Traditional Chinese Clothes that People Still Wear Today
Early this year, a girl in Utah caused a stir on social media for wearing a Chinese traditional Qipao to her high school prom. There were polarized views in regards to her choices, but personally I felt surprised at why some people were outraged at her wearing a Qipao. There is nothing wrong with pursuing beautiful things in life or embracing and showcasing another culture. I found myself wondering if I could get into trouble in the future, as usually when I love a culture I will try to integrate parts of it into my life, especially in regards to clothing… In any case, we could spend a long time arguing over this girls choices but one thing that can’t be overlooked is how her choices brought traditional Chinese clothing to the public’s spotlight. For that, we have to thank her, as Chinese traditional clothes, although beautiful are often forgotten or overlook abroad! Learn Chinese for kids is popular now. Mandarin for Children is really important.
As a multicultural country with a long history, China has got a very diversified clothing culture. Each of its dynasties nurtured their own clothing traditions. On top of this, there is also variation between the clothing attire of China’s 56 ethnic groups.
So today I’ve chosen to introduce to you the three most popular clothes or clothing styles in China that are still worn by Chinese people today, including the polemic qipao.
Why does China not have a national attire?
Unlike the Kimono in Japan and Hanbok in Korea, there is not one single national attire that can represent China. This is because, traditional clothing in China is highly diversified and differs from area to area. Also, clothing once popular in a period of history was usually forgot or even abandoned by the next dynasty. On top of this, since the late 19th century, China experienced several profound changes during which cultural traditions have been lost and then partly rebuilt. Since then, western lifestyle has also been exerted a huge influence on Chinese modern culture and clothing styles, with many forgoing traditional attires.
But even then traditional clothing has never been forgotten. Today, there are mainly three types of traditional clothing styles: Hanfu (Han’s clothing), Tang Zhuang (Tang’s clothing), and qipao (also known as cheongsam)
Let’s take a detailed look at each of them in the chronological order.
汉服 Han Fu
Hànfú
Han Fu is actually the umbrella name for the traditional clothing of China. Han is the second unified dynasty in China’s history. (The first one is the Qin Dynasty, where the Terra-cotta Warriors originate from.) Han lasted for more than 400 years, during which China embraced its first golden age.
Due to its prosperity, Han also became a label of China and Chinese culture afterward. For example, the Chinese language is called “Han language” and the major ethnic group in China is the Han nationality. The great silk road was also started at this time
Han fu literally stands for “Han’s Clothes”.
But in Chinese classics, this word covers more significant things like the etiquette and courtesy, even the rules of the society. In the eyes of ancient Chinese, clothing is part of societal rules.
For average folks, the most formal clothes they can wear is 玄端 xuanduan, which consists of a black or dark blue top garment that runs to the knees with long sleeves (often with white piping), a bottom red long dress, a red bixi (which can have a motif and/or be edged in black), an optional white belt with two white streamers hanging from the side or slightly to the front, and a long black hat.
Today, wearing Hanfu has become a fashionable thing among many young Chinese, as you can see, there are many Hanfu societies in universities. People get together with their Hanfu collection, taking photos in traditional style and appreciating the beauty of traditional clothing.
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