I wrote this for our sister site, EliteDresses.com. It's a retail store of little girls' dresses, and it also carries Chinese and Vietnamese dresses. I want to share this blog post here for those who may be interested.

If you use the idea for your child's halloween costume, please send us a picture. I can append the photo to this blog post. :-)


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My dad liked watching action movies, including Kung Fu ones, so I can say I grew up watching an assortment of martial arts movies.

One thing in the Chinese movies that scared the heebie-jeebies out of me is the Chinese vampire. I don't know why but their hopping really scared me.

Chinese vampires are unsettled spirits that occupy the dead body. They go hop-hop-hop in a straight line. As you laugh yourself off at this, they go suck your life out. An antidote to quiet the hopping ghost is to paste a yellow paper written with the correct death mantra on its forehead. It senses living beings by breathing, so if you see one hopping in your path, hold your breath in so it will not sense you are there.

Anyhoo, the Chinese vampire is an interesting costume for Halloween. To pull this off as a halloween costume for your daughter:

• Pull out your little girl's Chinese cheung sam dress or pants set,
  
• color her face white or pale green,
  
• put a yellow paper with Chinese characters on her forehead
• have a toy-vampire teeth that she can wear if she wants,
• fake long nails are also okay to put on if she's a little bigger and won't scratch her face out
  
• give her her treat bag
  

and send her off hopping out the door. You can also try making a Qing Dynasty hat for her to wear if you like.

Tell her that Chinese vampires hop so she can hop for that extra effect. If she gets tired from hopping, you can tell her, yes, she is allowed to walk. (heehee, you know kids...)

Hope you all have fun this halloween!

Labels: chinese dresses, dressing children, halloween

Moon Festival, San Francisco



Have you ever attended a Chinese Festival in your area and let the kids wear a Chinese dress or a Kung Fu set?

This year's Moon Festival is on October 3 and for sure there will be a fun Moon Festival event near your area.

Dressing up is always fun and you and the kids can pretend to be a Chinese princess or the Monkey King as you go around the food booths and watch the programs.

Or if your family wants to go out on a night picnic on the night of October 3rd, wearing a Chinese dress or pants set is also fun (Just bring extra jackets in case the night is chilly). We have books with nice poems that everyone can read. Bring moon cake along and other munchies.

ChildBook is continuously updating the Moon Festival Calendar of Events in US states and some Canada areas so please see if there are already posted Moon Festival activities near you.

Labels: Calendar of Events, chinese dresses, Moon Festival

NY Times Article that Inflation in China will have an impact in America. I am already starting to see this on some items we sell, such as .

Key Points of the Article:

• China's increased demand for raw materials increases costs for all manufacturers.
• China's imports only make up 7.5% of goods bought in the US.
• Chinese imports US Market Share is about 80 percent of toys, 85 percent of footwear, and 40 percent for clothing.
• China manufactures even when not having a major market share, still have price pressure on other people in the same industry.
• Plastic, used heavily in toys, has increased in price 30% due to the price of oil.
• There is an increased cost by manufacturers due to safety testing.
• Wages are increasing in China with labor shortages being reported in some areas.
• China's Government has increased tariffs in some areas as a way to increase businesses focusing on higher margin value items.
• Revealing quote: Nate Herman, director of international trade at the American Apparel and Footwear Association, based in Arlington, Va., that represents some big clothing and footwear makers. “Factories are coming back and asking for 20, 30, 40, 50 percent price increases.”

With my wife's site selling dresses, the Flower Girl Dresses and Holiday Dresses are made in the US. The US garment industry has shrunk due to imports, the only ones I see mostly remaining are places that focus on high end or quick turnarounds with faster changes in fashio. The Chinese QiPao Cheongsam Girl's Dresses and Vietnamese Girl's Dresses - Ao Dai Cuoi are imported and I have started to see price increases.

Labels: china economy, chinese dresses

Please excuse the whining. I have been writing descriptions today and I am a bit confused.

An example: Qipao, Girl's Red Traditional Chinese Dress

Girl's beautiful red Qipao, traditional Chinese dress. Qipao is also spelled sometimes as qi pao and in Cantonese is known as cheongsam. The Qipao was the traditional Chinese clothing worn during the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). This elegance red Qipao Chinese dress will transform your little girl to a beautiful and elegant Chinese princess!

This Qipao Chinese dress features a mandarin collar, cap sleeves, side slits, back zipper, and hand sewn Chinese knotted buttons (frog buttons). The satin fabric is patterned with beautiful golden plum blossoms and bamboo leaves.

The description frustrates me! I know, everybody else has about the same description (most worse), but there should be more. Sounds like time for a visit to the Los Angeles Library, online the information is sparse (and that's being nice).

Labels: chinese dresses

Chinese Dresses can be great Halloween Costumes with all of the hand embroidery and details in the costumes. My wife's site currently has a Halloween Costume Sale!

50% Off List - Qipao, Girl's Chinese Dresses Traditional, Chinese Qi Pao, Oriental Dress, Cheongsam,!

The dresses she sells are a traditional Chinese dress (qi pao). Qi Pao was the traditional Chinese clothing worn during the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). It's an elegant red Chinese dress that looks beautiful. Lots of little knots on it, embroidery, and full of details. Customer feedback has been very positive!

My wife takes each dress out of the package checking for flaws, irons them, wraps them in tissue paper and the details on the dresses are unbelievable. Please check them out at http://www.elitedresses.com

Labels: chinese dresses, elite dresses, qi pao