Hanfu, the full name is "Traditional Costumes of the Han Nationality", also known as Han Clothes, Han Clothes, and Chinese Clothes. It "began from the Yellow Emperor and was prepared by Yao and Shun" and originated from the crown uniforms worn by the Yellow Emperor.
In the main residential areas of the Han people, with the "Chinese" Han culture as the background and dominant ideology, and with the Chinese etiquette culture as the center, a unique Han ethnic style has been formed through natural evolution, which is obviously different from the traditional clothing and accessories system of other ethnic groups. It is the embodiment of China's "land of clothes", "land of etiquette" and "splendid China". It carries the Han people's outstanding craftsmanship and aesthetics such as dyeing, weaving and embroidery, and inherits more than 30 Chinese intangible cultural heritages and protected Chinese arts and crafts. .
Hanfu was finalized in the Zhou Dynasty, and in the Han Dynasty a complete system of costumes was formed based on the "Four Books and Five Classics" and became part of the Shinto teachings. Therefore, all the later Chinese dynasties all followed the Zhou Fa and Han Dynasties, and the inheritance of Han clothes and crowns was a national event, so there was the "Yu Fu Zhi" in the "Twenty-Four Histories".
"Huang Di, Yao and Shun hung down their clothes and ruled the world, taking over the universe." This means that the shape of the upper and lower garments is determined by heaven's will and is sacred. Hanfu has also influenced the entire Han cultural circle through the Chinese legal system. The costumes of some Asian ethnic groups such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Bhutan, etc. all have or draw lessons from the characteristics of Hanfu.
Hanfu is the traditional national costume of the Han nation that has been inherited for more than 4,000 years. It is the crown clothing system in the "Four Books and Five Classics". It is based on the Confucian classics "Book of Songs", "Shangshu", "Zhou Rites", "Book of Rites", "Book of Changes" and "Spring and Autumn" Based on this, Hanfu includes clothes, first clothes, hairstyles, face coverings, shoes, accessories, etc. as a whole clothing system. It is a necessary component of the etiquette culture inherited based on the classics and history.
The Hanfu system demonstrates the hierarchical culture of Chinese civilization, the kinship culture, the emphasis on direct descendants over concubines, the emphasis on elders over the young, as well as the Confucian thoughts of benevolence and righteousness.
The overall style of Han costumes for thousands of years has been light and simple, emphasizing the "harmony of nature and man." The ancient robes of the Han people best reflect this style. The main features of this robe are wide robes, large sleeves, and wide belts. From the silk paintings of the Han Dynasty and some figure paintings left over from the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties, we can get a glimpse of his appearance: the simple Han costume coat attached to the figures of different postures suddenly has a kind of fresh vitality, with soft and smooth lines. . The robes fully embody the tranquility, elegance, detachment, and composure of the Han nationality, as well as the plain, natural, subtle, euphemistic, elegant and fresh aesthetic taste.
Taking the most typical deep garment as an example, its shape must comply with "rules, proportions, ropes, weights, and balances." A total of 12 pieces of fabric are used for the hem of the dark coat, which means that there are 12 months in a year, which embodies the strong thought of Dharma. The sleeves are arc-shaped to conform to the rules, and the intersection of the collar is rectangular to conform to the square, which represents life. There must be rules, that is to say, there is no rule without rules.
The belt hangs down very long, reaching to the ankle, which represents integrity, and the lower skirt is flush with the ground, which represents balance. This contains a lot of Confucian ideas. when someone puts it onWhen wearing Hanfu, you will naturally pay attention to your words and deeds. It can be seen that Hanfu contains considerable cultural connotations. It is fully influenced by the philosophical thoughts and ethics of "Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism" and so on. reflected in.
The pursuit of peace and nature, aloofness from the world, and the realm of generosity and benevolence have shaped the elegant and free style of Hanfu, which is "the unity of nature and man." "Hanfu" also reflects the wearer's generosity, easy-going, and inclusiveness. This is also one of the important sayings of Hanfu "the unity of nature and man".
Hanfu has had a far-reaching influence due to the spread of Chinese Confucian kingly culture. Surrounding ethnic groups, including many other countries in the Confucian cultural circle (Han Cultural Circle), have borrowed certain characteristics of Hanfu by imitating the Chinese etiquette system and used it for good and bad luck, guests, and the military. In addition, Chinese customs also stipulate that the kings of the barbarians must wear their own national clothes to meet the emperor of China. This is called "the Tibetan ruler wears his own national clothes."
