Xifu (), also known as Chinese opera costume in English, are the

stage clothes Stage clothes is a term for any clothes used by performers on stage. The term is sometimes used only for those clothes which are specially made for the stage performance by a costume designer or picked out by a costume coordinator. Theatrica ...

and attire worn in

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

, such as

Kunqu Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate ...

Cantonese opera Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of ...

Beijing opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...

Huangmei opera Huangmei Opera or Huangmei tone ( or , pinyin: or ) is a form of Chinese opera originating from Anqing, Anhui province, as a form of rural folk song and dance. It is also referred to as Anhui Opera. It has been in existence for the last 200 years ...

. Some of these costumes bear some resemblance to the

Hanfu ''Hanfu'' (, lit. "Han Chinese, Han clothing"), also known as ''Hanzhuang'' (), are the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese since the 2nd millennium BCE. There are several representative styles of ''hanfu'', such as the (an ...

system but also show some differences in terms of clothing ornaments and decorations, as well as colour system, and in design and construction. In 2006, the techniques used to produce Beijing opera costumes were included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

Beijing opera

was created in 1790 during the reign of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

; however, the origins of its costumes can be traced back to the 14th century. The costumes were set in the Qing dynasty but its style mainly followed the Ming dynasty's

hanfu ''Hanfu'' (, lit. "Han Chinese, Han clothing"), also known as ''Hanzhuang'' (), are the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese since the 2nd millennium BCE. There are several representative styles of ''hanfu'', such as the (an ...

-style clothing. They also absorbed some characteristics of the clothing style worn in the

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

, Yuan, and Qing dynasties. Based on various forms of historical clothing, modifications were made to meet the needs of the play (including the singing and dancing movements of the actors). Beijing opera costumes tend to be decorated with embroidery and exaggerated decorative patterns; the colours also tend to be bright. These costumes are crucial for the audience to understand the play. These costumes follow a social hierarchy (which includes nobles, the humbly born, civilians, military, official or private citizens); they also feature special ornamental patterns and decorations which are crucial in differentiating social class of the characters. The costumes also allow the audience to distinguish a character's sex. They also use subtle differences to distinguish between loyal and wicked characters. Since the costumes used is the same regardless of seasons, the weather is described in every scene of the play and is indicated by the actors' movements rather than on his clothing. There are 20 major types of costumes, which include: Mang, an informal robe that is generally used for the emperor, nobles, civil and military officials, etc.; pi; kao (an armor, which is used for soldiers), xuezi. Some costumes were also designed by Mei Lanfang, which include guzhuang and the ''yuntai zhuang'' (cloud terrace costume).

Cantonese opera

Most

costumes are derived from the clothing style of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, except for some which are based on the clothing of the

. When depicting plays that are set in all other dynasties except the Qing dynasty, Ming-style costumes are used. The Qing-style costumes are only used when the plays are set in the Qing dynasty. The standards which are used to indicate particular roles or characters through the wearing of costumes are not as strict as those in Beijing opera. The costumes are typically specific to a general role and a character type, but they are rarely used to represent a specific character. The clothing can be divided into civil and military where the sleeves indicate if the character is civil or military. Colours are also used to indicate the role and character type. Cantonese opera costumes include the ''fan gongzhuang,''

haiqing (viz. : and and ), also known as (; ) when it is decorated with outside pendulums, and (), refers to two types of traditional () or (-structured) which were worn as outer robes by men in the broad sense; i.e. the casual in and the priest ...

Water sleeves Water sleeves (Chinese: 水袖; pinyin: shuǐxiù) are long, flowing silk sleeve extensions attached to the Cuff, cuffs of Chinese opera costume, costumes in Chinese opera, widely used by both male and female characters of higher social classes. ...

were rarely used before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Huangmei opera

costumes typically use ancient-style garments as most plays are based on Chinese folk tales.

Kunqu

Kunqu opera Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate ...

costumes are also based on the clothing style of the Ming dynasty; however, this historical clothing were modified to turn it into a more elaborate and exaggerated version. The decorations used on the costumes are simple but they often give information about the character's personality; for example, peonies on the robe of a young man may indicate that he is a playboy.

are also used in Kunqu opera to accentuate the actors' dance movements.

Types of xifu

}) *

Gallery

File:MET AR701.jpg, alt= File:Theatrical robe with peaches, butterflies, bats, and clouds, China, Imperial Silk Manufactory, Suzhou, Qianlong period, 1736-1795 AD, silk - Peabody Essex Museum - DSC08007.jpg, alt= File:Young Chinese actor in very formal Chinese dress, ca.1920 (CHS-233).jpg, alt=

Footnotes

References

Notes

{{Chinese opera Chinese traditional clothing Chinese opera Costume design