The total population of Manzu Nationality is now
9,821,900 ,of which, more than 7,000 live in Yunnan who live
mainly in Kunming city and other place. Most of them are immigrant
from north China in Qing Dynasty. They have not formed compact
community yet due to the population is small and live dispersedly
,and their language and custom keep conformable with local Han
Nationality. Qipao, or Cheongsam, is a typical piece
of clothing of the Manchus worn by both men and women, old and
young in all seasons. Simply tailored, a qipao has a round collar,
a loose-fit- ting front and back and narrow sleeves, There are
four slits on the four seasons to facilitate the mounting of and
dismounting from a horse. Semicircle cuffs are attached to the eds
of the narrow sleeves to facilitate the shooting of arrows since
the cuffs are shaped like horse hooves , they are called
horse-hoof sleeves or arrow sleeves. Later, when the Man-chus
gradually abandoned horse-riding and arrow-shooting, the arrow
sleeves became mere ornaments. It was a custom of the Manchus of
the upper classes to flap down the arrow cuffs when they meet and
salute to each other. The qipao worn by Manchu women is more
ornamental than the one worn by men. The collar, the front and the
sleeve ends are decorated with colorful strips. The style of the
qipao has changed continually as society develops. Instead of four
slits there are now only two slits on the left and right. The one
worn by women has become close-fitting to emphasize the curves of
a woman's body |