Han Chinese clothing Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Han Chinese clothing, or Hanfu (TC: 漢服; SC: 汉服; pinyin: hànfú) refers to the traditional garments of Han Chinese (the predominant ethnic group of China) before the 17th century.Hanfu encompasses all types of traditional clothing worn by the Han Chinese ethnic group. As such, it has a history as long as the history of the Han Chinese people. Hanfu was eliminated by Manchu invaders by force in 17th century, and is largely unknown in China today, except among a small but vocal group of people advocating the revival of Hanfu in everyday dress.
Qipao and Tangzhuang, although usually regarded as traditional Chinese clothing, are not regarded as Hanfu by advocates of Hanfu revival; this is because these were introduced by the Manchus, whom revival advocates accuse of having stamped out Hanfu in the first place.
Many traditional costumes of Asian countries, such as the kimono in Japan and Korean traditional dress, are derived from Hanfu and have the same style as Hanfu. In contrast to China, Japanese and Korean traditional dress have been preserved over the centuries, and are close to what pre-Manchu Hanfu must have looked like.
According to legend, Hanfu can be traced back to the Yellow Emperor, a legendary king of ancient China about 5000 years ago. Hanfu itself has a recorded history of 3000 years. It was worn by Han Chinese people from the legendary Xia Dynasty (c. 21st century BC - 16th century BC) all the way to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The traditional dress of many Asian countries have been influenced by Hanfu, especially those of Japan and Korea.
Hanfu was regarded by Han Chinese as a very important part of their culture. Wearing clothing not in proper Hanfu style was regarded as rude and uneducated. Confucius treated Hanfu as a very important part of Chinese ceremony and ritual and many of his quotations contain references to Hanfu.
Hanfu disappeared at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty was founded not by Han Chinese who form the overwhelming majority of the population of China proper, but by the Manchus, a semi-nomadic people which first rose to prominence in Manchuria. Taking advantage of the political instability and frequent popular rebellions convulsing the Ming dynasty, the highly organized military forces of the Manchus swept into the Ming capital of Beijing in 1644 (which itself had earlier fallen to rebel forces under Li Zicheng), and formed the Qing Dynasty.
The Manchus foresaw that they would have great difficulty ruling the Han Chinese, who outnumbered them vastly and differed from them in culture. Soon after takeover, the Manchus forced the Han Chinese to adopt a Manchu style hairstyle (the pigtail), and Manchu dress. There was enormous resistance to these policies, especially the pigtail, which traditional Chinese thought deemed immoral because it was considered to be against filial piety to remove hair from oneself (the pigtail required shaving the front half of one's head). Popular uprisings flaired up immediately, but those were put down brutally, especially in massacres occurring at Yangzhou and Jiading (up to 30 to 50 million Han Chinese people may have perished in total). Enforcement of the policies was strict, swift, and effective. Hanfu was replaced by Manchu dress, and soon every Han Chinese male wore a pigtail.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Manchu dress and the pigtail disappeared quickly in favour of western-style dress. Today most Han Chinese wear western-style clothing, and Han Chinese clothing is largely unknown. Recent attempts by Hanfu advocates in China to wear Hanfu outdoors have provoked curious reactions from onlookers, many of them mistaking Hanfu for Japanese dress.
However, there is a small but vocal movement in China to revive Han Chinese clothing in everyday life.
History of Hanfu
The Disappearance of Hanfu
Today
Recent Movement of Hanfu
Description of Hanfu
Headwear
Guan Mian
Jing Zhi
幞头与帽
胄与盔
Hairstyle
Men's
Women's
Decoration
Yi(衣) Shang(裳)
In acient China, Hanfu was also called Yi(衣) Shang(裳). Translated literally, Yi(衣) is the upper dress, and Shang(裳) is skirt. Accordingly, as its main characteristics, Hanfu is composed of two parts.Yi(衣) Style:
Shang(裳) Style:
Variations of Hanfu in Different Occasions
[Structure here not very clear]Ordinary Life
Ceremony
Variations of Hanfu in Different Dynasties
Men's Hanfu
During and before Zhou dynasty
During Qin and Han Dynasty
Women's Hanfu
During and before Zhou dynasty
During Qin and Han Dynasty
Hanfu and Chinese culture
Hanfu and I Ching
According to I Ching, Huangdi made Hanfu in analogy to I Ching's two trigrams, the Force (☰ 乾 qián) and Field (☷ 坤 kūn), which refer to heaven (天) and earth (地). The upper part of Hanfu, Yi, represents heaven, while the bottom part refers to earth. In view of that, Hanfu has its meaning according to the analogy that human body represents the Universe.Hanfu and Lyrics
Hanfu and Dance
Hanfu and Poem
The Influences Of Hanfu
Because of its over 3000 years history and China's overwhelming culture, Hanfu has shaped other Acian Countries' traditional dress largely. Some countries such as Vietnam, which was either a vassal state or under direct control of China before 1884 of the French invade, have their traditional dresses exactly the same as Hanfu. Other Asian countries's traditional dress, namely, Korea Hanbok and Japanese Kimono, did have some differences from Hanfu. Compared with Japan, Korean traditional dress only has little changes over Hanfu. The Japanese Kimono has the largest differences from Hanfu. However, all the traditional dresses above inherited the unique Hanfu Style: Youren and wide sleeve. Some people in China also mistake Hanfu for Korean Hanbok and Japanese Kimono.Korean Hanbok (The Korean Traditional Dress)
Kimono (The Japanese Traditional Dress)
Hanfu And Arts
Hanfu and Movies or other famous show up
Hanfu accessories and related garments