In the vassal system of the Han and Tang Dynasties, there was a so-called "chaoji" system in which leaders of surrounding ethnic groups met with the emperor on a regular basis. Whether foreign monarchs and their envoys or ministers are paying homage to the Chinese emperor, accepting official posts, and making contributions, or the Chinese emperor is entertaining foreign monarchs at banquets, foreign monarchs must wear national uniforms to pay homage.
The national costume system prompted surrounding ethnic groups to form their own national costumes. For example, Khitan Taizong entered the Jin Dynasty and came into contact with the Central Plains clothing system. After returning to the north, he formulated the national clothing and Hanfu systems of his dynasty based on the Central Plains clothing system. There are "Tribute Pictures" from past dynasties that depict the costumes of envoys from other countries.
Among them, the shape of Hanfu is mainly divided into upper and lower garments. Mianfu is the most solemn and formal dress for emperors and officials, robes (deep clothes) are common clothes for officials and scholars, and skirts are the favorite wear of women. Ordinary working people generally wear short clothes on top and long trousers on bottom. Although the styles of Hanfu are many and complex, and can be divided into formal clothes, regular clothes, and special clothes, after careful analysis, they are mainly divided into three categories according to their overall structure.
The first type is the "deep garment" system in which the upper garment and lower garment are connected together. The most typical one made of upper and lower garments is the deep garment. Because it is connected up and down, "the quilt is deep", it is called deep clothing. Including deep garments with straight skirts, deep skirts with curved skirts, robes, straight skirts, jackets, long gowns, etc., which belong to the category of long clothes. The most representative ones are that the top and bottom skirt are cut separately and connected at the waist to form a whole; the top and bottom skirt are cut separately and then sewn together. In the end, the clothes are still one piece. .
The clothes are sewn into one piece for convenience, but the upper and lower parts are cut to follow the ancient tradition. The dark coat can be worn by both men and women. It is used both as a formal dress and for daily wear. It is a very practical garment. It is also the attire worn by monarchs, officials and scholars in Yanju. Yanju refers to informal occasions and is a casual style of clothing. The popularity of deep clothing is very high, and it has been circulated for more than 3,000 years, from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the deep clothing system gradually formed.
The second type is the "shenyi" system with separate "upper and lower garments", including mianfu, xuanduan, etc., which are the formal attire for the monarch and his officials to participate in solemn ceremonies such as sacrifices. As the name suggests, it is divided into upper bodyClothing worn and worn underneath. Since ancient times, Chinese clothing has advocated the upper garment and the lower garment, and stipulates that "the clothes are of the correct color and the garments are of the same color", that is to say, the upper garment is of correct and pure color, while the lower garment is of interlaced colors. This method is like "Tian Xuan Earth Yellow", because the sky is formed by the rising of pure and light air, so it uses pure colors, and the earth is formed by the descending of heavy and turbid air, so it uses intermediate colors.
The third type is the "skirt" system, which mainly includes chest-length skirts, waist-length skirts, double-breasted skirts, etc. In fact, it also belongs to the top-lower skirt system. However, this method does not have many etiquette regulations and is generally used. For regular service. The underskirt is also the biggest reflection of the upper and lower clothing. "combing hair on three sides and dressing on two sides" has become a description of traditional women's clothing characteristics.
There are various styles of Hanfu, with cross-collar (both round collar and straight collar) as the main features, no mouth, laces, wide sleeves, soft and flowing lines, elegant and smart. The cross-collar right lapel is the soul throughout. The cutting method of Hanfu has always been flat cutting, without darts and shoulder slopes, and the materials used are generally larger than the minimum need to cover the human body. This is also the most obvious feature of Hanfu that everyone has seen. feature.
Hanfu can continue to this day, with thousands of years of cultural inheritance, and naturally has cultural connotations that cannot be ignored. This is also the best witness to the development of Chinese culture. The meaning of "harmony between man and nature" comes from the concept of Hanfu. The uniform dress of the ancient royal family is also the most direct embodiment of the Confucian ideas of hierarchy, kinship, and seniority. Therefore, Hanfu has been spread and has endured for thousands of years. It is also the best. respond.
