What is Hanfu? Is there any Hanfu style that can “unify the present”? Hanfu enthusiasts place their hope on the academic community to give authoritative answers. In this regard, the reporter interviewed Yu Ying, an associate researcher at the Department of Crafts and Crafts of the Shanghai Museum.
Shangguan News: What exactly is Hanfu?
Yu Ying: Strictly speaking, there is no so-called "Hanfu". It is a new concept. The public's interest in Hanfu originated from a series of textile cultural relics unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb of the Western Han Dynasty. One of the plain yarn garments weighing 49 grams aroused people's initial surprise and admiration for Hanfu, as well as the national culture and traditional craftsmanship behind it. The craze for Hanfu started with the pursuit of Han Dynasty clothing, but the problem is that, academically speaking, there is no real Hanfu in the Mawangdui era. The clothing of the Han nation has integrated and borrowed the easy-to-wear advantages of various ethnic groups. Including the so-called Ming Dynasty Hanfu-shaped dark clothes that became popular later, the introduced robes were also widely popular robes that had long absorbed the excellent functions of northern ethnic costumes, rather than the robes that the Han people had spontaneously formed in history.
The costumes of the Han nationality have always been witnesses of the blending of national cultures. After the rise of the Silk Road, this kind of cultural exchange became more frequent. From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, clothing has been learning and transforming from each other in the process of Hu culture and Chinese culture. The Chinese people learned from Han clothing, and the Han people learned from Hu clothing, forming more functional and comfortable styles through constant exchanges. New styles appear and gradually become generally accepted. Every era has its own trends, and clothing is constantly evolving and changing.
The Shanghai Museum has a robe that has been tentatively dated to the Northern Dynasties. This garment has wide sleeves, a round collar, and a very wide hem. The round collar is a design retained by northern ethnic groups, and the large sleeves and hem are The wide edge is based on the Han nationality, so this is a fusion style. It is like a historical fragment, proving the frequent cultural exchanges of this kind of clothing. This garment has not yet been exhibited, but is in good condition and has been protected and restored to enhance the light quality of the silk, allowing the pattern to be seen more clearly.
Shangguan News: Clothing actually witnesses history.
Yu Ying: Many Hanfu activities always focus on the Han, Jin, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. There are always some dynasties that have been intentionally abandoned. In the history of the development of traditional clothing, the Yuan Dynasty is equally important. The Yuan Dynasty made great contributions to textile technology. Records show thatAt that time, all kinds of skilled craftsmen from the entire Silk Road gathered at this time to increase the opportunities to improve the weaving technology. It is worth mentioning that the Yuan Dynasty became an important period for the rapid development of gold weaving technology in Jiangnan silk weaving. Without ethnic integration, it would be difficult for silk weaving technology to realize large patterns of silk and gold weaving varieties. Just as you cannot ignore Yuan opera when talking about literature, you cannot ignore Mongolian and Yuan costumes when talking about Hanfu. So what we think of as Hanfu has actually been integrated for a long time, and should be called Chinese clothing. Popular styles popular in the "Hanfu circle" such as the Feiyu suit of the Ming Dynasty were improved from the "tie lining" of the typical Yuan Dynasty cavalry robes. A considerable number of clothing styles in the Ming Dynasty were derived from the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the public also experienced It describes the process of resisting foreign costumes and still retaining the relatively advantageous functional structure and craftsmanship details of the Yuan Dynasty robes. This is the natural law of the optimization and development of clothing structure. People are attracted to styles with good functionality and easy wearing.
Shangguan News: Now some enthusiasts and commercial organizations are trying to copy real historical costumes. Is this really possible?
Yu Ying: Recently I have been studying a complete "Tieli" from the Yuan Dynasty unearthed in Xinjiang, and plan to copy it. I have always paid close attention to the Hanfu restoration team, but what they have restored so far is definitely different from the real thing. For example, the most distinctive feature of the Tang Dynasty is the Baoxiang flower brocade fabric, but this kind of fabric is difficult to copy, and color matching is also a bottleneck. And the restoration must go to the physical measurement. The structure of clothing cultural relics is very complex. I spent two days in the cultural relics warehouse measuring the Yuan Dynasty "Tie Li" alone, with more than 100 data. It is difficult for ordinary enthusiasts to even see the cultural relics, let alone Measured carefully. Therefore, many "restoration" concepts are just concepts, and it is enough if the visual effects are achieved.
Shangguan News: Why is it so difficult to copy traditional clothing?
Yu Ying: Historical and traditional clothing cultural relics are difficult to see or the details are difficult to see clearly. Silk fabrics are cultural relics with the most demanding display conditions. Too much light will cause fading and aging, and they are also prone to mildew or insect damage. Due to the complexity of the unearthed conditions, most fabrics have low strength and fastness and cannot be hung for display, but can only be laid flat, which limits exhibition display. Currently, Shanghai Expo is also conducting research on optimizing the display methods of textile and clothing cultural relics, such as virtual display, physical restored clothing display, etc., so that the public can understand and understand the true beauty of traditional clothing.
If we serve a real banquet of costume art and culture, let everyone see the best things deposited in the long history, and let them see and experience the cultural connotation behind it, then we will truly respond to China. For fans of traditional clothing and followers desperate for cultural identity, some confusion, disappointment and resistance will quickly dissipate. Because the real beauty of clothing is the easiest to reach a consensus on, I believe the public will have their own choices and judgments.
Shangguan News: Many people wear Hanfu as a way to inherit traditional culture. What is the spiritual need behind this?
Yu Ying: For the current Hanfu enthusiasts and merchants, whether it is the gods who restore the clothesRegardless of shape or shape, you might as well try it, wear it and like it. Behind the craze for Hanfu is the public's urgency for traditional culture, not just at home, but perhaps even more urgently overseas. They have been seeking national cultural identity, and clothing is the most iconic load of cultural identity, and it can be worn directly on the body. We have a long history and beautiful culture, and the traditional cultural identity of clothing is also a manifestation of the current strength of the country, which is a good thing. The craze for Hanfu also proves that now is the best time to promote traditional culture. As a scholar, it is also our responsibility to let the public see truly good things through our own research and compilation, and enhance our national cultural confidence.
