Chantel Gong·Gong Hangyu：The cultural exchange ambassador of China and Suriname

On October 26th， 2016， on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Suriname， a grand celebration activity was held in the official residence of the Chinese Embassy in Suriname， welcoming the President and Presidents lady of Suriname， Chinese ambassador to Suriname and his wife， UN agencies in Suriname and ambassadors from the United States， France， India， and Indonesia as well as the local celebrities attended the event. Gong Hangyu， Chinas Top Ten Designer and the founder of Chantel Gong Cheongsam Couture also dressed up for the event invited by the Chinese ambassador to Suriname， setting up a bridge of friendship for cultural exchanges between the two nations with cheongsam， a blend of Chinese and Western modern beauty.

A “cultural ambassador” worth her salt

During the celebration， Ms. Gong， a representative of modern Chinese cheongsam， gave a vivid interpretation to the blooming Oriental art beauty， traditional and modern， fashionable and classical， with her modern cheongsam that can fully embody the modern way of life without losing its traditional characteristics， combined with traditional Chinese culture in various ways such as poetry， dance， and calligraphy.

“The one-sided understanding of cheongsam has hindered the full promotion of cheongsam； therefore， I just want to break through the traditional impression that the cheongsam gives， letting cheongsam coming into all aspects of our lives. Cheongsam should be not only symbols of Chinese culture， but the ‘body language through which the worlds beautiful women are capable of re-understanding themselves， creating new images， and showing self-confidence. I am trying to be a represent of Chinese traditional culture to the world.”

In recognition of Ms. Gongs outstanding contribution to the cultural exchange between China and Suriname， the Minister of Culture of Suriname presented the medal to her for his appreciation.

A beautiful world from “cheongsam diplomacy”

In the same period， 250，000 people participated in the 2016 Auckland Christmas Parade on October 28th， 2016， one of the biggest events of the year in Oakland， New Zealand. Among them， a 20-meter long square array composed of 50 beauty in cheongsams attracted enough eyeballs， suddenly stunning the whole world， especially the blue and white porcelain cheongsams specially customized for the activities by Chantel Gong， graceful and elegant. In July last year， New Zealand Governor and his wife came to China， during which Chantel Gong as an appointed brand by the Governors wife designed several sets of costumes and scarves.

Over the years， Gong Hangyu has been committed to the spread of cheongsam culture， repeatedly presenting cheongsams in the form of national gift to the heads of various states. In 2016， at the invitation of the Confucius Institute Latin American Headquarter， she went to South America for cultural exchanges， and in the following September， invited by Asian Artists of USA， there was a catwalk show for the 100th anniversary of the Palace of Fine Arts. In addition， her designed cheongsams are appointed for the wives of ambassadors of various countries and Presidents visiting to China. She also made tailored walkway cheongsams for Miss International Beauty Pageant Champion in China， Miss Intercontinental Champion and Miss Universe Champion respectively. In particular， during the Miss International Beauty Pageant Championship in China hosted in the Imperial Ancestral Temple in this October， the beautiful new cheongsams were amazing.

Without a stop， she will also be invited to participate in a series of activities organized by such organizations and institutions as the Dutch Embassy， the Chinese Friendship Center of the Netherlands， the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands， and the European Chinese Art Institute.

Modern cheongsam spokesperson

“In the new era， cheongsam is not a symbol or a heritage， but new culture and new fashion， and I hope to see a breakthrough of tradition in cultural heritage through completely new changes and elegant fashion， to decorate modern cheongsam design with artistic life for womens elegance and confidence.”

After many years of efforts， thanks to the meticulous operation of Ms. Gong， Chantel Gong has become a supreme international platform to showcase the modern culture of cheongsam， growing to a comprehensive cultural company including the cheongsam and accessories customized services， cheongsam cultural activities at home and abroad， cheongsam art stage show， and cheongsam-based movies. It has built an all-round industrial chain integrating the modern cheongsam culture and art， promoting the traditional culture to a higher international arena.

“Cheongsam is the best medium to present various elements of Chinese culture， such as tea ceremony， meditation， painting， calligraphy and music， and I also like to express my emotions through writing poetry， prose and dance. With the years of study and life abroad， it is most suitable for me to be engaged in cheongsam. The original appearance can get back to me only if I was in a cheongsam.” Ms. Gong has been constantly making improvements in cheongsam， and even integrated oil paintings， ballet， landscape and other elements with art， finally making the ancient and traditional cheongsam bloom out of a new vitality.

“Without background and thorough understanding of culture， clothing and herself， a woman cannot find her own way of expression of clothing which will not look good no matter how to wear it. External practice， to inner promotion， and finally to both inside and outside beauty， is the real great beauty coming out of a person.” The vision of the East， combined with international fashion trends， Chantel Gong is a cross-border cooperation integrating different types of arts， presenting the new Chinese freehand way of life with cheongsam as the carrier.

As a modern cheongsam spokesperson and a cultural ambassador， Gong Hangyus cheongsam not only is design creativity， but also gives more meaning and mission to cheongsam.