who i am

I'm Shuri, a Sichuan-born mom of three boys, now putting down roots in Canada. This is our little corner of the internet: part kitchen, part garden, part closet full of qipao I probably don't need but love wearing anyway.

QipaoMom旗袍媽媽 started simply. I wanted somewhere to keep the everyday things - what I cook for my family, what I'm learning as I raise them, and all the quiet, ordinary beauty of a life built far from where I grew up. Somewhere between wiping little faces and folding tiny socks, I realized how easily a woman can disappear behind the word "mom" - and I didn't want to let that happen to me.

I wasn't always this version of myself. I used to compete in pageants. I have an engineering degree I barely used. I went through a stretch in my 20’s where I lost interest in almost everything, myself included, and later sold real estate for a little while. None of it quite fit. It wasn't until my husband and I became parents without much of a village or a roadmap. We were simply two people trying to figure things out as we went. I learned how to care for a premature baby, then a baby, then a toddler, and eventually three very energetic little boys. I taught myself how to cook properly for my family. I learned how to run a home. I learned how to make things, fix things, organize things, plant things, and keep learning whenever I didn't know what to do.

To me, qipao isn't just a traditional costume from my motherland, and it isn't reserved for photoshoots or banquets either. It's a reminder that I'm still a woman, not only a mother. That I carry a heritage worth keeping alive in daily life, not just on holidays. That tradition, motherhood, and beauty don't have to take turns - they can all live in the same ordinary Tuesday.

So that's what you'll find here: simple Chinese cooking liked by my family, home and parenting lessons I've had to learn the hard way, tea rituals, garden updates, qipao styled for absolutely no occasion at all, and the honest, in-progress story of raising 3 boys in a culture that's only half the one I grew up in.

QipaoMom旗袍媽媽 is just me sharing the journey, one everyday moment at a time.

what i do

QipaoMom is not about perfection.

It is about presence.
It is about remembering who you are — even while raising little ones.
It is about carrying culture forward with quiet confidence.

Welcome to our home. 欢迎回家。

Real life with three young children — the beauty, the chaos, the growth. We share honest reflections and practical rhythms for raising children while staying connected to yourself.
I explore the elegance and meaning of the qipao in modern life — styling, history, everyday wear, and how cultural identity can be expressed through what we choose to wear.
From Sichuan flavours to Singapore influences, we share family recipes and food stories that keep heritage alive across generations and across continents.
Simple skincare, slow rituals, and thoughtful homemaking — small daily practices that help us feel grounded and graceful.