Chinese clothing includes both the traditional

hanfu ''Hanfu'' () is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of ''hanfu'', such as the (an upper-body garment with a long outer skirt), the (an upper-body garment with a long underskirt ...

and modern variations of indigenous Chinese dress as recorded by the artifacts and some traditional arts of

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

. Chinese clothing has been shaped through its dynastic traditions, as well as through foreign influences. Chinese clothing showcases the traditional fashion sensibilities of Chinese culture traditions and forms one of the major cultural facets of Chinese civilization.

Imperial China

Traditional Han clothing has a recorded history of more than three millennia until the end of the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

. Most Chinese men wore Chinese black cotton shoes, but wealthy higher-class people would wear tough black leather shoes for formal occasions. Very rich and wealthy men would wear very bright, beautiful silk shoes, sometimes with leather on the inside. Women would wear silk shoes, with certain wealthy women practicing

foot binding Foot binding, or footbinding, was the Chinese custom of breaking and tightly binding the feet of young girls in order to change their shape and size. Feet altered by footbinding were known as lotus feet, and the shoes made for these feet were kno ...

wearing coated

Lotus shoes Lotus shoes () are footwear that were worn by women in China who had bound feet. Design The shoes are cone or sheath-shaped, intended to resemble a lotus bud.. The size of lotus shoes were between 5.25 and 5.5 inches in length and 1.75-2 inche ...

as a status symbol until in the early 20th century.

Civil and military officials

Chinese civil or military officials used a variety of codes to show their rank and position. The most recognized is the Mandarin square or rank badge. Another way to show social standing and civil rank was the use of colorful hat knobs fixed on the top of their hats. The specific hat knob on one's hat determined one's rank, as there were twelve types of hat knobs representing the nine distinctive ranks of the civil or military position. Variations existed for Ming Dynasty official headwear. In the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

different patterns of robes represented different ranks.

Qing Dynasty (1644–1912)

Qing Dynasty Shoe of Queen Marysieńka 01

The rise of the Manchu Qing dynasty in many ways represented a new era in Chinese clothing, with certain styles required to be worn by all noblemen and officials. Eventually, these styles also became widespread among the commoners.Han and Manchus: Ethnic Relations and Political Power in Late Qing and Early Republican China, 1861-1928 by Edward Rhoads, p. 61

Manchu official headwear (), also referred as the Official hats of the Qing dynasty, Qing official headwear, and Mandarin hat in English, is a generic term which refers to the types of (), a headgear, worn by the officials of the Qing dynasty in China. The typically ...

differed from the Ming version, but the Qing continued to use the Mandarin square.

Republican era

The abolition of imperial China in 1912 had an immediate effect on dress and customs. The largely

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...

population immediately cut off their queues they had been forced to grow in submission to the overthrown

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

. Sun Yat-sen popularised a new style of men's wear, featuring jacket and trousers instead of the robes worn previously. Adapted from Japanese student wear, this style of dress became known as the

Zhongshan suit Zhongshan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 i ...

(Zhongshan being one of Sun Yat-sen's given names in Chinese). For women, a transformation of the traditional

qipao ''Cheongsam'' (, ), also known as the ''qipao'' () and sometimes referred to as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the , the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people. The cheongsam is most often se ...

resulted in a slender form-fitting dress with a high cut. This new "

cheongsam ''Cheongsam'' (, ), also known as the ''qipao'' () and sometimes referred to as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the , the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people. The cheongsam is most often s ...

" contrasted sharply with the traditional qipao but has largely replaced it in modern fashion. In the early republican period, the traditional

dudou A ''dudou'' (; also known by other names) is a traditional Chinese form of the bodice, originally worn as an undershirt with medicinal properties. With the opening of China, it is sometimes encountered in Western and modern Chinese fashio ...

underbodice was largely abandoned in favor of western-style corsets and bras.

Early People's Republic

Early in the People's Republic,

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

inspired Chinese fashion with his own variant of the Zhongshan suit, which would be known to the west as

Mao suit The modern Chinese tunic suit is a style of male attire originally known in China as the Zhongshan suit () after the republican leader Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan). Sun Yat-sen introduced the style shortly after the founding of the Republic of ...

