WEAVING DREAMS
Qixi Fest is a national movement to revive and reimagine one of Singapore’s eight traditional Chinese festivals through inclusive, intergenerational programmes and placemaking. In 2025, as part of Singapore’s SG60 celebrations, Qixi Fest returns with the theme "Weaving Dreams".
The Grand Opening Ceremony was held at Kreta Ayer Square on 29 August, coinciding with the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, and was graced by Minister Josephine Teo who witnessed the official presentation of the Guinness World Record Certificate for the Largest Embroidery by a Team.
From 30 August to 7 September, 2pm–9pm daily, the public enjoyed nine days of free cultural programming, including the Guinness World Record embroidery exhibition, traditional Chinese and Malay martial arts by over 160 pugilists, behind-the-scenes documentaries of the reimagined Cheongsams, Cantonese opera workshops, live music performances, and more.
“Qixi Fest highlights the remarkable fusion of heritage and contemporary celebrations, showcasing Singapore's unique cultural tapestry. Through this festival, we're creating vibrant and meaningful experiences that resonate with both locals and international visitors. This exemplifies Singapore's position as a destination where cultural traditions are thoughtfully reimagined for today’s audiences, while staying true to our authentic identity as a multicultural society that values and celebrates its roots.”
Ms Guo Teyi
Director, Leisure Events
Singapore Tourism Board
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Past: Honouring the Dreams of Our Foremothers
Qixi Fest 2025 invites visitors to uncover the (her)stories of our foremothers—their courage, resilience, and dreams as they journey across the seas to build a new life. A particular focus is placed on the Majies, women pioneers who arrived in Singapore as early as the 19th century from the cradle of silk production. Their legacy is felt not only in Singapore’s culinary heritage but in the generations they nurtured.
Visitors explore these narratives through documentary screenings of Mediacorp’s Tuesday Report series about the Majies, and participate in Qixi Fest’s flagship (Her)Story of the Majie tours, curated by Lynn Wong based on years of interviews and archival research. Singaporeans can utilise part of their $100 SG Culture Pass credits to attend these tours and engage with this pivotal part of Singapore’s social and cultural history.
“From visiting forgotten historical sites to activating different sensory experiences, we hope to connect Singaporeans with the remarkable journeys of these women pioneers, whose stories of resilience and creativity continue to inspire generations.”
Ms Lynn Wong
Director of Qixi Fest
The Present: Embracing Wellness, Community, and Collaboration
In commemoration of SG60, the festival encourages participants to embrace wellness, mindful living, and meaningful connections, through the hands-on experience of the Guinness World Record for the Largest Embroidery by a Team. From 7 July to 7 August, over 600 participants spanning seniors, youths, schools, families, migrant workers, and vulnerable communities across Singapore collaborated on this 60m x 3m (180 m²) embroidery—symbolising a gift to mark SG60 and Qixi Fest’s 3rd anniversary. This beats the previous record of 103.96 m² held by a team from Mexico since 2019.
The embroidery features eight traditional snacks, representing Singapore’s diverse Chinese communities: Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Hakka, Peranakan, and Shanghainese.
“Qixi Fest is more than a cultural celebration—it is a celebration of meaningful connections and a reminder of how much stronger we are when communities come together. Singapore Pools is proud to be part of this SG60 milestone, weaving heritage, creativity, and care into the fabric of our shared future."
Mr Chin Sau Ho
Senior Director, Community Partnerships & Communications
Presenting Partner Singapore Pools
The Future: Nurturing the Next Generation of Talent
Qixi Fest 2025 celebrates the next generation of creative talent. In partnership with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Qixi Fest commissioned student designers to reimagine traditional Cheongsams.
The Cheongsam, or qipao, was chosen as the canvas for this Qixi Fest Cheongsam Collection because it embodies both heritage and modernity, providing a lens through which students can rediscover and express the cultural identity of Singapore’s diverse Chinese communities.
More than a fashion statement, the Cheongsam symbolises women’s liberation and social progress, gaining prominence in Singapore between the 1930s and 1950s—a period when Qixi Festival celebrations flourished. Its evolution from the traditional Qing dynasty robe to a form-fitting gown reflects changing societal roles, particularly as Chinese women entered education and the workforce, embracing modernity while maintaining cultural roots.
The Cheongsam Fashion Show took place on 19 August at SCAPE Orchard. Models representing each community highlight youth-elder collaboration and the festival’s commitment to cultural education.
Special Thanks To:
The talented student designers from NAFA, whose creativity and passion brought these cheongsams to life
Our community models, who have rehearsed tirelessly for weeks
Their instructor, Ms Teo Ser Lee PBM who has guided our community representatives — not professional models, but proud voices of their respective Chinese communities in Singapore — to take the stage with grace and confidence.
Music Creative Director, Ms Audrey Leong from Music Chromesthesia, who worked hand in hand with Gawin Xie from Wire Entertainment to craft the original music score you enjoyed throughout tonight’s showcase.
And the driving force behind Qixi Fest — Ms Lynn Wong ，Qixi Fest’s Founder and Director
Student Designed Cheongsams Commissioned
In this collection, each Cheongsam highlights the heritage of a specific community—Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka, Hainanese, Shanghainese, and Peranakan—infused with motifs, traditional practices, or iconic foods unique to that community.
