The series "蔴衣" started in 1996, with Qingqing first time making a translucent mahogany-like material out of fiber. Later she added various substances to the material, such as paper with handwriting, branches of dried roses, flower petals, and shells. In '97 and '98, the work evolved into the form of a dress. Her initial inspiration came from the exhibition of Mawangdui unearthed artifacts, which amazed the artist with the 蔴 clothes from more than 2,000 years ago. Chen Qingqing believes that the mahogany material represents the rustic, natural, generous, and tenacious character of Asian people. Especially the beauty and fortitude of Asian women. She said, "When making the look of those ancient people's clothes with wide robes and big sleeves, it is like returning to the world of our ancestors, living a more leisurely and oligarchic, dashing and pure life, and more comfortable."
For more than a decade, Qingqing's studio would always be filled with unfinished works, spread out on the workbench, sometimes one or two pieces, or even seven or eight pieces. The artist says that she likes to have a very daily state of creation for herself. It is a highly delicate job, with nine layers of each mahogany, or even more, created layer by layer by improvising on the pattern designs of each layer. If Qingqing is not satisfied with her design, she puts it down for a while until she has a new inspiration. She values the very extraordinary process of creating her work, which is a mental journey for herself. Qingqing enjoys having a very daily creative stage. She said, "It is like a river that flows all the way down, and it takes a long way to see all the scenery along the road."
Qingqing's early life experiences are an endless source of creativity for her. Using selected materials and found objects as carriers, she pours her knowledge and perception of individual lives, as well as her thoughts on Chinese history and culture, into the microcosm created by her.
Qingqing's works include costumes of the Han Dynasty and those of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty. At first, the artist looked for information from Mr. Shen Congwen's "Ancient Chinese Costumes", but later she designed them all herself. Qingqing wanted to study costume design when she was young but did not have the chance. The artist believes that clothing is pervasive and socially multi-layered; even if most human rights are violated, there is still the right to choose what to wear, unless one is a prisoner. Clothes say so much about the shape of society, the shape of people's lives, the way people think. Qingqing loves costumes and staging, costume design, and window dressing. The artist feels that when she creates an installation, she is setting up a stage. The arrangement of lights and colors makes Qingqing feel like a character on the stage or a creator of the theater.