Editor’s Note: The following article, which originated in Wen Hui Bao, a Hong Kong newspaper, reports the recent discussions to come out of Shanghai, China’s fashion capital, on the state of the Chinese National Dress, or actually, considering the longstanding Western domination over fashion in China… the lack there of. These talks set out to change that by establishing a new national dress and a dress system in China.

"From left to right: Hanfu: eczn, Mao suit: soho, Qipao: nipic, Tangzhuang: bjtsyt"

The Hanfu (汉服), the Mao suit (中山装), the Qipao (旗袍), the Tangzhuang (唐装)… do any of these classic outfits deserve to represent China as its national dress? On October 9th, Donghua University in Shanghai brought together a group of experts from the fields of history, design and culture to provide their input in decipheringthe design of a national dress. Even though the experts all seemed to agree that the Mao suit (for men) and the Qipao (for women) are worthy of the title, they also felt that this issue of selecting China’s "national dress" still needs to be further investigated, so that the final decisions will have a majority approval by the Chinese people, and thus be readily accepted into Chinese fashion. To do this, the experts suggested that we first compose a national dress "periodic table" of sorts.

National Dress will improve people's "culture"

Bao Mingxin, a Professor in the Fashion Institute at Donghua University, who has researched the history of Chinese dress, believes that a national dress is an important national institution, as it expresses the nation, its minorities, and personal identities. He noted that, as compared to Japan (Kimono) and South Korea (also the Hanfu), during Chinese history, there were two periods when the traditional dress of the Chinese quickly and dramatically changed: In 1644, at the start of the Qing Dynasty when the Manchu soldiers forced Chinese men to wear queues (head shaven with a long braid), and also during the 1911 Revolution, when under the guises of science and advancement, wearing Western dress was highly praised. 

According to Bao Mingxin, since the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 CE), the historical books for every dynasty have all included records on that dynasty’s dress system. While the feudal imperial courts used dress to differentiate people's social status, following the 1911 Revolution, and especially after the 1949 communist revolution, there was a strong opposition to implementing this institution which blatantly differentiated the rich from the poor. Consequently, for most of the 20th century, with exception to the armed forces, postal service and other occupational dress codes, the Chinese dress style has tended to be simple, identical and Western in character. In recent years, as China has been participating in more and more international events, the number of celebrated Chinese traditional holidays has increased, and the public's demands for fashion and status have also increased, China hopes that more people will want to project their national identity through the medium of dress style.

Establishing a national dress "period table"

Professor Liu Xiaogang, the Vice President of the Fashion Institute at Donghua University believes that for the national dress to serve as a symbol of the nation, "it must, to the greatest extent possible, be widely recognised and accepted by the nation’s people." According to Bao Mingxin, it is not possible for any of these previous dress styles to be completely representative of China in acting as its national dress [as they were all Han-centric, and don’t represent the other ethnic minorities, among other reasons]. Therefore, Bao Mingxin believes that China's national dress should reference a national dress "periodic table", where fashion "elements" [from across China’s ethnic minority cultures dress styles] are combined together in different ways to form the national dress. Utilising this kind of periodic table would allow for national dress to better symbolise the Chinese people’s nationality and identity. In addition, the national dress will also need to be classified according to different situations, climates etc. [which the periodic table can also be used for].

According to Liu Xiaogang, when designing a Chinese "national dress", we need to make sure that the design elements will withstand criticism, and that it incorporates both elements from the past traditional dress styles of China as well as elements from the various ethnic cultures’ dress styles, so as to pay respect to their ethnic cultures and customs. Liu Xiaogang notes that finding a representative national dress is no doubt a complicated process, and that the process should be done incrementally. Liu Xiaogang also suggested that, in order to make the national dress suitable for different ceremonies and the changing climates, China could attempt to establish a systematic national dress database to be used for reference.

Establishing a modern dressing system

The national dress must inherit and embody China's traditional culture, as well as keep up with the current changing culture, so as to suit contemporary people’s dress customs. According to Bian Xiangyang, after the Reform and Opening of the 1980s, the Chinese dress went through a rapid process of Westernisation, and now, everyone is thinking about a return to a Chinese dress style, where Chinese elements are recreated and re-utilised to better display the traditional details and dress etiquette [i.e., modernise with Chinese characteristics]. He believes that the Mao suit, the Qipao, the Tangzhuang and even more antiquated dress styles can all be incorporated into the new "national dress" designs.

Bian Xiangyang has also called for the establishment of a modern dress system. He notes, in 1912 and 1929, there were dress systems published, which set the rules for elegant dressing, methods of wearing, when to wear etc. For example, the 1912 "Republic of China Dress System Guidelines", had pretty strict guidelines on how to wear Western formal attire, the Changpao (长袍) and  the Magua (马褂). In summary, Bian Xiangyang believes that in light of China’s rapid economic development, establishing a modern dress system will allow Chinese people to literally "wear" their accomplishments.
 

Related links
You're Wearing What? Chinese, um, Fashion in Shanghai
Making a Fashion Statement in China
China’s First Fashion Show Held in Beijing

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: Fashion in China China’s national dress China Qipao Zhongshanzhuang Tangzhuang China Donghua University Fashion Institute