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June & July 2017
Epoch Times
June & July 2017
Epoch Times
29
Courtesy of Michael Jow
Dai Bing/Epoch Times
Reviving Chinese
Han Couture (Hanfu)
By Jocelyn Neo and Li Yen Epoch Times Staff
C
when Wang Letian publicly wore Hanfu on the street of Zhengzhou. This caught the attention of many Chinese, and later sparked the Hanfu movement on the internet. This Hanfu movement, which aims to revive and preserve the Han Chinese identity, is very popular in China and its popularity has since spread to Taiwan and Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia.
hinese people are called “hua ren” (華人), but do you know that the word “hua” (華) was derived from the beautiful clothing worn by the Han Chinese? Many people assume qipao (cheongsam) to be the quintessence of traditional Chinese dressing, but qipao is actually Hanfu – The Nucleus of Traditional the traditional clothing of the Manchus, Chinese Culture not the Chinese. “We should go back to the origin. This The Han Chinese – the largest ethnic is the root of Chinese identity,” says group in China – had their own traditionMs Cheong. al clothing for more than 3,000 years, and Mr Lee Chun Hoe, another member of that was called “Hanfu”. the Society, concurs. He reasons that the However, Hanfu had been lost among essence of Japanese and Korean culture the Chinese for over 300 years after ethis actually influenced by Chinese culture, nic Manchu invaders conquered China and finds it a pity that Japanese and Korein 1644. During the Qing dynasty, Hanan people can preserve their culture while fu was officially banned by the Manchuthe Chinese cannot. rians to sever Han Chinese from their “We can start by reviving Hanfu, as own cultural identity, so as to consolidate without the clothing, we will lose our Manchurian dominance over China. identity,” he says. That’s why Mr Michael Jow, the In explaining why Hanfu acting president of the Han should be revived as a part Cultural Society (Singa“We should go of Chinese culture, Mr Jow, pore), aspires to revive back to the origin. who hails from Taiwan, Hanfu as a part of Han This is the root of says that the significance Chinese identity. Chinese identity.” of Hanfu can be found in - Ms Cheong Su Yee, the words “華夏”(Huaxia). When Ms Cheong Su Yee, a member of the Huaxia is a historical cona member of the Han CulHan Cultural Society cept indicating the Chinese tural Society (Singapore), (Singapore) nation and its civilisation. demonstrates to the Epoch China was said to be “the prime Times reporter how to wear a nation for garments and hats and the classic dress of Tang Dynasty called land of ceremony and proprieties”. “Qi Xiong Ru Qun”(齊胸襦裙), her tone As mentioned in ‘Zuo Zhuan’ (左傳), one carries a measure of cultural pride. of the most important works for covering “Qi Xiong Ru Qun”, in which the short the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 shirt jacket is tucked inside the skirt, and B.C.), xia (夏) has the meaning of “grand”, the skirt is tied very high up on the chest and was used to denote the ceremonial and under the armpits, is undeniably etiquette of China, while hua (華), which charming. means “illustrious”, was used to refer to “I feel elegant wearing this dress. The the beautiful clothing that the Han Chidress is flowy and drapes loosely and nese wore (中國有禮儀之大，故稱夏；有服章 gracefully,” Ms Cheong beams excitedly. 之美，謂之華). Ms Cheong learned about Hanfu from In other words, both the ancient Hanfu Mr Michael Jow, who is a personal dressing culture and its etiquette system friend of hers. form the nucleus of traditional Chinese “He always carries around many pieces culture. Without either of these, the “Chiof Hanfu in his big suitcase (pointing to nese nation” will lose its meaning. his suitcase). And he lent me his Hanfu “Chinese people are called “hua ren” (華 for one of the events,” she says. 人) based on this phrase in ‘Zuo Zhuan’. Since then, she would often wear HanThe word “hua” (華) was derived from the fu when attending activities organised by beautiful Chinese Han couture. Hence, the Han Cultural Society. The cultural acwithout Hanfu, this external appearance, tivities include tea-drinking at Tea Chaphow can we be called Chinese?” stresses ter, cultural talks, organising celebration Mr Jow, a Chinese culture aficionado. rituals and culture camps. To Mr Jow, dressing culture is a form of Han Cultural Society (Singapore), cultural identity. which comprises Hanfu enthusiasts, was “We have the internal aspect of the culinitiated in 2007 on the internet. ture, which include Confucius, Buddhist, The interest in Hanfu began in 2003,
Li-yu Wang from Taiwan won the silver award with a Tang Dynasty Empress’s gown adorned with phoenixes, at the 4th New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Global Han Couture Design Competition held in New York.
Taoist philosophies, but dressing culture (Hanfu) is the outer appearance that defines us as Chinese,” he attests.