. Meanwhile, Sun Yat-sen's widow,

Soong Ching-ling Rosamond Soong Ch'ing-ling (27 January 189329 May 1981) was a Chinese political figure. As the third wife of Sun Yat-sen, then Premier of the Kuomintang and President of the Republic of China, she was often referred to as Madame Sun Yat-sen. ...

, popularized the

as the standard female dress. At the same time, clothing viewed as backwards and unmodern by both the Chinese as well as Westerners, was forbidden. Around the Destruction of the "Four Olds" period in 1964, almost anything seen as part of

Traditional Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

would lead to problems with the Communist

Red Guards Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...

. Items that attracted dangerous attention if caught in the public included jeans,

high heels High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels, are a type of shoe with an angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the ...

, Western-style coats,

ties TIES may refer to: * TIES, Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science * TIES, The Interactive Encyclopedia System * TIES, Time Independent Escape Sequence * Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science The ''Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science' ...

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...

, cheongsams, and

long hair Long hair is a hairstyle where the head hair is allowed to grow to a considerable length. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some cultures ...

.Law, Kam-yee. 003(2003). The Chinese Cultural Revolution Reconsidered: beyond purge and Holocaust. These items were regarded as symbols of bourgeois lifestyle, which represented wealth. Citizens had to avoid them or suffer serious consequences such as torture or beatings by the guards. A number of these items were thrown into the streets to embarrass the citizens.Wen, Chihua. Madsen, Richard P.

995 Year 995 ( CMXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 17 May - Fujiwara no Michitaka (imperial regent) dies. * 3 June: Fujiwara no Michikane gain ...

(1995). The Red Mirror: Children of China's Cultural Revolution. Westview Press.

Modern fashion

Hong Kong clothing brand

Shanghai Tang Shanghai Tang () is a Hong Kong luxury fashion house founded in 1994 by Hong Kong businessman David Tang. The brand is known for its luxury homeware collection and fine bone china. In 1998, Richemont acquired David Tang's controlling stake i ...

's design concept is inspired by historical Chinese clothing. It set out to rejuvenate Chinese fashion of the 1920s and 30s, in bright colors and with a modern twist. Other Chinese luxury brands include NE Tiger,

Guo Pei Guo Pei (, , born 1967) is a PRC Chinese fashion designer. She is best known for designing dresses for Chinese celebrities, and in America for Rihanna's trailing yellow gown at the 2015 Met Gala. Guo is the first born-and-raised Asian designer to ...

, and Laurence Xu. In the year 2000,

-inspired blouses appeared in the summer collections of Versace and

Miu Miu Miu Miu is an Italian high fashion women's clothing and accessory brand and a fully owned subsidiary of Prada. It is headed by Miuccia Prada and headquartered in Paris, France. History Miu Miu was established in 1992 by Miuccia Prada. The name ...

, leading to its adoption within China as a revealing form of outerwear. For the 2012 Hong Kong Sevens tournament, sportswear brand Kukri Sports teamed up with Hong Kong lifestyle retail store

G.O.D. Groove Over Dose, known by the acronym g.o.d (), is a South Korean boy band formed by SidusHQ. Debuting in 1999, the group became one of the most popular boy bands of the early 2000s in South Korea. The members had gone on to solo careers in th ...

to produce merchandising, which included traditional Chinese jackets and Cheongsam-inspired ladies polo shirts. In recent years, renewed interest in traditional Chinese culture has led to a movement in China advocating for the revival of

. As more and more Chinese people like and attach importance to hanfu, Hanfu no longer only appears in Chinese drama as in the past.

Gallery

File:Jin Wu Di.jpg, Emperor Wu of Jìn, by

Yan Liben Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indep ...

(600–673) File:Court Ladies of the Tang.jpg,

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

court ladies from the tomb of Princess Yongtai in the

Qianling Mausoleum The Qianling Mausoleum () is a Tang dynasty (618–907) tomb site located in Qian County, Shaanxi province, China, and is northwest from Xi'an.Valder (2002), 80. Built in 684 (with additional construction until 706), the tombs of the mausoleum ...

