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Hanfu has a history of more than three millennia, and is said to have been worn by the legendary Yellow Emperor. From the beginning of its history, Hanfu (especially in elite circles) was inseparable from silk, supposedly discovered by the Yellow Emperor’s consort, Leizu. The Shang Dynasty (c.1600 BC-1000 BC), developed the rudiments of Hanfu; it consisted of a yi, a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt, called chang, worn with a bixi, a length of fabric that reached the knees. Vivid primary colors and green were used, due to the degree of technology at the time. 12th-century Chinese painting of The Night Revels of Han Xizai (韓熙載夜宴圖) showing musicians dressed in Hanfu The dynasty to follow the Shang, the Western Zhou Dynasty, established a strict hierarchical society that used clothing as a status meridian, and inevitably, the height of one’s rank influenced the ornateness of a costume. Such markers included the length of a skirt, the wideness of a sleeve and the degree of ornamentation. In addition to these class-oriented developments, the Hanfu became looser, with the introduction of wide sleeves and jade decorations hung from the sash which served to keep the yi closed. The yi was essentially wrapped over, in a style known as jiaoling youren, or wrapping the right side over before the left, because of the initially greater challenge to the right-handed wearer (the Chinese discouraged left-handedness like many other historical cultures, considering it unnatural, barbarian, uncivilized and unfortunate). In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the "deep robe" (shenyi) appeared a combination of tunic and skirt. The upper and lower halves were cut separately but sewn as a single unit. An additional change was the shaping of the left side of the costume into a corner, fastened on the chest. Perhaps because of Confucian influence, disapproving of a hierarchical society in favour of social mobility based on personal merit, the shenyi was swiftly adopted. There still existed an elite however, and they monopolised the more ornate fabrics and grandiose details. History of the term "Hanfu" Since Song and Yuan, official record used Hanfu to indicate garments Hans wear. During Liao dynasty, the emperor of Liao and Han officials wear Hanfu, and Empress and Khitan officials wear their national clothing. During Yuan dynasty, when editing History of Liao, the officials especially made an entry for Hanfu. The term "Hanfu" to describe the clothing system of Hans, was not often used within Hans, but was more often used in other ethnic groups and nations, to distinguish the Hans clothing system and their own clothing system. Standard Style Garments The style of Han Chinese clothing can be summarized as containing garment elements that are arranged in distinctive and sometimes specific ways. This may be different from the traditional garment of other ethnic groups in China, most notably the Manchu-influenced Chinese clothes, the qipao, which is popularly assumed to be the solely recognizable style of "traditional" Chinese garb. A comparison of the two styles can be seen as the following provides: Component Han Manchu Upper Garment Consist of "yi" (衣), which have loose lapels and are open Consist of "pao" (袍), which have secured lapels around the neck and no front openings Lower Garment Consist of skirts called "chang" (裳) Consist of pants or trousers called "ku" (褲) Collars Generally, diagonally crossing each other, with the left crossing over the right Parallel vertical collars with parallel diagonal lapels, which overlap Sleeves Long and loose Narrow and tight Buttons Sparingly used and concealed inside the garment Numerous and prominently displayed Fittings Belts and sashes are used to close, secure, and fit the garments around the waist Flat ornate buttoning systems are typically used to secure the collar and fit the garment around the neck and upper torso Shenyi (深衣) a type of Han Chinese clothing commonly worn from the pre-Shang periods to the Han Dynasty. This form is known as the quju (曲裾) and worn primarily by women. A complete Hanfu garment is assembled from several pieces of clothing into an attire: Yi (衣): Any open