In east China, the city of Hangzhou has been projecting the feminine charms of the traditional Qipao garment to the world. 

Since mid-June, the Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival has staged a series of events in major international cities.

Officially launched on June 19, the 2019 Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival has made a splash among the fashion-conscious urbanites the world over. 

Over the past months, the event has presented a series of outdoor activities in Paris, London, Vienna and Prague.  

Designed and organized with originality, these activities have displayed the distinctive aesthetics of the traditional garment by integrating it with the natural and urban landscapes of different localities.  

The festival has also reached Belt and Road countries ranging from Tanzania, Qatar to Bulgaria, seeing enthusiastic participation from local artists and entertainers. 

The Qipao dress, also called Cheongsam, originated from the traditional garments of the Manchu ethnic group in China's northeast.

Shortly following the fall of the Qing Empire, the body-hugging dress began to gain popularity among Chinese socialites and wealthy women in east China.  

This is the third year that Hangzhou has held the Global Qipao Festival. But the event is being staged on a global scale for the first time, culminating in a Hangzhou Qipao Initiative event at the UN headquarters in Vienna.