, near

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

File:B Song Dynasty Cao Empress Sitting with Maids.JPG, Official

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

portrait painting of Empress Cao, wife of Emperor Renzong of Song File:Yuan qu.jpg, Modern reconstruction of temple mural shows clothes of

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...

File:孝安皇后.jpg,

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

Empress Xiao'an File:Portrait of Jiang Shunfu.jpg, A 15th-century portrait of the Ming official Jiang Shunfu. The decoration of two cranes on his chest are a Mandarin square "rank badge" that indicate he was a civil official of the first rank. File:Portrait of Jiang Shunfu, badge detail.jpg, Detail of Jiang Shunfu's rank badge File:The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback.jpg, The

Qianlong Emperor in ceremonial armour on horseback File:UB Maastricht - Dapper 1670 - Kleding.jpg, Illustration of Chinese accessories from

Olfert Dapper Olfert Dapper (January 1636 – 29 December 1689) was a Dutch physician and writer. He wrote books about world history and geography, although he never travelled outside the Netherlands. Biography Olfert Dapper was born in early 1636 in the J ...

(1670): ''Gedenkwaerdig bedryf der Nederlandsche Oost-Indische maetschappye'' File:Hanfu Mariage01.jpg,

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

style Chinese wedding dress File:银镀金凤冠.jpg, China silver crown File:孝端显皇后九龙九凤冠.jpeg,

Fengguan (), also known as phoenix coronet or phoenix hat, is a type of (a type of Chinese traditional headgear) for women in . It was worn mainly by noblewomen for ceremonies or official occasions. It is also traditional headgear for brides and could b ...

of the Ming dynasty empress File:Hanfu qing.jpg, Hanfu in Ming and Qing Dynasties. File:Veiled hat - Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute- The Story of Lady Wenji.jpg, Weimao in

- Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute File:Tang dynasty woman wearing a cross-collared robe 唐周昉调琴啜茗图 (cropped).jpg, Tang dynasty woman wearing a cross-collared robe File:Tanghanfu.jpg, Hanfu in famous paintings of Tang Dynasty File:Zhouwenju-03-01x.jpg, The ancient Chinese who played Go. File:蔣孺人像.jpg, Portraits of female officials in

File:Gu Hongzhong's Night Revels 2.jpg, Gu Hongzhong's Night Revels File:鴟鴞帽2.jpg, A traditional Chinese hat. File:Queen Mother of the West from a Wall-Painting in Han Dynasty Tomb.jpg, Queen Mother of the West from a Wall-Painting in

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

Tomb File:忠靖冠服容像.jpg, Official portraits in

File:Zhou Fang. Court Ladies Tuning the Lute (28x75) Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (cropped).jpg, Zhou Fang. Court Ladies Tuning the Lute (28x75) Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (cropped) File:人物像.jpg, Official portraits in Ming Dynasty File:南北朝珠翠冠.jpg, Cultural relics of female headdress in the

southern and Northern Dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...

File:Ming crown.jpg, Hat relics of Ming Dynasty officials. File:Ricci Guangqi 2.jpg, religion in Ming Dynasty. File:Tangyin7big.jpg,

Tang Bohu Tang Yin (; 1470–1524), courtesy name Bohu (), was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet of the Ming dynasty period. Even though he was born during the Ming dynasty, many of his paintings, especially those of people, were illustrated with el ...

's famous paintings File:Gu Hongzhong's Night Revels, Detail 7.jpg, Hanfu in

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

File:晚明命婦像.jpg, The portrait of a lady in the late Ming Dynasty. File:Pictura CARPE DIEM.jpg, The image of musicians in ancient China File:Looking in the Mirror and dabs on Rouge Powder.jpg, Daily life records of court women in Song Dynasty File:Mingnoblewoman1.jpg, The portrait of Ming noblewoman File:Gu Hongzhong's Night Revels 1.jpg, Gu Hongzhong's Night Revels File:Ming clothes.jpg, Clothing relics of Ming Dynasty. File:李流芳像軸.jpg, Portrait of Li Liufang File:Chinese bridal wedding gown.jpg, Chinese bridal wedding gown File:Traditional Chinese costume 01.jpg, Traditional Chinese clothing File:Traditional Clothing of China.jpg

References

External links

Powerhousemuseum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Clothing