Jian Zhengrong( third from left), president of the Chinese Internationl Dzi Bead Association, Anna Zhan(Center), president of American Qipao Society, and other guests pose for group photos at the press conference held on June 28 in Flushing. Hong Xiao / For China Daily
　　When two traditional Chinese cultural treasures meet, a different kind of beauty is sparked.
　　In this case, Qipao, the body-hugging one-piece dress created in the 1902s in Shanghai and made fashionable by socialites and upper class women, got enhanced by Dzi Tibetan beadwork, a press conference held jointly by the American Qipao Society and the Chinese International Dzi Bead Society announced on June 28 in Flushing.
　　"In the 1920s, under the influence of Western culture, Chinese women started to realize the beauty of the body curves. They tried to reform the traditional looser Qipao into body-hugging shape, highlighting feminine beauty," said Anna Zhan, president of the American Qipao Society.
　　Now, Qipao is a formal dress that can represent the nation, the same way the kimono does for Japan and the hanbok for Korea.
　　The Dzi bead is a kind of jewelry that ancient Tibetans believed was a supernatural product created by God, according to Jian Zhengrong, president of the Chinese International Dzi Bead Society based in Beijing,
　　"Dzi", a Tibetan word, translates as to "shine, brightness, clearness, and splendor." In Chinese, the bead is called "heaven's bead" or "heaven's pearl."
　　"In several Asian cultures, the bead is believed to provide positive spiritual benefits,” said Jian. “They are generally prized as protective amulets and are sometimes ground into powder to be used in traditional Tibetan medicine."
　　"Both Qipao and Dzi beads are Chinese cultural heritage treasures, which are worth cherishing and carrying forward, no matter where we are, in China or overseas," Zhan said.
　　The American Qipao Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting traditional Chinese Qipao culture.
　　Hong Xiao in New York contributed to this story.