Traditional Chinese Clothing
From the reign of the legendary Yellow Emperor (2717BC-2599 BC) to the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Traditional Chinese Clothing dominated the Han Chinese fashion world for a period of over 4000 years.
The Traditional Chinese Clothing, or literally “Clothing of the Han people” refers to the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group of China.
The Traditional Chinese Clothing disappeared after the invasion of the Manchus in the 17th century, under whose reign the Han Chinese were forced to adopt the Manchu hairstyle(the pigtail) and the
Manchu-style clothing. After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, in 1912, the Manchu dress and the pigtail gave way to the western-style dress.
The basic style of the Traditional Chinese Clothing was established in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC). Ornaments like tassels and jade pendants are worn hanging from the sash, to be completed with hats for men and hairpieces for women.
The Traditional Chinese Clothing boasts a wide and profound influence. In recent years, there has been a revival of Hanfu as a Chinese national costume in China. The Traditional Chinese Clothing can be seen in some important worship, commemoration and traditional festivals in modern society. Although Qipao and Tangzhuang are usually seen as traditional Chinese clothing, they are not regarded as the national costume by advocates of revival of the Traditional Chinese Clothing, since they are relatively recent clothing styles. Hence Qipao and Tangzhuang cannot represent the entire history of Chinese clothing
