The beginning of [clothing] in the Western Zhou Dynasty The emergence of the dyeing and weaving industry marked the entry of human history into the civilized stage. During the period of prosperity of the matrilineal clan, our ancestors had mastered the method of weaving with hemp and kudzu fibers. Among the objects discovered by archeology so far, silk fabrics such as silk with thunder patterns have been found in the Yin and Shang Dynasties. In the Shang Dynasty, society developed from linen fabrics to raising silkworms to obtain silk for making clothes, which further enriched the raw materials for clothing. The continuous progress of handicrafts and textile industry has made clothing more diverse and exquisite. The upper garment and lower garment, which began in the Shang Dynasty, were the earliest basic form of the clothing system in China. Later, hats, crowns, hairstyles, and shoes also came into being. In ancient society, when various natural phenomena between heaven and earth could not be explained, people believed that some kind of force dominated everything, so worship of the ancestors of heaven and earth arose, thus forming religious beliefs. The upper garment symbolizes the sky, which is black when the sky is not bright; the lower garment symbolizes the earth, which is yellow. The uniform of Shangxuan and Xiahuang comes from the worship of heaven and earth. The ancients paid more attention to and beautified the sacrificial attire for worshiping heaven, earth and ancestors than their daily attire. To this day, we still refer to all kinds of clothing as "clothes." In the Zhou Dynasty, after the enfeoffment system was established, a hierarchical system also took shape. China's crown service system also appeared during this period. From then on, there was a distinction between high and low, and there were strict distinctions in clothing and clothing. The emergence of [deep clothing] during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. At the turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the feudal system gradually replaced the slave system. The social environment of "a hundred schools of thought contending" also has varying degrees of impact on clothing. At this time, a kind of clothing with the top and bottom connected - deep clothing appeared. The cut of the deep garment is unique. The garment and the shirt are connected together. When making, the upper and lower garments are divided into two parts, and there is a seam in the middle to connect them. It has the most wide range of uses, and its grandeur is second only to the imperial sacrificial clothes. The lower garment must be cut into 12 pieces to correspond to the 12 months, which is in line with the ancients' respect for the heaven and earth. Xuanyi, Xiahe shirt, ***There are accessories in Chapter 12). The length of the deep garment is roughly between the ankles. At this time, dark clothes were very popular and were worn by both men and women, regardless of their superiority or inferiority. "Book of Rites" says: "It can be used for literature and military purposes; it can be used as a prime minister, and it can also be used for military management." Therefore, dark clothes can be used both as formal wear and daily wear. It is a very practical garment. Much loved by people. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, dark clothes were mostly made of linen, with colored edges on the collar, sleeves, lapels and other parts as decoration. Qin and Han Dynasty Underwear Weared Outside Qin unified China and was China's first centralized feudal state; the country lasted only 15 years, but it occupied an important position in history. The Qin Dynasty established various systems, including the clothing system, which had a great influence on later generations. During the Qin Shihuang era, it was stipulated that officials of third rank and above should wear green robes, and civilians should wear white robes. Officials wear crowns on their heads, wide robes with long sleeves, a sword at their waist, a wat board (a tool for note-taking when going to court) in their hands, and hairpins in their ears with a white pen (used for note-taking when going to court). At that time, most men valued robes. The styles of robes were mostly with large sleeves and cuffs, and they were usually lace-edged. Common people and laborers either wear their hair in a bun, or wear a small hat or scarf, or a long shirt with a cross-collar and narrow sleeves. The robe of the Qin Dynasty was a kind of wadding sandwich underwear. When wearing it, a coat was worn outside the robe. This wearing habit changed in the Han Dynasty. In addition to using robes as underwear, many women wore robes as outerwear. As a result, robes gradually evolved into outerwear and became a very popular clothing; from emperors to officials. , regardless of rank, regardless of gender, can also be used as court uniform. Therefore, this kind of practical clothing replaced deep clothing and became the most fashionable clothing. In the Han Dynasty, when the country was strong and the economy was stable, people had higher and higher requirements for dressing up, and their clothes and uniforms became increasingly gorgeous. Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions opened up land transportation between China and Western countries. This land passage across Europe and Asia is the famous "Silk Road." The Silk Road spread Chinese culture such as silk and brocade made in China to the world. It also brought Western civilization to the East and promoted the development of Chinese culture. The Wei, Jin, Undressed and Naked. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were a period of political and economic turmoil. The scholar-bureaucrat class formed a negative social atmosphere. They pursued the hedonism of "singing over wine, how to live life" and indulged in a decadent lifestyle. Buddhism and Taoism are fashionable, and this trend is directly reflected in people's clothes. The most representative ones are the seven wise men at that time, known to the world as the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove". Wide clothes and wide belts were popular clothing during this period. From princes and celebrities to poor people, large-sleeved and wide-sleeved shirts are fashionable. Men wear clothes with open chests and arms, and shawls, pursuing relaxation, naturalness, and casualness; women wear long skirts that sweep the floor, long sleeves, and layers of ribbons, which are elegant and elegant. Due to the long-term war, the vast number of people in the north and south were forced to leave their hometowns, and a multi-ethnic living situation emerged. They learned and communicated with each other, which on the one hand promoted production technology, and on the other hand changed the single culture and living customs; it became fashionable for the Han people to wear northern ethnic costumes, and both officers and soldiers and common people wore northern ethnic costumes as casual wear or casual wear. Dresses in the Sui and Tang Dynasties were gorgeous and open
