Do you know the following questions about Hanfu: Which dynasty did the tan collar skirt come from? Which dynasty does the chest-length underskirt come from? Which dynasty does the double-breasted skirt come from? Which dynasty does the waist-length underskirt come from? Let’s take you through it below.
What is an underskirt? Ru: A short top, usually no more than the knee; the lower part is a skirt. "Ruqun" is the collective name for two kinds of clothing, a top and a skirt. It is also one of the daily clothes of Han women in ancient China. Ruqun is also called skirt or skirt.
Characteristics of underskirts
The top is short and the skirt is long. The upper and lower proportions reflect the requirements of the golden section and have rich aesthetic connotations. The changes in the upper jacket are mainly in the collar shape and placket, and the lower skirt is as long as the upper. Generally speaking, if the clothes are short, the skirt should be long. The clothes should be as short as the waist, and the skirt should be as long as the ankle bones.
Classification of underskirts
According to the collar style: it is divided into cross-collar underskirts, flat-collar underskirts, and straight-collar underskirts (double-breasted underskirts)
Based on the waist height of the skirt: it is divided into waist-length skirts (tied around the waist), high-waist skirts (below the chest and above the waist), and chest-length skirts (above the chest).
According to whether it is tucked in or not: Divide the skirt into single jacket and compound jacket. The single jacket is closer to the shirt, and the compound skirt is closer to the coat.
Dynasty changes of underskirts
The emergence of Ru skirts during the Warring States Period: Ru skirts were first popular in the Zhongshan Kingdom (Warring States Period) established by the Bai Di people [1], and later became the most common clothing for Han women for thousands of years.
The number of underskirts decreased in the Han Dynasty: During the Han Dynasty, people generally wore dark clothes with tops and skirts underneath. Fewer women wore underskirts, but they were not completely abandoned. During the reign of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, women wore high-waisted skirts.
Pictured: Han Dynasty cross-collar mid-waist skirt
The rise of Ru skirts in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties: During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Ru skirts were valued again and occupied the dominant position in clothing at that time [2]. In the late Jin Dynasty, there are records of women's popular underwear (liǎng, called vests in ancient times) worn over cross-collar skirts [3]. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the underskirt with the skirt worn outside and a belt tied around the skirt appeared. The lower skirt was mostly a second-color skirt, and was spread to the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Chest-length skirts and high-waist skirts were popular in the Tang Dynasty, often paired with silk shawls. From the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, myrobalan skirts appeared, which were made by adding myrobalan skirts (one of the ancient women's underwear) to the upper skirts. They were popular in the Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Ming Dynasty.), wearing a long-sleeved blouse or half-armor, and even wearing a skirt with only myrobalan and a long-sleeved blouse. The large-sleeved skirt was also a female dress at that time.
Tan collar, also known as U collar, is one of the half-arm Hanfu skirts. It is a short coat developed from the upper skirt since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Due to the widespread popularity of Hu culture among all classes in the Tang Dynasty, it became a fashion for women in the Tang Dynasty to wear small-sleeved clothes. It was popular in the court of the Sui Dynasty, and was first adopted by palace officials and female historians. It was spread to the people in the Tang Dynasty and has been popular for a long time.
The picture shows: Five generations of women wearing underskirts with myrobalan skirts and half-arms on top of the underskirts
Song Dynasty double-breasted underskirts: Han women in the Song Dynasty mainly wore underskirts. The most common ones were double-breasted underskirts and only underwear and skirts with a turban. There were also those who wore double-breasted underskirts.
Coat skirts in the late Yuan Dynasty: From the late Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, Han women's clothing was mainly coat skirts. The main difference from the skirts in the previous generation was that the tops were not tied inside the skirts, but women often tied their tops inside the skirts when working. Or wear an apron [4]. Ruqun lasted from the Warring States Period to the Qing Dynasty. After more than 2,000 years, it has maintained its basic shape.
The picture shows: an old woman from the Ming Dynasty wearing a coat and skirt and a half-arm and a maid in a coat and skirt
Change of clothing in the Qing Dynasty: Han women in the early Qing Dynasty still wore the clothes of the Ming Dynasty. As late as the Yongzheng period, some Han women's clothes in the Qing Dynasty were also influenced by Manchu clothes, changing from hand-over collars to factory-style collars, pipa collars, etc.[5] , the large placket continues the traditional "right-fold" placket form of the Han nationality. Some people therefore believe that the collar style of Han women's coat skirts in the Qing Dynasty came from forced cross-dressing, and was not a normal evolution, connection, and inheritance, and believed that it was not "Hanfu" [6]; however, some scholars pointed out that the coat skirts in the Qing Dynasty maintained the duality of Han women. The tradition of Ming Dynasty clothing can be regarded as Ming Dynasty clothing or Ming Dynasty style clothing [7].
Have you understood the issue of Kaiwen by now? Ru skirts appeared in the Warring States Period and rose in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Flat-collar Ru skirts, chest-length Ru skirts, and high-waist Ru skirts were popular in the Tang Dynasty. Double-breasted Ru skirts were common in the Song Dynasty.
