Chinese national costume female pattern. Chinese clothing for men

The national clothes of China are very diverse. It is not like any other fashion. If many people think that the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans ... are similar, then this is not at all the case! Their difference is clothing and fashion!

China is a separate world of fashion, where no one has ever even tried to find out what they wear in France, Spain, etc.

A lot of people live in China, and people have always come up with costumes that Europe never dreamed of!

The Chinese have created their own style in costumes, their charm, their beauty!

Even now in China, many costumes have remained traditional and are considered national clothes. That is why the Chinese are very plastic and graceful. And their voice is like a beautiful song.

Since the Middle Ages, very beautiful and stylish fashion has dominated in China! As in many countries, the costume differed by class, everything depended on the social status. But notice, people in China did not treat each other badly, depending on how much money they had, and even helped each other in many ways.

Famous and rich people dressed in multi-layered puffy robes: a short shirt, short or long pants, a jacket, a vest, stockings, shoes, a hat and a long overcoat.

People of the middle social class, regardless of the gender of the person, always wore pants and a jacket, and, in addition, an undershirt, overcoat or jacket.

The jacket and jacket were wrapped and girdled. Straw sandals or closed shoes and a hat with a brim of cane or straw were added to this outfit. You will think how it was not hot for them, but after all, for the sake of fashion and charm, they are ready for anything.

In childhood, girls were put on pads on their feet so that the leg would no longer grow, and many women even became disabled because of this.

The lower classes of the population barely covered their bodies. Because they could not afford luxurious clothes, which were very expensive for them.

A lot of fabrics were used for costumes: hemp, cotton or silk, and only noble and rich people had the right to wear silk clothes.

Chinese national men's costume

The underwear in Ancient China was trousers ("ku") and a shirt. Pants were hidden under long clothes, as it was considered indecent to show them. They were wide, with a very low step, hung behind a bag, girdled with a sash. They were sewn from hemp and silk fabrics, later from cotton. The Chinese wore leggings: separate legs, which were attached to the belt with ribbons. They were called "taoku" - "pants cover". The Chinese were saved from the cold by quilted trousers with cotton and cotton-lined leggings worn on top. The upper shoulder clothing ("a") were swing double-breasted or single-breasted dressing gowns and sweaters. Outerwear was wrapped on the right side and tied. It was believed that only barbarians plowed on the left side. The sleeves were wide (the average sleeve width was 240 centimeters). During work, the sleeves were tied with a special ribbon that crossed over the chest.

In winter, the Chinese wore several robes or lined clothes at once - "jiapao", and sometimes put on a dress quilted on wadding - "myanpao". In northern China, coats ("qiu") made of goat, dog or monkey fur protected from the cold. Fur coats for the nobility were made of sable or fox fur, and silk embroidered robes were put on top. Fur coats made of karakul were most valued. The ancient Chinese wrapped the lower part of the torso with a piece of cloth - this upper waist garment was called "shan". Shang was fastened at the waist with a belt - fabric ("nude") or leather ("gedai"), and a "show" was attached to the side or back - colored cords with jade decorations tied into a net. In ancient times, the belt was considered the most important attribute of the Chinese national costume. Strictly defined objects were hung from it: a knife, a steel, an archery ring, a needle for unraveling the memorable knots of the show. Later, these items were turned into jewelry, to which decorative jade pendants "peiyu" were added. A suit of upper shoulder clothing ("i") and upper belt clothing ("shan") was called "ishan". In front of the ishan was a red, richly decorated apron, necessary for sacrifices.

The shape, color, ornament of the ancient Chinese folk costume were symbolic. Its upper part ("and"), red-black, was considered male (symbol of Father-Heaven), lower ("shan"), yellow, female (symbol of Mother Earth). Later, the structure of clothing was simplified, and a plain dressing gown replaced the dress. The emperor wore a yellow robe, which symbolized his power over the earth. The decorative images on the everyday clothes of the Chinese also had a symbolic meaning. Men's jackets and robes were often decorated with the hieroglyphs "longevity". Often such a hieroglyph was bordered by a ring of five bats: the words "bat" and "happiness" sound the same in Chinese.