The History of Chinese Han Couture
Dating back to the beginning of its history, it is said that Hanfu was the clothing of the legendary Yellow Emperor, a great sage king of ancient China. According to a Chinese legend, Hanfu was contrived by the Yellow Emperor’s consort, Leizu – the “mother of Chinese dressing”. She discovered sericulture and silk to produce clothes. By the Shang Dynasty, China’s second dynasty (1675 B.C. to 1035 B.C.), the Chinese developed the rudiments of Hanfu, which consisted of a yi (a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash) and a chang (narrow, ankle-length skirt) worn with a bixi (a length of fabric that reached the knees). A social system in the ancient Chinese clothing was enforced by the Western Zhou Dynasty. People of a higher social status had more complex and flamboyant garments, and more ornaments were also displayed in their attire. In addition, scholars and officials wore high hats, their sleeves were wider and the yi was fastened with a wide belt adorned with jade ornaments. Dynasty after dynasty, modifications were made in the clothing styles for three thousand years until the end of Ming Dynasty.
Basic Style of Hanfu
Chinese Han Couture consists of hundreds of variations, but though each dy-
nasty had its unique styles, its basic style and characteristics remained the same. The garments are generally characterised by loose gowns, wide sleeves, and flat, open collars folded over to the right (交領 右衽 Jiao Ling You Ren). As stated on the New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD) Han Couture Competition website, the basic and most popular style throughout the dynasties is the ‘dress jacket’ – a long skirt with waist ties and big sleeves connected to the shirt jacket. The first mention of the dress jacket first appeared during the Spring-Autumn Warring States Period (770-221 BC). “It includes a jacket for the upper garment (上衣) and an ankle-length skirt for the lower garment (下裳),” Mr Jow says. The upper short shirt jacket is tucked inside the ankle-length skirt and tied around the waist with a long silk belt or sash belt, accompanied by a piece of jade. By the Han dynasty, before pre-Qin, they started to sew these two-piece garments together as a long full-body garment – Shenyi (深衣). “By around Han dynasty, they had Zhiju( 直裾 straight lapels) and Quju (曲裾 diagonal body wrapping),” he explains.
force) should always be over the Yin (negative force), Mr Jow elucidates. “In traditional Chinese cosmic philosophy, we have the Yin and Yang. Wearing Hanfu reminds us to balance these forces to maintain harmony with the universe,” he unravels. Likewise, Mr Lee thinks that the flat, open collars folded over to the right (交領 右衽) signifies being outwardly gentle but inwardly stern. “This Y-cross collar inside looks squarish, right? And the collar folded and crossed over to the right looks round, right (外圓內 方)?” he reasons. According to an NTD video (https://youtu.be/LhVs1pDymBE), “the large circular cuffs represents round heavenly path”, while the straight seam in the middle of the back of the dress signifies “humans walking between heaven and earth” or “righteousness”, and the tied waistband “is a symbol of humans being tied to the heavenly rules”. In a report by pureinsight.org, the ancient Chinese hanged a piece of jade on their belt not merely for decoration, but to remind them to behave properly like pure jade. Other than being a paragon of virtue, Hanfu also exudes an air of refinement and dignity in the wearer. “In ancient Chinese culture, the higher the social status, the more elaborate and cumbersome is the clothing style. For in-
stance, the Emperor’s flamboyant attire restricted his actions, and he would be more refined compared to normal people,” explains Mr Lee. Does wearing Hanfu make Mr Lee feel more gentlemanly and refined? “Yes,” he says with a giggle.
Members of Han Cultural Society (Singapore) – Ms Cheong Su Yee (facing the camera, third from left), Mr Lee Chun Hoe (extreme right), and acting president Mr Michael Jow (facing the camera, fourth from left) – at a gathering.
Is the Chinese or Taiwanese Government Reviving Hanfu?
The Chinese government is neither “crushing” nor “promoting” the Hanfu movement enthusiastically, Mr Jow says. He thinks that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fears that if the identity of Han Chinese becomes very strong, it will become a threat to their ideology and power. However, if they were to “crush” it, they will be accused of destroying the Chinese culture. As a result, they try to support it by promoting Hanfu through CCTV. “But the problem with the CCP is that they place too much ideological control, such as controlling people’s thinking. There’s too much censorship,” he says. And the CCP has destroyed the tangible cultural assets, religious values, and customs during the Cultural Revolution, as well as the inner bearing of the Chinese culture. “Obviously, now, the CCP is trying to repair the ‘soft power’; however, the authentic meanings behind the culture are not there,” he opines.
Speaking as a Taiwanese, Mr Jow observes the Taiwanese being quite aware of the Hanfu movement, but as most Taiwan media outlets “tend to sensualise to complete on viewership”, topics like the “Hanfu movement” are not reported as it will not attract much viewership. However, Taiwan is more liberal as a result of “democracy”. “The Taiwanese government promotes a more diverse kind of multicultural society, where you can have Chinese cultural identity and Taiwanese identity,” shares Mr Jow, who is interested in Hanfu due to his family background. Mr Jow’s parents were brought up under Chiang Kai-shek’s education system. When Mao Zedong tried to destroy the Chinese culture during the Cultur-
Hanfu of the Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties Hanfu started in ancient China and went through style changes after each dynasty, due to differences in cultural ideas and values.
