Contents
Preface: Beautiful Chinese Clothes
From Barbarism to Monarchy
From Ancient One-piece Dresses to Casual Garments and Gowns
Incredible Silk
Imperial Clothes and Culture
Reforming Military Clothing – King Wuling of Zhao
Loose Clothes and Broad Bands
Beautiful Tang Suits
Elegant and Comfortable Casual Clothes
Official Robes
End of Monarchy – Western Clothes Come to the East
Cutting Plaits and Releasing Feet
The Coexistence of Chinese and Western-style Clothes
Improved Cheongsams Combining Chinese and Western Features
Modern Clothes
Workers’ Clothes and Farmers’ Clothes
Military Dress
Bell-bottoms and Sunglasses
Jeans and Denim
內容試閱：
Official Robes
Ancient China was a feudal society with a rigid hierarchy. This hierarchy was clearly reflected in its clothing. Because ruling regimes needed stability and stability in turn required order, such order was manifested in clothes, especially officials’ clothes. In ancient China, everybody had to abide by clothing rules, which not only involved daily customs, but also constituted a part of the state’s social institutions. All of the dynasties had rules and orders that stipulated the textures, colors, patterns and styles of clothes in detail. Imperial kinsmen’s clothes, civil and military officials’ clothes and ordinary people’s clothes were all strictly separated, and people who violated the rules were punished. This practice of standardizing and limiting the clothes and headwear of various social classes, officials, and ordinary people was obviously intended to maintain the ruling order but also enhanced the culture of Chinese clothes.
A common image of ancient Chinese official robes is of county officials wearing black gauze caps with two wings on both sides like two copper coins, a jade belt and black boots with white soles. But, in fact, this is a comic image of Chinese officials popularized during the Song and Ming dynasties. Ancient Chinese officials’ clothes were quite diverse and different dynasties had different rules, and sometimes even changed the rules several times within the same dynasty. Changing the color of officials’ clothes was usually related to the state’s stability and politics. Official robes often epitomized Chinese people’s world view and understanding of political power, and this should not be overlooked when considering clothing of this type.
Official robes had caps, which showed authority. During the Han Dynasty most civil officials wore the “virtue cap” with a turban below it. Military officials wore a large military cap, supplemented with a flat turban. The turban was a kind of kerchief worn by men of all ranks in the Qin and Han dynasties. However, officials’ turbans were worn below their caps, while ordinary people wore only turbans.
In the Wei Dynasty, Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a translucent stiff cap was made by applying lacquer to loose and light black gauze to make it erect, and to make the top vaguely visible.
In the Tang Dynasty, both officials and ordinary people wore scarves but they went through different styles and stages of development. The early scarf was a low kerchief wrapped on the head. Later, a turban made of phoenix tree wood, silk, vines, grass, and leather was added under the scarf like a fake chignon, giving a fixed scarf shape. From the middle period of the Tang Dynasty, caps with fixed shapes were formed gradually, and they were still called scarves. In the Zhenguan Period, caps with low and flat tops were called the “flat and small style” and were very popular; during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and the reign of Wu Zetian, the top of the scarf was lifted and separated into two petals called the “imperial Wu family style”; during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the cap sloped down to the forehead and was called the “Kaiyuan inner style.” The scarf’s two corners, also called feet, at first hung naturally to the neck or below the shoulders like bands. Later, they were gradually shortened, bent upwards, inserted into a knot behind the head, and called the “soft-corner” scarf. After the middle period of the Tang Dynasty scarf corners were round or broad like hard wings curling slightly upwards, and the middle parts were like silk strings. Because they could move, or bounce, these scarf corners were called hard corners or hard feet. It is said that this scarf style became popular because Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty often wore it.
In the Song Dynasty, officials’ scarves extended to the left and right. It is said that they were long so that officials were prevented from whispering to each other when they stood in court.
In the Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, China’s feudal ruling system was at its most sophisticated and in this period officials’ caps changed from the scarves of the Tang and Song dynasties to the black gauze caps of the Ming Dynasty. The style did not change much: the original temporary wrapping style changed into the fixed cap style. This was the point at which the black gauze cap became a symbol associated with officials.
Wearing a scarf or black gauze cap, a round-collared robe Tang, a round-collared gown Song or a coiled-collar robe Ming, a jade waistband, and black leather boots became the typical image of ancient Chinese officials’ clothes.
The official robes of these three dynasties did not change much in style, and official ranks were related to the color of the clothing. For example, in the fourth year of the Zhenguan Period of the Tang Dynasty 630 and the first year of the Shangyuan Period 674, two decrees made stipulations about clothing colors and ornaments. The second decree was more detailed: “Level-3 and higher civil and military officials’ clothes are purple with 13 ornaments on the gold and jade band; Level-4 officials’ clothes are deep red with 11 ornaments on the gold band; Level-5 officials’ clothes are light red with 10 ornaments on the gold band; Level-6 officials’ clothes are deep green with 9 ornaments on the silver band; Level-7 officials’ clothes are light green with 9 ornaments on the silver band; Level-8 officials’ clothes are deep blue with 9 ornaments on the chalcopyrite band; Level-9 officials’ clothes are light blue with 9 ornaments on the chalcopyrite band.” The Study of the Music of the Tang Dynasty says, “The colors of Tang officials’ clothes depend on their official ranks.” These rules regarding clothing colors lasted until China’s last feudal dynasty – the Qing Dynasty – exited the stage of history, with only minor adjustments throughout its history. During the Ming Dynasty, the rules were at their most detailed, as can be seen in the following table.
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