Changshan

(; ), also known as (), and (), is a form of , Chinese robe, which was derived from the Qing dynasty , the traditional dress of the Manchu people, which were worn by Manchu men. The was actually developed by the Han Chinese through the modification of their own Ming dynasty's by adopting some Manchu men's clothing elements in one of their . In function, the is considered the male equivalent of the women's ''cheongsam'' (also known as '). The was often worn by men with a , also commonly translated as "riding jacket" in English language.

Terminology

General term

The term is composed of two Chinese characters: 《》which can literally be translated as "long" in length and 《》, which literally means "shirt". The term is also composed of the Chinese character and the Chinese 《》, which is literally means "robe". As general terms used in the broad sense, the and can refer to any form of long shirt and long robes respectively.

Specific term

The Mandarin Chinese word is cognate with the Cantonese term ()''.'' This was then borrowed into English as "cheongsam."

Unlike the Mandarin term, however, the can refer to both male and female garments. In Hong Kong the term is frequently used to refer to the female garment, cheongsam, rather than the male garment ''.''

Because of the long British presence in Hong Kong, that local usage has become reflected in the meaning of ''cheongsam'' in English, which refers exclusively to the female garment.

Origins and development

What is now known as the Chinese was developed by the Han Chinese during the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty Chinese started to be worn by the Han Chinese after the Manchu conquest. The Chinese was actually a modified version of the worn in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD), the preceding dynasty before the Qing dynasty, and was modelled after the Manchu's men's .

Manchu men wore a type of which reflected its equestrian origins, which was originally designed for horseback riding, known as , which was characterized by two pair of slits (one slit on each side, one slit on the back, and one slit on the front) which increased ease of movement when mounting and dismounting horses, a collar (a collar which curved like the alphabet《S》), and the sleeve cuffs known as ().

The Han Chinese thus adopted certain Manchu elements when modifying their Ming dynasty , such as by slimming their , by adopting the collar of the Manchu, and by using buttons and loops at the neck and sides. Despite the shared similarities with Manchu's , the Chinese differed structurally from the Manchu's . The Chinese only has two slits on the sides lacking the central front and back slits and lacked the presence of the cuffs; the sleeves were also longer than the ones found in the .

History

The precursors of both the ''changshan'' and the ''qipao'' were introduced to China during the Qing dynasty (17th–20th centuries). The Manchus in 1636 ordered that all Han Chinese should adopt the Manchu's hairstyle as well as their attire of dress or face harsh punishment including death penalty. However, by the time of the Qianlong Emperor, however, the adoption of Manchu clothing dressing code was only required to the scholar-official elites and did not apply to the entire male population.'''' The court dress of the Qing dynasty also had to follow the attire of the Manchu people;'''' however, commoner Han men and women were still allowed to wear the ''hanfu'' under some circumstances and/or if they fell under the exemptions of the Tifayifu policy. The order of wearing Manchu's hairstyle however still remained as a fundamental rule for all Chinese men.''''

Over time, the commoner Han men adopted the ''changshan'' while Han women continued to the wear the hanfu predominantly in the style of aoqun. The traditional Chinese Hanfu-style of clothing for men was gradually replaced. Over time, the Manchu-style of male dress gained popularity among Han men.''''

''Changshan'' was considered formal dress for Chinese men before Western-style suits were widely adopted in China. The male ''changshan'' could be worn under a western overcoat, and topped with a fedora and scarf. This combination expressed an East Asian modernity in the early 20th century.

The 1949 Communist Revolution replaced the wearing of ''changshan'' and other traditional clothing with the Zhongshan suit. Shanghainese emigrants and refugees carried the fashion to Hong Kong, where it remained popular, but over time it was overtaken by western fashions. After the 1970s, Shanghai and elsewhere in mainland China, many people have revived wearing the Shanghainese ''changshan.''

Use of changshan

''Changshan'' are traditionally worn for formal pictures, weddings, and other formal Chinese events. A black ''changshan,'' along with a rounded black hat, was, and sometimes still is, the burial attire for Chinese men. ''Changshan'' are not often worn in mainland China, except during traditional Chinese celebrations but, with the revival of some traditional clothing in urban mainland China, the Shanghainese style functions as a stylish party dress (''cf.'' Mao suit).

See also

* Magua (clothing)
* Qizhuang
* Tangzhuang
* Hanfu

References

External links

Neitao (a form of changfu) collected in the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences

{{Portal bar, China, Fashion

17th-century fashion
18th-century fashion
19th-century fashion
20th-century fashion
21st-century fashion
Chinese traditional clothing

sv:Cheongsam