Chen Yuqiu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Chen Yuqiu, Female, Han, from Jilin, Jilin, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Zhongshi Garment Making Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-193). The tradition is documented in Jilin, Jilin. Within the regional tradition and school record of Zhongshi Garment Making Craftsmanship in Jilin, Jilin: Within Jilin Province, it is mainly distributed in Manchu townships and towns in Jilin City, Siping City, Changchun City, and Tonghua City, among which the villages and towns of Gongtong, Jiujie, and Hantun in Wulajie Manchu Town, Longtan District, Jilin City are the most typical. The concentrated distribution of the Manchu population, the unique fishing-and-hunting production and living environment of Manchu ancestors, and the special function of the historical Daxing Wula General Administration together brought about the prosperity of the Manchu qipao in the Jilin region. In working the fields side by side with the Han people, the Manchu gradually absorbed features of Han attire, and after the 1920s and 1930s the qipao style that emphasizes colorful ornamentation and the beauty of the human form took shape, passing down to the present day through master-apprentice and social transmission.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Chen Yuqiu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Zhongshi Garment Making Craftsmanship in Jilin, Jilin. Within the documented technical tradition of Zhongshi Garment Making Craftsmanship in Jilin, Jilin: The Manchu qipao-making craft is one of the representative forms of Chinese garment-making techniques. Its distribution is relatively broad, concentrated mainly in the three northeastern provinces and in the main northern Manchu-inhabited areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. Jilin City lies in the central-eastern part of Jilin Province and is one of the important birthplaces of the Manchu people in China. Historically, the Daxing Wula area where the city is located was rich in animal furs, and the local ancestors mostly used them as raw materials for making clothing. The Manchu qipao, called "yijie" in the Manchu language, is a highly representative and iconic garment of the Manchu. Its traditional craftsmanship is exquisite and refined, producing a qipao with a wide, flat body, a stand-up collar, pankou (frog buttons), a right-front closure, narrow or sword-shaped cuffs, and a hem that is wide and often slit, reflecting the folk cultural traits of a hunting people. The cutting of the Manchu qipao inherits the cross-shaped whole-garment cutting structure of traditional Chinese robes. In sewing, it makes extensive use of a unique concealed stitching method, where seams are visible but no stitch marks show. The Manchu qipao is noted for its ornamentation with Manchu embroidery, ranging from "three edgings and three bindings" to "five edgings and five bindings," and even to "eighteen edgings and bindings," a complex and exquisite craft. After the whole garment is completed, the collar is attached separately by hand. This post-mounted collar can be washed at any time and removed or replaced according to the season's warmth or cold, with options of single, lined, padded, and fur collars, offering practical, convenient, and flexible wear. The Manchu qipao is a symbol of Manchu culture and Manchu identity, and is deeply loved by the Manchu people. The Manchu qipao-making craft carries rich information about Manchu history and culture, ethnic characteristics, religious belief, and living customs, and plays an important role in the study of Manchu clothing changes, customs, and traditional techniques. Its design concepts—such as flat cutting and three-dimensional collar attachment—and its craft characteristics have exerted a certain influence on the development of Chinese garments. This craft has played a positive role in driving employment for people in surrounding areas and in promoting traditional clothing culture. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Cross-shaped pattern cutting": The qipao is cut on the cross-shaped structure of the Chinese robe, the flat pattern being adjusted to the body while the skirt is wide and often slit. "Invisible stitching": Much of the sewing uses an invisible stitch: the seam shows but no needle marks do, leaving the inside smooth and comfortable in movement. "Three borders to eighteen borders": Borders run from three, to five, even to eighteen passes of piping and Manchu embroidery, each additional round adding sewing and stitching work. "Setting detachable standing collars": The collar is set by hand after the garment is finished, so it can be washed apart and swapped with single, interlined, cotton or fur versions.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Chen Yuqiu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Zhongshi Garment Making Craftsmanship, with Jilin, Jilin as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Zhongshi Garment Making Craftsmanship in Jilin, Jilin: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Jilin, Jilin as its declared area, and Jilin Art Research Institute (Jilin Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Research Center) as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Chenyuqiu (Jilin, Jilin) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Chenyuqiu · China ICH Official Archive