Beyond aesthetics, each design carries an aspirational wish aligned with the “Weaving Dreams” theme, allowing students to creatively interpret history, culture, and personal expression through a garment that has long symbolised elegance, identity, and the spirit of contemporary Singaporean women.
Hokkien-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: 寿 Longevity
Designer: Natalie Tan Xuan Qi (Age 21)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (新加坡福建会馆)
This Hokkien-inspired, contemporary layered cheongsam-style outfit, reimagined in a coat and trouser form, pays tribute to the enduring strength of the Amoy women. Its bold shoulders, shaped like the elegant swallowtail rooftops of Hokkien architecture, embody resilience and forward motion. Long white fringes, inspired by uncut longevity noodles, flow across the sleeves, bodice, and trousers -symbolising life’s continuity.
Hainanese-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: 团聚 Runion
Designer: Wei Hao Acosta Peh (Age 21)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Singapore Hainan Hwee Kuan (海南会馆)
This Hainanese-inspired cheongsam unites heritage and modernity,its honeycomb smocking with beadwork echoing the pyramid shape of Da Gat Lau — a traditional Hainanese kueh offered by married daughters to their parents, wishing them Fu (fortune), Lu (prosperity), Shou (longevity). The base fabric, adorned with oriental-style motifs reminiscent of Nanyang coffee cups, celebrates the kopitiam as a cherished gathering place, where stories, warmth, and traditions converge in the spirit of reunion.
Teochew-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: 平安 Peace
Designer: Tan Chong Wei (Age 22)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Eng Tiang Huat (新加坡翁展发华族文化店)
This Teochew-inspired layered cheongsam reimagines the soft, rounded form of the Png Kueh in its flowing silhouette, with fine piping tracing gentle curves like the lines of the delicacy. A ruffled collar, echoing Teochew opera costumes, frames the look, while the Xiang Yun (祥云) – inspired patterned lining carries wishes for peace, harmony, and blessings.
Hakka-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: 青春永驻 Eternal Youth & 身体健康 Good Health
Designer: Thien Rouenne Alovea (Age 20)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Nanyang Hakka Federation (南洋客属总会)
This Hakka-inspired cheongsam reimagines the iconic blueshirt in a modern form, adorned with cyanotype prints of florals and leaves. Developed through light exposure, these deep teal blue impressions preserve nature’s fleeting beauty, capturing a sense of eternal bloom.
Shanghainese-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: 福 Luck
Designer: Ye Zixuan, Geraldine (Age 21)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Ningpo Guild Singapore (新加坡宁波同乡会)
This Shanghai-inspired layered cheongsam captures the opulence of 1930s Shanghai, with an oversized outer coat in a modern Xiang Yun (祥云) – inspired jacquard symbolising auspicious clouds and the promise of good fortune. Gathered folds in the coat evoke the delicate pleats of a Xiao Long Bao (小笼包), wrapping around an intricately embellished qipao that shimmers with sequins and pearls. The base qipao is inspired by the architectural details of the Shanghai Bund, embellished with fabric panels intricately decorated with metallic embroidery, sequins, and pearls.
Cantonese-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: 禄 Wealth & 关怀 Care
Designer: Chan Yun Qin (Age 19)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Shun Tak Community Guild (新加坡顺德会馆)
This Cantonese-inspired layered cheongsam reimagines the MaJies’ iconic two-piece samfu in flowing, modern lines, with braided sleeve lacing that honours their signature plaits and symbolises the bonds of care and sisterhood they nurtured. Loop-shaped closures echo the double coin biscuit, emblem of wealth and prosperity, while gold accents pay tribute to the richness of spirit, generosity, and enduring support the MaJies bestowed upon their communities - from raising generations of Singaporeans, to leveraging their beloved Qixi Festival to raise funds for the vulnerable.
Peranakan-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: 爱 Love
Designer: Nurkharina Binte Mohammad Khairullah (Age 20)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Raymond Wong (Rumah Kimchoo)
This Peranakan-inspired layered cheongsam intertwines heritage and romance, pairing a kebaya-style top with a sarong-inspired skirt in a digital floral batik print of roses, peonies, and hibiscus - flowers that each symbolise love in Western, Chinese and Malay culture respectively. Its fusion of qipao elegance, kebaya grace, and colonial-era layering reflects the tender yet enduring nature of love, woven from diverse traditions into one harmonious whole.
Presenting Partner Singapore Pools-Inspired Cheongsam
Associated wish: Uplifting Communities
Designer: Tan Sii Mui (Age 23)
In consultation with: Bridging Generations Pte Ltd & Singapore Pools Pte Ltd
This Singapore Pools–inspired layered cheongsam reimagines tradition with a sweeping blue ‘S’-shaped panel that mirrors the brand’s iconic logo, symbolising flow,progress, and the continuous uplift of communities.
Traditional elements like Chinese knot closures are reinterpreted with modern placements, and the textured fabric is inspired by the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay, an iconic landmark which Singapore Pools contributed to. A cascading shoulder panel flows gracefully down the back, a visual metaphor for the support, elevation, and positive momentum that communities create when they lift one another.
