The History of China Skirts
Skirts have a long history in China. In ancient times, our ancestors used leaves or skins to keep out the cold, which became the embryonic form of skirts. According to Liu Xi's Interpretation of Names and Clothing at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, "skirt" and "Tuan" means to connect many small leaves with animal skins. According to legend, more than 4,000 years ago, the Yellow Emperor established a system of "clothes under clothes", stipulating that people of different identities should wear clothes of different colors. At that time, petticoats were skirts. "History of the Five Dynasties" said: "In ancient times, clothes were expensive, and the lower skirt had a fate with the color of clothes. ); Yao and Shun have fallen, and there are six breaks (break, analysis, that is, wrinkles. ) and straight seam, all go to the edge; In Shang and Zhou dynasties, because of its quality, it was embroidered with flowers and decorated with five colors. There are clothes to cover, and later generations add text to their ears. " "The Record" also said: "Emperor Yang Di made a long skirt, twelve broken, famous fairy skirt." Explains the evolution of skirts.
Ancient people wore skirts for shelter from the rain and etiquette, and there were strict rules. Regardless of the old lady, even the home should be tidy, otherwise it will be considered frivolous and rude. Usually wear a black skirt at home, and the style is pleated skirt. There are six skirts at home and eight visitors. The so-called "skirt drags six Xiangjiang rivers" to describe the beauty of skirts. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the red skirt was a kind of dress, which only couples could wear. Between husband and wife, only the first room can wear a red skirt, and the concubine can't wear a red skirt.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people generally wore deep clothes, and the top was connected with the lower skirt. Thick clothes are similar to dresses, but there are also differences. Skirts became popular in the Han Dynasty, but the tops were short and the skirts were long, such as the skirts of modern Korean women. The existing costumes of pottery figurines and maiko figurines in the Han Dynasty are clearly reflected in this way. At that time, skirts were all wrinkled, so-called "pleated skirts". According to the literature, Liu Xin's Miscellanies of Xijing and the Legend of Flying Swallows both recorded the story of Zhao, the queen of Emperor Han Cheng. On one occasion, Zhao wore a purple dress with a graceful skirt. Drum music, dancing in grandfather Chi Pan, when the wind is blowing, if the body is light, the swallows are blown by the wind. Emperor Cheng ordered his attendants to hold her, only to catch her skirt in a panic. The queen was saved, but there were many wrinkles on her skirt. However, the pleated skirt looks better than the one without pleats before. Since then, ladies-in-waiting have followed suit, which is the "fairy dress" at that time.
Since the Han Dynasty, the style of skirts has gradually approached the present style. A complete skirt was found in Mawangdui tomb in Changsha. It is made of four ordinary silks, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, and is trapezoidal. The skirt waist is also made of plain silk, and the two ends of the skirt waist are stretched separately for tying. The whole skirt does not need any ornamentation, which is called "no skirt". After Wei and Jin Dynasties, the styles of skirts have been increasing. In addition to ordinary long skirts, there are red yarn double skirts, single yarn double skirts, purple blue yarn double skirts, Dan yarn cup Tam skirts and so on. During the Sixteen States of Jin Dynasty, "medium color skirt" became popular. According to the biography of Song Shu Yang Xin, when Wu was a satrap, he wrote "New Skirt" in Yang Xin. Yang Xin is a good scholar and his calligraphy has made great progress. Skirts are common clothes for rich children in the Six Dynasties, and they are called "skirt children". "Biography of the Northern History of Xing Luanzhuan" contains: "I was a teenager in a skirt and ignored the political affairs."
The dress style of Sui Dynasty basically inherited the style of Southern and Northern Dynasties. Long-bottomed skirts were particularly popular in the Sui Dynasty, when people still adopted neutral skirts. The skirt length in the Tang dynasty increased significantly compared with the previous generation. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, skirts became more popular, and some skirts were enlarged to make them fuller. Skirts are loved by all walks of life. Clothing in the Tang Dynasty mainly consists of three pieces: skirt, coat and wallet. The skirt is very long and the shoulders are covered with silk like a long scarf. Chang' an waterfront, beautiful women are woven; Colorful skirts, boundless spring. Among the numerous Tang poems, there are nearly 300 poems describing skirts and wearing skirts. For example, Wang Changling's Song of Picking Lotus is as green as a skirt and as green as a lotus leaf, which is like a wonderful picture in the lake and mountains. "The lotus leaf skirt is cut in one color, and the hibiscus is open to both sides of the face; I can't see it when I enter the pool. I feel someone coming when I hear the song. " Li Shangyin's "Jiangnan Qu" vividly depicts the style of the skirt, which is cut according to the girl's slender waist. Slim figure and fitted long skirt are swaying in the breeze on the lake. "Lang boat two oars, nong song move double spoke. Sweep the forehead and cut the skirt around the waist. " Bai Juyi's "Xiaoqu New Words" put the girl in red skirt on the bright moon night in early autumn, and the moonlight and skirt color set each other off. "Red skirt moonlit, early autumn garden. It's good to stay in Zhaoyang, but it's cool and late. " Du Fu's Play for the Beauty of Zhao is another story. Chutian is vast, the beauty knight is under the blue sky and white clouds, the peach blossom is red, and the skirt as bright as pomegranate flowers is floating. "The pink and green moths are reflected in Chu Yun, and the peach blossoms are pomegranate skirts." Meng Haoran's Chun Qing describes the charm of long skirts beautifully. "When sitting, the clothes are wrapped in grass, and the skirt sweeps the plum." In Yuan Zhen's dining hall, dancers wear red skirts and blue sleeves. "flowers are low and drunk, and spring is crazy; The red dress is in a hurry and long. "
The skirt in Song Dynasty is elegant in color and wide in body. The customs of the Han nationality were restored in the Ming Dynasty, and the skirt modeling still retained the characteristics of the Tang and Song Dynasties. The red skirt, which was popular in the Tang Dynasty, became popular again in the Ming Dynasty. "Water Margin": "(Hong) took off his clothes, pulled up his skirt, pulled out his stick, and raised his flag and drum ...". The pleated long skirt was popular in Ming Dynasty, which stipulated that only light colors such as purple, pink and green could be used by the people. But there are many styles and varieties, and some skirts are not much different from modern people. Although cheongsam was popular in Qing dynasty for a while. However, the Han people still use skirts as dresses, which shows various customs. During Chenghua period (AD 1465- 1487), a "ponytail skirt" was popular in Beijing.