuhng sàam. This was borrowed into English as "cheongsam." Unlike the Mandarin term, however, chèuhngsàam can refer to both male and female garments. In Hong Kong the term is frequently used to refer to the body-hugging female garment rather than the male changshan. Because of the long British presence in Hong Kong, that local usage has become reflected in the meaning of cheongsam in English, which refers exclusively to the female garment.

Changshan, along with qipao, were introduced to China during the Qing dynasty (17th–20th centuries). The Manchus in 1636 ordered that all Han Chinese should adopt the changshan style of dress or face harsh punishment. However, after the 1644 fall of the Ming dynasty, the Manchu stopped this order; they required only that court and government officials wear Manchu clothes. Commoners were still allowed to wear the hanfu. Over time, the commoners adopted the changshan and qipao as their own dress. The traditional Chinese Hanfu style of clothing was gradually replaced. Over time, the Manchu style gained popularity.


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