China's enduring symbol of haute couture

It takes a couple of months to craft a quality qipao at HanartQipao and every piece is handmade by the 40 tailors in the workshop. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

Luxury consumption

While the qipao, which is widely considered the national dress, has yet to gain popularity among the younger generations, business has nonetheless been brisk for HanartQipao. Buoyed by a growing middle class that is getting more affluent, China's luxury consumption has soared over the past decade.

According to Bain and Company, sales of luxury goods in China had spiked 16 percent in 2009 even though there was a global recession. A report released by luxury consumption research agency Fortune Character last year also forecast that luxury spending in 2016 would grow 3 percent year-on-year despite the current economic slowdown in China.