Chinese Tradition Clothing In History

We all know, each country has their representative clothing style. As for China, it has over 1500 years history and has gone through so many dynasties, so the clothing styles are immense variations and influences since the olden days. Although, the modern Chinese people have adopted various fashions from all over the world, modern Chinese clothes still draw inspiration from the ancient Chinese culture. This form of clothing has its own beauty and grace. Therefore, we can see that there are many Chinese styles prevalent not only in China, but around the globe as well. Four styles we will metioned below are the repesentative of Chinese clothes.

Han Dynasty Clothing


Han Chinese clothing are cross-collar, right lapelled, waist-hugging, tied knots and in some cases, complete with belt hooks and other accessories. The style of clothing is elegant and unrestrained.
Due to the ancient culture exchanges, many traditional costumes of East Asian countries, such as the Kimono in Japan and the traditional Korean dress, etc. have been influenced by Hanfu. However, under the rule of Qing Dynasty, all the people were strictly forced to wear the Manchurian style of dress and that largely eliminated the traditions of wearing Hanfu.

Tang Dynasty Clothing

In Chinese clothing history, the dresses in the Tang Dynasty were quite outstanding. At that time, the economy was highly developed and people from different countries came to China, promoting the international cultural exchange. Therefore, the dresses were also deeply influenced by the foreign cultures and arts.
There formed a special open and romantic dress style. Most of the dresses were made of silk which made them famous due to their softness and lightness. The structure was elegant, natural and graceful and the decolletage appeared at that time. The adornments were also splendid.

Qing Dynasty Clothing


The cheongsam, or Qipao in Chinese, is evolved from a sort of ancient clothing of Manchu ethnic minority. In ancient times, it generally referred to long gowns worn by the people of Manchuria, Mongolia and the Eight-Banner.
 Long gowns featured collarless, narrow cuff in the shape of a horse's hoof, buttons down the left front, four slits and a fitting waist. Wearers usually coiled up their cuff, and put it down when hunting or battling to cover the back of hand. Another feature of Manchu cheongsam was that people generally wore it plus a waistcoat that was either with buttons down the front, a twisted front, or a front in the shape of lute, etc.

Cheongsam(Qipao)

From the 1930s, cheongsam almost became the uniform for women. Folk women, students, workers and highest-tone women all dressed themselves in cheongsam, which even became a formal suit for occasions of social intercourses or diplomatic activities. Later, cheongsam even spread to foreign countries and became the favorite of foreign females.
It fits well Chinese female figure, has simple lines and looks elegant. What's more, it is suitable for wearing in all seasons by old and young. Cheongsams is made of silk with patterns of flowerlet, plain lattices or thin lines demonstrate charm of femininity and staidness; those made of brocade are eye-catching and magnificent and suitable for occasions of greeting guests and attending banquets.

In modern time, generally, Cheongsam features strong national flavor and embodies beauty of Chinese traditional costume. It not only represents Chinese female costume but also becomes a symbol of the oriental traditional costume.

How do you think of Chinese clothes, each style reveals national style different from other nations, so we are proud of our long history and these precious wealth from our ancestor. Inheriting and protecting these traditional culture is our duty. Welcome to China, China welcome to your coming.