Asian culture has long attracted special attention. The greatest interest for contemporaries are strict traditions in clothing, shoes, hairstyle and lifestyle in general. It is noteworthy that many European nations are trying to copy the traditionally Asian household items, adapting them to their mentality.
One of these original Europeanized accessories is the Chinese national costume.
History tour
Today it is very difficult to imagine the average Chinese dressed in a classic traditional costume. However, up to the thirties of the twentieth century, he quite quite comfortable existed in commonplace rank-and-file and noble high-ranking wardrobes.
The history of the Chinese national costume begins its countdown from about the 17-18th century. It is impossible to say that before this the Chinese went, in what they did. It’s just that they didn’t have any one direction in clothes.
The set of traditionally Chinese accessories includes a set of components taken from various local ethnic groups, in particular, the Manchus and the South Chinese. Some ethnographers and travel historians argue that the true national, original, costume of China today can be found in Korea.
Traditional clothing itself was a robe or a long vest shirt with straight-cut sleeves of irregular width. Under a dressing-gown, wide trousers or a skirt were put on, regardless of gender. Often these were simple natural fabrics for everyday wear, and bright silk outerwear for the holidays, which only high members of society could afford.
The general ensemble of the Chinese national costume is almost monotonous throughout the country, differing only in minor features in shoes, hats and accessories. Also in medieval China, which was very actively divided into classes, the types of fabric, colors and tailoring quality for the poor and the rich were strictly delimited.
Features of Chinese national clothes
The traditional costume has a fairly simple cut and a universal shape for both sexes. It is necessary to have a stand-up collar, which is the main sign of the difference between a men's suit and a women's suit: for the first one, the height should not exceed 2 cm, and for the second one can successfully reach 8 cm.
Most often, this type of clothing has a right-handed scent, when the left side of a dressing gown or shirt overlaps the right side, completely closing it. The location of the buckles on the clothes depended on this: buttons were sewn to the left side, and loops to the right side. They were made, as a rule, from a special braid, cut out from the fabric of the main clothing.
The number of buttons must be odd. They are located, as a rule, as follows:
- the first is under the collar;
- the second is on the chest;
- the third goes under the arm;
- the fourth, fifth and subsequent ones (their number varies from 5 to 9 pieces) are located down vertically on the side of the dressing gown-shirt.
As for the color range, everything depended on the territory of residence and gender. Northern Chinese men in their clothes preferred all shades of gray and blue. Southerners were more prone to contrast - white and black.
For women on both sides of China, bright fabrics with embossed patterns were assigned.
Yellow was always the color of the emperor and his family. Others could afford to wear bright red kimono suits made of expensive silk fabrics.
National chinese costume for men
Although this type of clothing did not have any particularly visible differences by gender, there were still a number of nuances that clearly defined the male model. Summer casual version of the undershirt for men was a natural light tunic, sewn from two large pieces of fabric. The Chinese wear this accessory over traditional trousers.
Pants - straight, without pockets with a wide "yoke" (wide attached belt of white fabric), reaching almost to the chest. From above, this detail is girdled at the waist level with a wide (up to 20 cm) and long (up to 2 m) sash.
Speaking of simple people, it should be noted that the length of their pants is noticeably shorter than the noble ones (sometimes their length barely reaches the knee), the sewing belt is much already or completely absent.
The role of the upper summer clothes is performed by a flared robe with an unlined smell. Lateral parts of it originate from the waist, smoothly going down to the very heels with oblique wedges. So that the long floors do not interfere and do not get confused under their feet, they make cuts at the level of the knees. The sleeves of this item of traditional Chinese wardrobe, according to tradition, are wide, long, flared, or narrowed around the palm.
The demi-season version of the classic suit of Chinese men is complemented by one particular element. Lightweight jacket plus insulated tank top or jacket with a lining. Underwear remains the same as in summer.
Demi-season sleeveless jacket does not have a collar, equipped with a straight long slit in front in the middle. Usually made of dark cotton linen on the lining. The peasants are not used at all. The autumn-spring jacket (robe) is sewn according to the same principle as the summer outerwear, provided only with a warmed lining.