Tang Dynasty
In China’s history, the Tang dynasty (618 – 906) was considered a golden age where the arts, sciences and economy were flourishing. Due to its immense wealth, Tangstyle garments were mostly bright, colourful and made of silk. On this account, many Western sources cited Hanfu as Chinese Silk Robes. Also, “the dresses of Tang dynasty are more majestic and they reveal more flesh,” says Mr Jow. One of the most popular Tang-style dresses for common women and court la-
dies was “Qi Xiong Ru Qun” (齊胸襦裙). This outfit makes women appear more slender and feminine. Other than that, there were several choices of outfits for women, such as a loose-sleeved shirt with long skirt and long shawls, or low-cut gowns with high waistband and full flowing skirt. Another popular style was the bigsleeved shirt – the trademark of traditional Chinese clothing. Tang-style dresses can be seen in drawings of Chinese fairy maidens.
Song Dynasty
Fashion styles changed in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), influenced by Confucian ideas of propriety. As people were more conservative, they preferred re-
served, elegant and delicate styles with narrow sleeves. “Song Dynasty clothing includes the skirt 襦裙 (ruqun – consisting of a blouse (襦, ru) and a wrap-around skirt (裙, qun; also called 裳, chang), and the long jacket 褙子(beizi),” shares Mr Jow. The style is also simpler. Common men wore plain robes and shirts with either a diagonal or straight collar and had a simple silk head covering called “Dongpo Wrap”. The name was derived from the famous Chinese poet, Su Dongpo. The “Beizi style”, which consists of a knee-length outer jacket with straight collar, narrow or wide sleeves and cut through over two feet long under the armpits, was a common style worn by every
Dai Bing/Epoch Times
Dai Bing/Epoch Times
epochtimes.com
One of the most popular Tang-style dresses –“Qi Xiong Ru Qun (齊胸襦裙)”, in which the short shirt jacket is tucked inside the skirt, and the skirt is tied very high up on the chest and under the armpits. (Designed by Zhaoqing Wang, NTD Global Han Couture Design Competition)
An example of Song-style dress. In the Song Dynasty, people were more conservative as they were influenced by Confucian ideas of propriety, so they preferred reserved, elegant and delicate styles with narrow sleeves. (Designed by Elsie He, NTD Global Han Couture Design Competition)
The more prominent dressing of the Ming Dynasty is the Ao (襖), in which the top shirt is tucked outside the skirt, unlike in the previous dynasties.
The Deeper Meaning Behind Hanfu
Beyond its aesthetic beauty, each part of the Hanfu embodies something deeper in meaning. For example, all cuts should be made round to connote harmony, and some dresses consisted of 12 pieces, symbolising the 12 months in a year. The open collars folded over to the right (交領右衽) implies that the Yang (positive
al Revolution in Mainland China, Chiang Kai-shek was preserving the best of Chinese culture in Taiwan. This cultural revival movement helped to raise the Taiwanese people’s cultural awareness and social etiquette. For this reason, people in Taiwan are more refined as compared to those in Mainland China, Mr Jow opines. “And during the Cultural Revolution, a lot of Chinese did not attend school, and they picked up all the bad habits (from the party culture) in political study sessions,” he adds, speaking from experience after interacting with many Chinese while he was in China. “Many Chinese cultures are preserved in Taiwan, overseas, and even in Singapore,” he avows.
lady in Song Dynasty. On the other hand, upper class women preferred grand sleeves that were worn with a long skirt and a coloured silk shawl with a hanging jade piece. The skirts had many styles, such as the tulip skirt dyed from tulip grass, the hundred pleated skirt (百摺裙) and the horse face skirt (马面裙).
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) favoured dignified, subdued fashion, and pleated skirts. In addition, “Ming Dynasty clothing was influenced by the Mongols due to a Yuan dynasty between the Song and Ming dynasty. Hence, the more prominent dressing of the Ming Dynasty is the Ao (襖 or襖 裙),” says Mr Jow. The Ao (襖) – the top shirt – is tucked outside the skirt, unlike in the previous dynasties. Generally, loose and billowing clothes were preferred. There was also an elaborate clothing system in place for formal and daily wear for the different classes. For instance, officials wore robes and gowns with circle collars, and have wide sleeves and black edges with a black hanging belt. The patterns embroidered vary according to social classes – embroidering of birds for civil officials and mammals for military officials. Needless to say, the Emperor wore embroidered dragon. On the contrary, common men wore plain and straight long gowns, without any embroidery. The court ladies wore big sleeves, short tops, decorated crowns and long shawls with phoenix and flower embroidery, with gold or jade hanging down. Meanwhile, the common women wore a skirt and paddy robe, which is a rectangular piece of fabric spliced with other pieces of fabric, resembling a paddy field. The skirts were usually pleated, light-coloured and simple. They had designs and embroidery at the bottom two inches of the skirts.