On the afternoon of September 13, 24 Shades of Attire: New Rhythms of In·Point Qipao Meets the Orient, an exhibition celebrating Shanghai style qipao culture, opened at the Shanghai style Culture Centre in In·Point 8 Lane, Hongkou District. One of the highlight events of Hongkou’s Classic Events Season for the 2026 Shanghai Tourism Festival, the exhibition is hosted by Hongkou District Bureau of Culture and Tourism and organised by the Shanghai style Culture Centre. Set amid century old Shikumen architecture as an immersive aesthetic venue, it ingeniously integrates the inheritance of Shanghai style intangible cultural heritage (ICH) with innovative national trend fashion.
The opening ceremony kicked off with the rousing guzheng ensemble King Elephant’s March. Young artists from Yu Yin Opera Troupe presented an excerpt from the Peking Opera Goddess Scattering Flowers. Melodious opera singing resonated against the powerful strains of guzheng music.
A qipao fashion show followed. Models glided along the textured corridors of the Shanghai style Culture Centre, showcasing qipao designs brimming with individual charm. Exquisite frog fastenings adorned flowing hems. The time honoured Shikumen compound formed a striking backdrop to sleek modern qipao, where classical grace and quintessential Shanghai flair converged.
Centred on the theme “24 Shades of Attire”, the exhibition transforms the century old Shikumen complex into an immersive space evoking the passage of four seasons. Visitors experience the glamour of old Shanghai as they wander through changing scenes. A series of ICH experience workshops and national trend product launches will run alongside the display.
A major draw of Hongkou’s tourism festival program, the qipao exhibition takes intangible cultural heritage as its core and fashion as its outward form. It allows time honoured qipao culture to shine anew in the modern era, offering residents and visitors a cultural feast blending traditional craftsmanship and contemporary aesthetics.
The exhibition runs until October 7. Members of the public and tourists are welcome to visit the Shanghai style Culture Centre at In·Point 8 Lane. Within the historic Shikumen buildings, guests may savour Shanghai style charm shaped by the shifting seasons and embrace this Oriental aesthetic encounter where intangible heritage meets fashion.
Cheng Meihong, First Level Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and Jiang Chan, Vice District Chief of Hongkou District, attended the opening.