Hanfu is a thing that has become popular due to the improvement of living standards, the resurgence of national identity, and the improvement of cultural confidence. Many people particularly hope that everyone will wear Hanfu, at least the vast majority of them will wear Hanfu on the streets, because only if this phenomenon occurs can they dare to wear it and go out, so as not to be regarded as "alternative". In fact, clothing trends cannot be controlled by anyone, and not everyone can judge what is more appropriate to wear. But one thing is certain, that is, when the trend of Hanfu begins to emerge, we should understand the culture, history and tradition of Hanfu.
First of all, what is Hanfu? Ancient costumes? There were many dynasties in ancient times; the costumes of the Han Dynasty? It’s a bit too narrow; Han Chinese clothing? Naturally, this is not the answer as a result of so many national integrations in history. But these statements are all correct, because "Han" itself is a collective term, and like the word "Tang people", it represents the Chinese nation. Therefore, an accurate definition of Hanfu should be - the collective name for the historical clothing styles dominated by the Han people, widely recognized by the integrated ethnic minorities, and the traditional clothing that has been continuously evolved through the ages.
Then let’s count the evolution of Hanfu in various dynasties in our country’s history and their respective characteristics.
Of course, I won’t start from the era of leaf weaving, because I have no research on the weaving technology of leaves. Let’s start from the Western Zhou Dynasty. At that time, it was nothing more than linen, and it was mainly burlap, so you might not be able to make it into any style you wanted. Just be wide and thick and play the role of covering up shame and keeping warm. It would be convenient to tie it in the waist. Walking, that's all. Of course, we are talking about the common people. The nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty had many ways of dressing up. By the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, these methods were fully developed by the vassal states and spread into the homes of ordinary people. For example, women's hems began to use horizontal pleats to increase their beauty, and they were no longer distinguished from men's only by color. In addition, the collar began to get higher and higher, no longer just sticking to the shoulders, but almost standing up.
After the Qin Dynasty, the time was too short. Although many things were unified, there was no unified clothing, so compared with the Warring States Period, there were not much changes. The only characteristic may be that the people of the other six countries began to come into contact with and learn from the characteristics of Qin's clothing. The so-called characteristics are also the characteristics of Qin's clothing.The "wild land" at that time was in direct contact with nomadic tribes such as Yiqu, which made the clothing loose everywhere. Only the upper arm section narrowed, almost like our current sleeves, and turned into wide cuffs at the elbow. This is actually a combination that is both for the convenience of horseback riding and to show the degree of "civilization".
It’s time to get to the point. It’s time for the history teacher to hit the blackboard with chalk! Let's talk - Han. The reason why Hanfu cannot be said to be the clothing of the Han Dynasty is because although we are called the Han nationality because of the Han Dynasty, the Han nationality is not unique to the Han Dynasty. The word "Han" is just a general term for the previous Central Plains peoples. The clothing of the Han Dynasty did play a role in summarizing and improving the previous generations and influencing later generations. It can be said to be the master of the entire evolution of Han clothing.
First of all, he absorbed the advantages of previous generations of clothing. For example, men's hems began to become thinner. Although not as thin as those of the later Tang Dynasty, they had reached the point where if they did not slit, they could only walk fast but not run with their legs wide open. The bloated aspect was improved. The sleeves actually retain the size of the previous generation, firstly so as not to violate etiquette when giving a hand gesture, and secondly, as pockets for carrying things. The biggest change in the clothing of the Han Dynasty was that of women. Their clothes seemed to be similar to those of the Qin Dynasty, but in fact they changed overall, becoming more rounded and more decent, and almost all the small angular details were removed. This was also influenced by Confucianism. Impact.
After talking about Han Dynasty, everyone knows that we have reached the Three Kingdoms. Since we are talking about clothing, there is no need to be so detailed about dynasties. After all, clothingChanges in trends do not occur immediately due to changes in dynasties, but are a gradual process of improvement that occurs spontaneously among the people. Therefore, we put the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties together. There is a "Wei and Jin style" in traditional Chinese culture, and this style also affects Han clothing. The clothing of the Wei Dynasty is characterized by one word - simplicity. Perhaps except for the clothing of the Song Dynasty and modern clothing, the Wei and Jin Dynasties are the simplest. The literati at that time advocated nature, so they eliminated all unnecessary wrinkles on the clothes, leaving only two pieces of fabric of different colors on the collar and cuffs. The rest were the same, and the workmanship was streamlined, neat and solemn.