The Sui and Tang Dynasties were a period of high political, economic and cultural development in China's feudal society. Silk weaving, bleaching and dyeing technologies have been greatly improved. Coupled with the opening up to the outside world and the opening of the Silk Road, the combination of Chinese and Western styles made the costumes of the Tang Dynasty gorgeous, fresh and full of Tang Dynasty style. The Tang Dynasty inherited the Sui Dynasty system, and the emperor wore yellow robes and shirts. Yellow robes were regarded as the imperial clothing of feudal emperors. This provision continued until the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty used ocher yellow robes and scarves as regular clothes. Later, because the emperor used red and yellow robes, he gradually prohibited his subjects from wearing red and yellow robes, and determined the color of robes and shirts based on their grades, which is the so-called "quality clothing". The dresses worn by ladies are mostly bare-chested, low-collared, and have big sleeves. They also have underskirts and half-arm (short-sleeved) silk scarves draped over the shoulders. Wearing Hu clothing was also popular at that time. In addition, women in the Tang Dynasty paid attention to makeup and modified their appearance. For example, eyebrow shapes such as wide eyebrows and splayed eyebrows were the most popular at that time. The decorations between the forehead and eyebrows, such as "huadan" (small flowers cut from gold foil and other materials and pasted on the face), are very distinctive. There are also many types of buns. The brocade of the Tang Dynasty has reached an unprecedented high level in terms of weaving technology and patterns. In recent years, a large number of silk fabrics have been discovered in places such as Turpan and Bachu in Xinjiang and Dunhuang in Gansu, with extremely rich varieties and styles and exquisite dyeing and weaving techniques. Among the costumes of painted wooden figurines unearthed in Xinjiang, tapestry silk also appeared, hundreds of years earlier than documented records. The patterns of the Tang Dynasty not only inherited tradition, but also absorbed Western art forms, making them unique. The Song Dynasty was conservative and restrained. The establishment of the Song Dynasty ushered in a period of steady economic and cultural development, especially in the urban commercial economy. Neo-Confucianism was the norm for scholars' life and behavior, and its influence affected the clothing at that time. The clothing at that time was not overly gorgeous, kept clean and natural, and advocated a simple aesthetic. Most of the clothes of the Song Dynasty were inherited from the Tang Dynasty, but they had their own characteristics. Official uniforms are mostly long-sleeved shirts with right-angled crowns and hats. Different colors of clothing are used to distinguish official ranks; the fashionable dresses of aristocratic women are large-sleeved shirts. In addition, the regular clothing of women in the Song Dynasty was a coat called "back", which was characterized by double lapels, straight collars, slits in the armpits, and knee length. From concubines to common people, they can wear it, which shows its popularity. Influenced by feudal ethics, from the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, the bad habit of foot binding, also known as "little feet", appeared. The bow shoes (foot-binding shoes) unearthed from the Southern Song Dynasty have an upturned toe and are 13.3 cm long and 4.5 cm wide. It can be seen that women were oppressed at that time, which was a manifestation of the deformed aesthetics of feudal society. The Yuan Dynasty did not have a complete system of crowns and uniforms. After the Mongols took over the Central Plains, they still maintained their living customs, but at the same time, influenced by the Han people, their costumes became increasingly gorgeous. The costumes of the Yuan Dynasty were mainly robes. The daily attire of officials and common people was mostly narrow-sleeved robes. In addition, during the Yuan Dynasty banquets, all officials of the emperor had to wear clothes of the same color, called "Zhisunfu". According to ancient records, the emperor's Zhisunfu had many styles, including 11 kinds of winter clothes and 15 kinds of summer clothes. . Women in this period also wore robes, while Han women mainly wore skirts. Due to the influence of Mongolian customs, in the Yuan Dynasty, it was popular for men to have braided hair and braided hair. The characteristic is that two straight lines are shaved with a knife, and all the hair on the back of the head is shaved off, leaving braided hair on the left and right sides or scattered randomly. shawl. Ming Dynasty Rediscovering Han and Tang Clothing After Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, proclaimed himself emperor, in order to restore the etiquette of the Han people, he formulated a new clothing system based on the Zhou, Han, Tang and Song Dynasties. Robes and shirts are the main clothing, while officials wear "make-up clothes" as their regular clothes, wearing black gauze hats and round-neck shirts. The so-called "replenishing uniforms" refer to official uniforms with a square embroidered pattern on the front of the robe. The picture for civilian officials is a bird, and the picture for military officers is a beast. The colors and patterns of robes are used to distinguish official ranks. In addition, it was popular for male officials and Confucian scholars in the Ming Dynasty to wear the "Sifang Pingding scarf", which was a hat made of black gauze that could be folded and formed into a square shape with four corners when unfolded. It is popular for women to wear "bijia" clothing, which is a sleeveless, collarless vest (i.e. vest) that is worn over the skirt. The Qing Dynasty shaved their hair and changed their clothes. After the Qing soldiers entered the customs, they established the Qing Dynasty. The Manchu rulers stipulated that soldiers and civilians must wear Manchu clothing and forced Han men to change their hair styles according to Manchu customs, shaving their forehead hair and braiding their hair. At that time, the rulers issued an order to the Han people: "Keep your head but not your hair, keep your hair but not your head." Women mainly wear flag clothes. Flag clothes were originally the clothes of the Manchu people and are also worn by the Han people. The style of the flag suit was wide, with a barrel-shaped waist, and then gradually became narrower and more fitted.