In The Mood for love : A solitary time on the remnants of a cheongsam and love that transcends the room's walls

The narrative goes something like this: "Two people inadvertently moved into adjacent rental rooms on the same day, but both parties already had partners." This is even though the story takes place in the 1960s when many of the parents or younger generation were young or in their adolescence. Due to the distance between their employment and working hours, each partner's relationship deteriorated with time and may have come to a standstill, preventing them from seeing one another as frequently as they needed to. Conversely, the bond that grew like a poisoned peony overcame the loneliness and produced a love that was inseparable from the walls that surrounded it.

Aside from the director's use of gloomy lighting and a claustrophobic setting, another unavoidable element is the actors' self-made costumes, particularly "Zhang Manyu," who donned over 40 cheongsams for the performance. The vivid colours and patterns of her outfits, which were also influenced by the West, combined elements of Shanghai and modern Western fashion.

The cheongsam was first worn during the Qing Dynasty and was originally owned by the Manchus. However, the outfit would be one piece and known as Changpao (Chang pao) if it was only worn by courtiers or high-class women. The phrases qi (㗗 = flag) and pao (袍 = shirt) are the roots of the words cheongsam or qipao. had a loose design that only exposed the hands, head, and feet, and a long, one-piece garment.

When the communist invasion in 1949 curtailed fashion, several Shanghai residents moved to Hong Kong, eventually bringing the cheongsam fashion caravan with them. The top was cut to match jeans, transformed into a vibrant bottle-shaped dress, or shortened by Hong Kong women's workers a year later to make it more comfortable. It was a more formal attire that was often worn in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Thus, this had a complete impact on the romantic atmosphere.

It is possible to say that the year the movie was released was a celebration of the millennium, and cheongsam fashion was revived from a cold teacup to become fashionable once more. The film's use of bright colors to subtly and sharply interpret loneliness stems from the Chinese dress's bright yet gloomy hues. For example, the vivid blue-purple color conveys the feeling of leaving as if this life will never meet again, and the dark tone can be decorated to create an enthralling romantic atmosphere in a brief taxi ride.

As a result, the stunning light and ambiance captivate the audience, even the younger generation, who must seek out more of this filmmaker's work. At the same time, people are less interested in romantic love, preferring to spend more time alone and isolating themselves from the majority of society until "Wong's actions" are frequently discussed. Young people who have lived through the 1990s are also still thinking back on the story from this movie. There is a well-known quote from this movie that the writer knows by heart:

"When that era has passed, there is nothing that in that era can be preserved."

Many years have gone by by the time I am writing this narrative. The cafe in the Charoen Krung neighborhood about which I have meticulously documented the account is comparable to the cheongsam worn to the shrine on Chinese New Year. However, I must have noticed a lot of girls in cheongsams when I turned to face Si Phraya Road. Some girls might sit in bright red skirts with gold embroidery, or they might harbor secrets about love that they can't let go of. With their families looking so cozy, some people might revert and remember the good times. Until I came to believe that the cheongsam is a personal thing that can be worn anywhere, no matter how much time has passed, and that it has once again become a fashionable yet outdated object in society.

(Link: ห้วงเวลาความเหงาบนร่องรอยชุดกี่เพ้า : THE MODERNIST )