Hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han nationality, is officially called Chinese clothing. Hanfu originated from the Yan and Huang dynasties when Chinese civilization began, and was finalized in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The Han nation was given the name Hanfu after the Han Dynasty was formally formed. Since then, it has been followed in all dynasties, but its basic characteristics have never changed. Until the early Qing Dynasty, in order to weaken the national identity of the Han people and maintain the rule of the Manchu aristocracy, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty vigorously promoted Manchu hairstyles and Manchu clothing, and used cruel methods to prohibit people from wearing Han clothing. This was known in history as "shaving hair and changing clothes." This led to the collapse of the clothing system and the gradual demise of Hanfu.
Regarding Hanfu, the earliest record is in "Western Han Dynasty Slips Unearthed at Mawangdui, Changsha" "Jane Sisi 'Four beauties, two of them were in Chu clothes and two were in Han clothes'." We know that in the history of China's thousands of years of development, , Confucianism and Taoism thought and culture had many influences on ancient historical rulers, and Chinese clothing, as an important means for ancient rulers to manage the country, was bound to be inevitably influenced by Confucianism and Taoism.
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Among them, take Hanfu as an example.
1. The golden mean of Hanfu.
Confucius believed that clothing should be neither too prominent nor too simple, but should be moderate so that it is in line with etiquette. What is emphasized is a kind of subtle beauty that is contained but not limited to the human body, giving people a sense of peace and restraint in the tranquility.
Hanfu is cut from cloth with a width of two feet and two inches (about 50 centimeters), and is divided into ten parts, including collar, lapel, pleat, pleat, train, sleeves, sleeves, belt and pelvis. Take two pieces of cloth of equal length, fold them in half to form the front placket and back train, and sew the middle seam of the back. The middle seam here is the vertical line in the center of the front and back of the body, symbolizing moderation and integrity, and is used to check whether the clothes are correct.
If there is no gusset on the front, it is a straight-collar double-breasted garment. If you take another piece of cloth, cut it into two gussets, and sew them on the left and right lapels, it will be a right-gusset garment with a diagonal collar. According to the length of the train, Hanfu is divided into three lengths: jacket, tie, and deep clothing.
The clothes are connected together and were called Shenyi in ancient times. The structure of a deep coat is similar to that of a contemporary dress. The upper and lower skirts are sewn together at the waist, and the collar, sleeves, and train are embroidered with other fabrics. The form of deep clothing has great influence on later generations.Clothing has a greater influence. In the Han Dynasty, married women wore it as a dress, and ancient robes also adopted this form of clothing. The body of the deep robe drags on the ground without revealing any feet. It is both in line with Confucian etiquette and elegant and dignified;
In addition, a complete set of Hanfu usually has three layers: small coat (underwear), middle coat, and coat. The sleeves are also wide and narrow and often have borders. The collar is lower and can expose the three-layer collar, which is also called " "Triple Clothes", full of layering and subtle beauty.
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2. The right-centeredness and yin-yang thinking of Hanfu
In Hanfu clothing, the collar and placket are connected, and the placket crosses at the chest. The left placket presses the right placket, which appears as a "Y" shape in appearance. The most typical effect is that the entire garment tilts to the right. The collar type of Hanfu - "cross the collar and right lapel".
衽, the original meaning is the skirt of clothes. The left front lapel covers the right axillary frenulum, and the right lapel is covered inside, which is called the right lapel, and vice versa, it is called the left lapel. This is the tradition of "turning the collar on the right side" that has remained unchanged in the styles of Hanfu through the ages. It is also inseparable from China's traditional thinking of "respecting the right side". This feature is obviously different from the costumes of other ethnic groups.
In addition, according to the traditional custom of the Han people, the deceased's clothing (shroud) is left with a left fold and a fine cloth belt is used to tie the dead knot without buttons to show the difference between yin and yang. In addition, there are "straight collar" and "pan collar" that supplement "cross collar". I won’t go into details here, but those who are interested can check it out by themselves.
Pictures come from the Internet
3. The symbol of power in Hanfu
We know that the symbol of power in ancient Hanfu is the pattern in the clothing. For example, the dragon and phoenix patterns on Hanfu are well-known. In fact, in ancient times, the symbols of power were not only the patterns on clothing, but also the large belts and long belts tied around the waist.
There are two types of hidden deduction points for Hanfu: deduction and no deduction. Generally speaking, Hanfu does not use buttons. Even if there are buttons, the buttons must be hidden. Generally, a knot is tied with a belt to tie the clothes.
All the straps are made from the same fabric used to make the clothes. There are two pairs of straps in a piece of clothing: a strap under the left armpit and a strap on the right placket are a pair, and a strap under the right armpit and a strap on the left placket are a pair. Knot the two pairs of straps separately. The dressing process is completed upon arrival. The other is the large and long belt around the waist, which is practical, decorative, and a symbol of power.
In general, clothing, as a cultural form, has existed throughout the history of China in various periods. Han costumes fully reflect the aesthetic tendencies of ancient Chinese people and the ideological connotations of Confucianism and Taoism.
