German Pool has been a famous brand of electrical appliances in Hong Kong since 1982. It is a family business and the prominent figure is Karen Chan(陳嘉賢)—not only for her contribution to the industry of Hong Kong, but also for her cultural offerings in the form of ‘Cheongsam’(長衫) or ‘Qipao’(旗袍).
Cheongsam is a Chinese dress worn by women and men which takes inspiration from the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people in the North. For woman, cheongsam is most often seen as a long, figure-fitting and one-piece garment with a standing collar, an asymmetric left-over-right opening and two side slits, and embellished with Chinese frog fasteners on the lapel and collar. It was developed in the Ching Dynasty and evolved in shapes and design over years.
Karen said, “I love cheongsam in its traditional form but want to make it respond to the modern life too.” She runs a cultural rather than fashion business ‘Sparkle’ which designs, makes and promotes cheongsam.
Karen studied in Sacred Heart Canossian College. She went to University of Washington for her first degree and New York University for her second degree. In 2000, she returned to Hong Kong to work but soon moved to Vancouver and got hitched. In 2006, she came back to Hong Kong with a family to assist in the family business. In 2009, Karen obtained the master’s degree in Marketing from Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her son is 12 years old now. Karen is tall, slim and represents 2 things, character and competence.
She, as usual, had an unweary smile on her face, “Time flies and I am making up for lost time. I have too many things that I should do.” I stared at her, “Karen, you work too hard! Apart from being a businesswoman and taking care of a family, you sit on government consultation committees and governing boards of universities.” Her eyes were twinkling with mirth, “Don’t worry. The great consolation that I have is making beautiful cheongsam for others and myself.”
She said, “Our past is never dead to us, until we have brushed it aside. I respect traditions especially the old arts and crafts of Hong Kong. Tradition does embody valuable accumulated knowledge, and provide a sense of belonging to our great city. But, I think tradition is not a way of saying ‘we must do it this way’. If you want to keep something old, you will have to let it somehow grow younger and newer. Great cultures in Hong Kong like dim sum, architectures and kung fu are always a fantastic combination of old and new. I really don’t want cheongsam to be called another ‘collective memory’ after it is gone forever.”
I asked, “Why is cheongsam culture uniquely Hong Kong?” She patted her head, “During the 1910s to 1920s, cheongsam commanded her cultural prosperity in 2 major cities, namely Shanghai and Hong Kong because people there were rich and fashionable. It was important for ladies to look trendy and classy. Shanghai was later under communist rule. Fashion basically disappeared and the focus was on the communist cadre look. Clothing available was mass-produced and functional, leaving little room for individuality or femininity. Hong Kong remained a free city. Cheongsam continued to flourish here and it never died out. We had cheongsam of uniquely different designs, styles and materials in the golden days of 1950s to 1970s. Almost all women wore cheongsam. It is sad that since the 60s, western clothes were seen by women as a sign of modernity and liberation. Fewer and fewer women wore cheongsam. Luckily, we still got a small circle of ladies who loved cheongsam and it has become a specialized type of clothing that fits only a niche market. My mission now is to keep cheongsam alive and through my public education effort, I want to tell people in Hong Kong that removing our misconceptions of and prejudice against cheongsam is an important cause!”
I put my final question to her, “What is the future gauntlet that you have to take up?” She sighed, “Wow! Too many challenges ahead. There are 4. I want to prove that even westerners, given their bigger body size, can wear cheongsam and look pretty. Then, I wish to ensure that the knowledge and skills associated with this traditional artisanry can be passed onto the future generations so that the art will continue to survive. Thirdly, I want to be a respectable fashion designer who can create cheongsam as a piece of up-to-date beauty. My last wish is humble: I would be able to keep my cheongsam business from falling. It is expensive to make a cheongsam due to many factors, for example, that the best cheongsam must be handmade and the fabric must be 100% silk. Cheongsam market is however small and a lot of customers are experts in cheongsam. I do hope I can meet their expectations.”
Karen Chan aspires to be a defender of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage. Hong Kong is no more just an international financial centre in Asia. Our civilization is already a rich pool of brilliant beliefs, customs and knowhows accumulated in the course of 19th to 22nd Century.
The problem of modern life is the claim that, for the sake of progress, we have to lose local traditions at a faster pace than that of preserving, not to mention the extra loss accelerated by forces such as globalization and national assimilation. A woman’s greatest asset is her beauty and cheongsam is the wonderful dress that helps a woman capitalize on her physical and emotional beauty.
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