Chinese traditional costume

China has a very long history, and every dynasty has its own traditional costumes, each of which has people's beautiful blessings and meanings. We try to introduce several typical Chinese costumes to you.

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) It is considered one of the most powerful and influential dynasties in Chinese history.

Even today, when people think of the Chinese, they usually think of the Han Chinese. Black and red fabrics were used during the Han Dynasty. Characteristics of Han Chinese clothing include very wide sleeves and a loose layered look, with clothes usually consisting of two or three pieces, mainly loose, open, slash-necked garments, long wrapped skirts and open, slash-necked robes used as outer garments and wrapped around the waist.

There are two main types of robes: curved-train robes (曲裾袍 qūjūpáo) and straight-train robes (直裾袍 zhíjūpáo). Women also have the option of wearing a rúqún (skirt) - a wrap-around blouse with a slanted collar, paired with a long skirt.

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) is often considered one of the most prosperous and culturally significant periods in Chinese history. Indian, Persian and even Western cultures were integrated into Chinese culture as a result of booming international trade with neighbouring countries through the Silk Road. Tang fashion was very colourful.

Gold and yellow were colours reserved for royalty and evolved into symbols of imperial power. Other colours were freely used by all social classes.

In general, women often wore long-sleeved shirts, which were more open than in previous dynasties, decorated with geometric patterns and held in place by a belt tied around the chest.

The clothes of the Ming Dynasty were more dignified. Men's fashion revolved around square collars and motifs, which were used to distinguish between social classes and hierarchies.

Men usually wore their hair in a bun, and officials wore a futou (襆头 fútóu), a black hat with two wing-like flaps made of thin oval boards on each side.

During the Ming dynasty, women's dress became more modest. Most women wore mid-length tops over long skirts. This would make one look taller.

Another style was (袄裙 ǎoqún), a pleated skirt with a below-the-waist, slash-necked cotton blouse. Light and pastel colours are very popular.

The Qing Dynasty was ruled by the Manchus and men would wear long braids and many would wear traditional Manchu clothing.

Han Chinese women were allowed to wear Han-style clothing from the Ming Dynasty. Daily clothing styles for women from wealthy families included tight side or front robes and wrap-around pleated aprons. When most people think of traditional Chinese women's clothing, they usually think of the cheongsam (旗袍 qípáo). The cheongsam originated in the Qing Dynasty as a garment for Manchu women. However, it wasn't until the 1920s, after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, that cheongsams became truly popular in Hong Kong and Shanghai.