National consciousness

"When international students go out, no matter what kind of education and artistic influence they receive, Chinese culture is the first consciousness. Qipao represents the national culture and national consciousness," Zhao said.

"Only what belongs to the nation belongs to the world, so traditional clothing with Chinese culture is eye-catching, popular, and representative wherever it goes. Wearing a qipao now also represents a kind of self-cultural identity and national pride."

Chen Siyu, a recent graduate of New York University, said some women are concerned that wearing a tight qipao can be unflattering to their figures.

"But qipao is very tolerant, and it can show a lot of beauty of your body and your figure," she said.

Chen has more than 30 qipao, and she usually wears them in New York. She said her dresses were mostly custom-made in China using traditional crafting.

When she wears her qipao, either walking on the street or "chilling in Central Park", she always gets praise from strangers.

"I think I'm promoting Chinese culture. New York is a cultural melting pot and has a lot of cultural tolerance, and it feels good when you are wearing clothes that belong to your ethnicity," Chen said.

Xiangjiang Vintage studio owner Guo adds as she puts on a qipao: "This looks good on me! I feel represented. Then, everyone will start to be interested in this culture, start to like it, start to want to understand and study."