The winter top detail of the Chinese national men's suit was distinguished by a jacket on a cotton pad, which is only one side and of equal length on all sides - to the middle of the thigh. The number of buttons of such clothing reaches no more than seven pieces, depending on height.
In particularly frosty provinces, there was a tendency to wear sheep's fur coats.
National clothing for special occasions also had its own characteristics. So, the weekend festive costume is different from everyday - top jacket. It has an unusually short length to the waist, it is also provided with a long straight slit in the front and short ones at the sides, decorated with knotted or brass buttons. The stand-up collar is made of double fabric. Worn on top of a light jacket.
It can also be demi-season and winter with appropriate insulation characteristics. Fabric for the weekend jackets are selected with special care: it is often dark silk with painted patterns.
Chinese mourning costume must be made in white. Fabric purchased rough, but natural, with a yellowish tinge. The general ensemble consists of a long robe, a wide belt-sash and headbands.
Women's national Chinese costume
Traditional Chinese clothes differ from men only in modest additions and accents. Here are the main ones:
- Trousers pants The uniqueness lies in the fact that they could be worn in the style of oriental trousers, and as classic ancient pants-skirt. The original design of this piece of clothing had obviously feminine features: silk embroidery-appliqués at the bottom of the tops.
- Colors. Mature women were supposed to wear reserved dark colors. Young girls were less limited in their choice. Their outfits have always been distinguished by bright lively colors with original embroidery and patterns.
- Underwear. Of course, it was different from the male.It was a long, tight-fitting body, tank top with lots of buttons (from nine to eleven). Since in ancient China, the flat breast of a woman was considered a symbol of beauty, this sleeveless jacket was designed to reduce its visual size.
- Weekend long-field women's dressing gown. It has a fitted form, is sewn from expensive purchased fabrics (usually silk) and decorated with bright original patterns and applications.
Baby suit
The first clothes are very important for the correct spiritual development of the child. The future mother makes it with her own hands long before the birth of the future heir. The vest is sewn of thin paper fabric - clothes of old relatives, which indicates the future longevity of the baby. Wrap newborns in diapers, also prepared in advance by the mother.
The only difference in the clothes of the boy and girl under five is the method of swaddling in infancy. So, kids of the stronger sex swaddled in the chest, and weak - in the neck. Over six years old, clothes for boys and girls acquire the characteristics of an adult Chinese national costume. It differs only in size.
Accessories
The unity of traditional clothing of the inhabitants of China is impossible without additional accessories, each of which also had its own meaning and carried its information to the masses.
The historical headdress of the Chinese has several options:
- tou jin - a section of white matter from northerners, and black - from southerners;
- round felt cap;
- textile cap, equipped with a kind of swelling at the crown;
- wide-brimmed southern bamboo-palm hat;
- cone-shaped high hat with national ornament.
It should be noted that hats were exclusively male prerogative in ancient Chinese society.
As for the traditional footwear, it was less diverse than the covering of the head, and was supposed to be worn by representatives of both sexes. Basically, the shoes were lightweight textile shoes in black on a thick platform without a heel. The sole was covered with a white cotton cloth. Richer people shod in silk shoes.
Women's shoes and girls differed bright and even sometimes shiny jewelry.
In the north of China, due to certain weather conditions, this element of the Chinese national costume was made of felt on a massive platform, sometimes leather was used in its own production.
People living in rural areas wore wicker sandals with pleasure, which had a square toe and a low hard backdrop. Later, in the open spaces of the city, coarse, thick-soled rural sandals appeared. For especially wealthy citizens of the weaker floor, even varnished shoes on a wooden platform were invented. Sometimes she had a barely noticeable heel.
Today in the expanses of the People’s Republic of China it is difficult to meet a conscious citizen of his country in an old traditional costume. However, they earnestly honor the memory of their ancestors, continue to transmit the national characteristics of their clothes from generation to generation.
With great pleasure, they use colorful, slightly modernized, costumes during their national holidays to show the unity of generations and pay tribute to great ancestors.
