Cheongsam is a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women. It is known in Mandarin as the qípáo(旗袍); and is also known in English as a mandarin gown. The stylish and tight-fitting cheongsam or qipao was created in the 1920s in Shanghai. During 1920s cheongsam was made to the fashionable socialites and upperclass women.