The dream of every girl

Drab clothes have given way to ruffles and sequins, feathers and lace, for today's Chinese brides. Chen Yingying from China Features reports.For just 200 yuan ($32), brides-to-be can pick up their dream wedding gowns at Wedding Dress Mall in the western Beijing neighborhood of Wukesong. This spacious, bustling mall houses 80 stores stacked with inexpensive gowns that sparkle under the bright lights. 
Young women wander in and out of these shops, tailed by their husbands-to-be, mothers or girlfriends, trying on the dresses in fan-shaped booths or behind swaths of fabric held up by the shopkeepers.They bargain hard for a good deal and, once satisfied, the dress, complete with ruffles, sequins, feathers, or all three, is tucked into a giant bag to be taken home."I would like to wear a white fluffy dress that will make me feel like an elegant princess, just like Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William,Cheap Oakley Lifestyle" says Linda Wang, a 27-year-old bride-to-be from Beijing's Tongzhou district, thrilled with her relatively expensive 500 yuan dress. 
Wang says the wedding dresses here look just like the big name-brand ones, but are much more affordable. Buying a dress here is often cheaper than renting one, as rentals can go up to more than 1,000 yuan. 
"In other wedding dress shops in Xidan or SOHO in Beijing, the price of a wedding dress ranges from 5,000 yuan to more than 20,Fake Oakley Flak Jacket000 yuan," she says.Wang does not care much about the texture or quality of the dress.Cheap Oakley Radar Sunglass "I will only wear it once, so it really isn't worth too much money."Western-style wedding dresses have become obligatory at Chinese weddings today, although some brides still prefer a cheongsam or other traditional Chinese dresses to appear distinctive. 
In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, a bride typically donned a phoenix coronet and an embroidered vest, inspired by the royal costumes of the Ming Dynasty. 
The 1911 Revolution ended feudalism and dynastic traditions in China, and led to the formation of the Republic of China. The cheongsam, or qipao, became China's national costume for women at this time.The cheongsam evolved from Manchu fashions, which were originally made loose to hide a woman's figure. During the 1920s, tailored and fitted cheongsams became popular with Shanghai's upper-class women.