cross-collar garment, and worn by both sexes Pao (袍): Any closed full-body garment, worn only by men in Hanfu Ru (襦): Open cross-collar shirt Shan (衫): Open cross-collar shirt or jacket that is worn over the yi Qun (裙) or chang (裳): Skirt for women and men Ku (褲): Trousers or pants People are also able to accessorize with tassels and jade pendants or various ornaments hung from the belt or sash, known as pei (珮). Hats and headwear Phoenix Crown of the Empress On top of the garments, hats (for men) or hairpieces (for women) may be worn. One can often tell the profession or social rank of someone by what they wear on their heads. The typical types of male headwear are called jin (巾) for soft caps, mao (帽) for a stiff hats and guan (冠) for formal headdress. Officials and academics have a separate set of hats for them, typically the putou (幞頭), the wushamao (烏紗帽), the si-fang pingding jin (四方平定巾; or simply, fangjin: 方巾) and the Zhuangzi jin (莊子巾). A typical hairpiece for women is a ji (笄) but there are more elaborate hairpieces. Man's Headwear view Woman's Headwear view Mianguan Yellow Emperor.jpg Phoenix crown B Song Dynasty Empress of Gaozong.JPG Tongtianguan Liang Wudi.jpg Huasheng B Song Dynasty Empress of Xuanzu.JPG Pibian Emperor Wu of Chen.jpg Bian B The Demoted Empress of Song Dynasty.jpg Jinxianguan Yansong.jpg Longguan Fan Zhongyan.jpg Putou Tang gao zu.jpg Zhangokfutou Emperor Huizong.jpg Wushamao 解縉.png Yishanguan MingShizong.jpg Pashou Liu Yu,Song Wudi.gif Patou Guanyu-1.jpg Zhuzi jin Zhu xi.jpg Zhouzi jin 00shenzhou.jpg Zhuangzi jin Wang Fuzhi.jpg Fujin 湯顯祖像mingdynastyhanfubeizi.jpg Li 侯方域2.jpg Zi Officer Terrakottaarmén.jpg Style Another type of Han Chinese Shenyi (深衣) commonly worn from the pre-Shang periods to the Ming Dynasty. This form is known as the zhiju (直裾) and worn primarily by men Han-Chinese clothing had changed and evolved with the fashion of the days since its commonly assumed beginnings in the Shang dynasty. Many of the earlier designs are more gender-neutral and simple in cuttings. Later garments incorporate multiple pieces with men commonly wearing pants and women commonly wearing skirts. Clothing for women usually accentuates the body's natural curves through wrapping of upper garment lapels or binding with sashes at the waist. Each dynasty has their own styles of Hanfu as they evolved and only few styles are 'fossilized'. Hanfu (simplified Chinese: 汉服; traditional Chinese: 漢服; literally: "Han clothing"), also known as Hanzhuang (漢裝) or Huafu (華服), is the traditional dress of the Han Chinese people. The term Hanfu derives from the Book of Han, which says, "then many came to the Court to pay homage and were delighted at the clothing style of the Han [Chinese]."[1] The hanfu is now worn during some festivals or coming of age/rite of passage ceremonies, by hobbyists or historical re-enactors, by Taoist, Confucian or Buddhist monks and priests during religious ceremonies, or as a cultural exercise. It is often seen in Chinese television serials, films and other forms of media entertainment. There is also a movement in China and some overseas Chinese communities to revive Han Chinese clothing in daily life and incorporate it into Chinese festivals or celebrations. The concept of hanfu is distinguished from the broader concept of traditional Chinese clothing. This excludes many changes and innovations in the dress of the Han Chinese people since 1644, the founding of the Qing dynasty, on the basis that such changes were imposed by force (such as through the Queue Order) or adopted through cultural influence from the ruling Manchu ethnicity.[citation needed] Thus, the qipao, while widely regarded as an example of traditional Chinese clothing, is not an example of hanfu since it derives from a Manchu clothing style. Today, most Han Chinese wear Western-style clothing in everyday life. Some urban residents in China wear modified or modernized traditional clothing on some occasions, while many in the countryside still use distinctive peasant dress (though not necessarily identical with classical Hanfu). The only significant population segment which wear hanfu regularly on a day-to-day basis are religious priests and monks. |
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