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Hanfu is the traditional dress or costume of the Han Chinese people. China has 56 ethnic groups in total. Han nationality is the main ethnic group in China. The origin of Hanfu is from the accession of the Yellow Emperor to the mid-17th century (late Ming and early Qing).
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Although the styles of Hanfu are various and complicated, including formal dress, regular dress, and special dress, they can be divided into three categories according to their overall structure after careful analysis.
1. The typical “top coat-plus-skirt” of the clothing system with the Shenyi, casual. For example, Wavy Ju Dress, a robe, etc.
2.The typical “top coat-plus-skirt” of the clothing system separated the Shenyi, ceremonial. For example, Guanmian, XuanDuan, etc.
3. The RuQun(Ru skirt). -
Because the picture is too big and not able not to see it clearly, so it is divided into two parts.
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The main feature of the Shang dynasty dress is “upper garment, lower Chang (裳), Youren (右衽), hair bunch”. The upper half of the body wears clothes, the lower half of the body wears Chang, Chang is the skirt.
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The Shang Dynasty was the first written dynasty in China. According to numerous archaeological findings, the basic style of Hanfu in this period has been fully formed.
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During the Spring & Autumn and Warring States periods, the most important changes in clothing were the emergence of the Shenyi (深衣) and the Hu clothing. The Shenyi was a combination of the old “upper garment, lower Chang.
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The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was a period of great division in Chinese history, during which many state powers appeared. However, no matter how big or small a country is, it had its own cloth style.
Therefore, in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, costumes were very diverse, costume design ideas were also very active and highly mature, which made great progress in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. -
Shenyi was still popular in the Western Han Dynasty. The trousers, which were learned from nomads, were promoted from warriors to the whole society.
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Han dynasty played an extremely important role in the history of Chinese costume development. The Hanfu culture reached a peak in the Han Dynasty, which was also a relatively complete set of costume system.
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During the North and South Dynasties, clothing innovation and national integration were synchronized, and Xianbei clothing was popular in North China.
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In the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the thoughts of Laozhuang and Buddhism and Taoism became fashionable, and the "Wei-Jin style" was also reflected in the costume culture at that time. And frequent wars among ethnic groups also give various ethnic groups an opportunity to influence each other and infiltrate each other in their costumes.
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The Sui Dynasty lady dress mostly were short jackets with short sleeves and long skirts. They tied the skirts over the chest, which made them look very elegant. This way of dressing can be still seen in the Korean lady dresses.（Book: “Chinese Clothing, author Hua Mei, page 1”）
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In 589 AD, Yang Jian, emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, unified China, ending more than 360 years of the political division since the end of the Han Dynasty. After 20 years of recuperation, the economy recovered greatly. In 605, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty came to the throne. In order to promote the majesty of the emperor, he restored the costume system of the Qin and Han dynasties. This also laid a foundation for the development of the Tang dynasty costume.
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Men in the Tang dynasty mostly wore clothing in their daily lives, including round-necked Quekua robes (缺胯袍) and forms of Futou (幞头).
The Quekua robes is a robe with a slit, and the form of Futou is derived from Xianbei hats. Women’s clothing mainly consists of skirts, shirts, and Pei. -
The Tang Dynasty was a rich and powerful period. In its heyday, the clothing was mainly silk and satin, with colorful and rich colors. There were many kinds of silk.
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Futou hats were popular among Song men, who could wear them at will. Women wore a skirt (裙) and shirt (衫), most shirts were Duijin (对襟), which covered the skirt.
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In the Song dynasty, the dress culture is no longer gorgeous and luxurious, but simple. And no matter the royal relatives or the common people, they all liked to wear a straight collar and the back of the front, because it was comfortable, decent, and elegant. The garments in the Song Dynasty mostly inherited the color and style of the Tang Dynasty, they were better and more natural in blending with the tradition.
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The Yuan Dynasty was ruled by the Mongolian people, and all Mongolian men had their hair shaved into a Pojiao (坡焦, Mongolian hairstyle), and dressed in Zhisun clothes (质孙服).
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The Yuan Dynasty was an era of national integration in Chinese history, and its costumes were also full points reflect this characteristic. Moreover, the Yuan Dynasty was ruled by the Mongols, and the Mongols and the Hans were in the same system of clothing, only their hairstyles were different.
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After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the wearing of Hu clothes was banned. Officials wore “Wushamao (乌纱帽) with round collar robes”, the scholar wore a “square scarf with big sleeves”. Began to appear Buzi (补子), it and the Wushamao is the biggest feature of the Ming officials clothing.
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After the overthrow of the Mongolian rule in the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty restored the tradition of the Han People. According to the tradition of the Han people, Emperor Taizu of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang re-established the clothing system by " inherited the costume style of Zhou, Han, Tang, and Song Dynasties"(上承周汉，下取唐宋).
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In the Qing Dynasty, forced to shave hair and change clothes was implemented, the long-preserved clothes, Chang, crown were abolished, which was a big change in the history of ancient Chinese dress. The most important feature of the costumes of officials is the “top wearing flower plume”, Manchu women in Manchu clothes.
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In 1644, when the Manchus came to rule China, hairstyles and clothes changed dramatically. And the Manchus banned the wearing of Hanfu during the Qing Dynasty. The Qing emperor issued a strict decree requiring all Han men to follow the Manchu custom of shaving hair and braiding hair.
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Wang Letian from Zhengzhou, China, publicly wore hanfu.
As a result, Wang's action spread widely and gained support from many people, which set off a wave of hanfu revival across the country. -
Xiong Ying XIUR is the founder, chief designer, and artistic director of the brand "Heaven Gaia", the inheritor of Chinese clothing culture and traditional design, and the leading creative designer of contemporary Chinese clothing. She is known as "the aesthetic expert behind the stars". She made the Heaven Gaia turned out to be a hot Chinese high-end clothing brand. In just two years, he led the "Heaven Gaia" brand to the stage of Paris Fashion Week.
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As a result of TikTok, young people began to notice the Hanfu culture and the beauty of Hanfu.
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Hu, S. (2014, June 25). Hanfu Elements in Modern Fashion Design and Innovation. December 16, 2020, http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n13p89
Mei, H., Hong, Y., & Lei, Z. (2004). Chinese Clothing: Hua Mei; translated by Yu Hong & Zhang Lei. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press.
Yang, S. (2004). Traditional Chinese clothing costumes, adornments & culture. San Francisco: Long River Press.
https://www.newhanfu.com/ancient-chinese-clothing-timeline-hanfu.html