It’s time to reach the Sui Dynasty. Old fans know that my view has always been that the Tang Dynasty is the inheritance and continuation of the Sui Dynasty. The clothing also confirms this point. If you look at the female clothing of the Sui Dynasty, you will know where the tube top worn by the palace maids of the Tang Dynasty came from. It can be said that the Sui Dynasty invented the invention of raising the upper edge of the skirt to the chest, and then tying a wide strip of cloth equivalent to a men's waistband to the chest. It was really difficult to "fake" it at that time. An even greater improvement is that the cuffs of both men and women have become narrower. Although it existed before, it only became popular in the Sui Dynasty.
In addition to inheriting the Sui Dynasty from all aspects, the only difference between the Tang Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty was that it was also influenced by other ethnic groups, such as the large number of Persians who were destroyed and moved into the Tang Dynasty. Translucent gauze began to be widely used, men's clothes became thinner and thinner, and women's clothes became more and more revealing (please make up your mind about the golden armor).
In the Song Dynasty, after the "Five Husbands" after the Tang Dynasty, the clothes should have become shorter and more compact, crisp and neat, close to the nomadic people. But the fact is exactly the opposite. The Song Dynasty was such a dynasty with personality and connotation. It clearly knew who it was and what its cultural direction was, and it had a rich heritage. The clothing of the Song Dynasty had no sense of chronology after experiencing the great integration of nationalities, and boldly moved in the direction of humanism. In one sentence, we put people first and comfort first! Both men and women like to wear a coat. The old habit of wearing three layers in one coat and five layers outside in one morning has been completely revolutionized. When going out, add a cloak with cuffs. Although the cuffs are wider, they are more moderate than the previous one. It is loose, comfortable, elegant, and full of literati energy.
The Yuan Dynasty is often ignored by Chinese people in terms of culture. In fact, the clothing changes in the Yuan Dynasty did what the Song Dynasty should have done, which was to become more and more sophisticated. It can be said to be a combination of Wei and Jin clothing and nomadic clothing, which is neither fish nor fowl but can be used. The progress is clearly visible (you taste carefully).
Tomorrow is finally here. Oh my god, I guess everyone will immediately think of the word "handsome" when it comes to this! What about dragon robes, royal guards, great bachelors, and even Dongchang? Those luxurious and slim-fitting clothes immediately caught the eye. In fact, this is not the case. We will not talk about the dragon robe in this article because it is a special case in historical clothing. We cannot say that the dragon robe worn by Yuan Shikai during his restoration can represent the overall clothing characteristics of the nation.
I will focus on the clothing characteristics of the official class and the people in the Ming Dynasty. The clothing of the academicians is actually a copy of the Tang Dynasty, and there is no progress at all. I can only talk about the royal guards. This is a real improvement. The improvement is that, It's not that Jin Yiwei's clothes are beautiful and the people follow them, but that Jin Yiwei follows the people's example in order to facilitate the execution of his tasks. In other words, ordinary people originally wore this at that time, and the profession of Jin Yiwei also began to wear casual clothes to facilitate "private visits in private". When Jin Yiwei revealed his identity, the clothes were decorated with dragons and phoenixes, which is why he looked so handsome. In terms of overall shape, this original long gown solved the embarrassing situation of being unable to fight while wearing Hanfu. It was slim and neat, the cuffs were tied tightly, the hem no longer touched the shoes, and the waist was slit for free movement. A pair of trousers or skirts could be worn underneath. . In fact, putting on a pair of pants at that time was a huge psychological challenge, and the pressure was no less than wearing a pair of toe socks.
Qing, too lazy to say. Go watch TV series.
The Republic of China was an era when traditional Hanfu culture underwent tremendous changes under the heavy influence of Western culture. In the early Republic of China, men wore long gowns, which evolved from the Ming Dynasty. This is an inheritance of tradition. At the same time, a group of people who returned from studying abroad began to insist on wearing suits, and starting from big cities such as Shanghai, they gradually affected the whole country. There are generally three categories of women's clothing in the Republic of China. One is respecting tradition and combining modernity, which divides the women's clothing in the Song Dynasty into two, with wide-sleeved short coats and large hem skirts. This is what we know as female student clothing in the Republic of China; the second is the combination of women's clothing in the Qing Dynasty. As a matter of tradition, this group of people wear cheongsam; the third group is completely adopted, wearing Western women's clothing styles directly. By the late Republic of ChinaMen mostly choose between Chinese tunic suits and suits, and women mostly choose between cheongsam and Western clothing. However, it cannot be said that the traditional Hanfu styles followed by men and women have been completely abandoned since then, because the Chinese tunic suits and cheongsams still contain a little bit of traditional Hanfu culture. The elements are inside.
In short, although Hanfu specifically refers to the traditional clothing of the Han people, in its evolution process, due to factors such as dynasty changes and national integration, it incorporated the values and cultural heritage of each dynasty at that time, as well as the clothing elements of other ethnic groups, and formed it. Adapt to the clothing styles corresponding to the past dynasties.
So which dynasty’s Hanfu do you prefer?