Chinese national women's costume

Women in China, like men, wore long shirts and wide trousers, hidden under outerwear. The upper suit "ishan" was also similar to a man's. Only in the Tang era did women change into jackets and skirts similar to European ones. On the hips of these skirts were triangular cutouts through which the fabric of the jacket was visible. Women's outfits differed from men's mainly in the exceptional beauty of embroidered color patterns. Usually these patterns were enclosed in decorative circles - "tuan". All images in "tuan" were deeply symbolic. Plum and narcissus flowers personified winter, peony - spring, lotus - summer and the sun, chrysanthemums - autumn. The image of a butterfly was widespread - a symbol of family happiness. Marital happiness was personified by a pair of mandarin ducks. Finally, "tuani" could be plot: they embroidered girls and young men, old people and babies, elegant pavilions, scenes illustrating famous literary works.

Manchu women's informal attire included two styles of long dress known as changyi and chenyi, which came into fashion during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-95). Both types of clothing were worn with a long neck band. Cheniy showed a round neck and a band crossing from left to right, fastened to the side with five buttons and loops. This costume had a relatively straight cut along the body and wide sleeves. Changyi was different in that it had a division on each side of the garment, allowing freer movement.

The steward's instructions for dress at court also included headdresses. The semi-formal hats of the officials of the court were predominantly distinguished by the fact that they were summer or winter. Winter hats generally included a black yarmulke with an inverted edge of the fur, and summer hats were conical in shape, woven from strips of bamboo and covered with silk brocade. The crowns of both hats were covered with a red twisted or silk hem.

The practice of pinning the leg was common among most Han women during the Qing Dynasty (but not by Manchu women). By restricting movement, bound feet kept women from leaving home and from their husbands, and encouraged obedient devotion. Tied feet were also a sign of beauty, enhancing the prospect of marriage. The staggering gait of a woman with bound legs was considered especially charming. Tuidai (tuidai) - special shoes; the girls' legs were tied at the age of three. A long special fabric was wrapped around the leg for the purpose of forcing the forefoot and heel to grow together. It was an extremely painful process.

As you know, in China there are very beautiful and elegant hairstyles. You won't find hair like this anywhere. They are folded like this: they are laid out of straight hair with several partings, symmetrical hair loops, rollers. To keep the hair loops well, they were smeared with adhesive compounds and wound on velvet rollers. Bunches, which were high loops, were fixed in hairstyles on the crown or on the back of the head. Each hairstyle had two or three buns. From the temples, the hair was combed up, and the forehead was framed by a short, sparse bang. There were other options for women's hairstyles, without bangs, with long straight strands descending from the temples, with paired jewelry attached.

Noble ladies also wore wigs and hairpieces. The hairstyle was decorated with flowers, tiaras, combs and a variety of jewelry. Only the wedding hairstyles were different. Before the wedding, the bride's hair was braided or twisted into a bundle and strengthened on the crown of the head with two large hairpins crosswise. During the wedding, the bride's forehead was cut with a straight bang, and at the temples the hair was cut at an angle.

Cosmetics were very popular among Chinese women. From the age of 7, girls used white and rouge. They tried to artificially reduce their eyes. Lips were painted with lipstick of various shades. Eyebrows were plucked and brought up. Silk flies of various colors were stuck to smoothly shaved temples. On the left hand, rich Chinese women grew long nails, painted them, and even put silver cases on them. The best decoration of a noble Chinese woman was a small foot - "lotus foot".

The symbolism of color in clothes was not always unambiguous, but the bright yellow / gold color is the exclusive privilege of the emperor, his family and those few whom the emperor granted the right to wear any piece of yellow clothing. White is a mourning color, so only underwear should be sewn from fabric of this color. Red is the color of ceremonial and festive (bride's costume) robes, official vestments of high officials, it does not suit "ordinary" Chinese people. The rest of the colors can in principle be used freely, but the poor/poor people should be modest in their choice of colors, they should not be too bright.

Chinese national costumes are traditional clothes that existed until the first quarter of the last century. They differ from each other in a number of ways. Only the Chinese leaders of society were the same practically throughout the country. Common folk clothes have some local variations.

Chinese national costumes. A bit of history

Traditional Chinese national costumes are the clothes of wide sections of the urban and rural population of the country, the middle class and the nobility, officials and the intelligentsia. The festive attire of the emperor also belongs to them. Chinese national costumes are uniform in cut. They differ only in the quality of fabrics and a few design details. This unity was especially strengthened after 1911. At that time, official Qing costumes, decorated with lavish decorations that had a hierarchical and symbolic meaning, fell into disuse. Over time, the plakhta skirt also disappeared from everyday life. began to look like a man. The most uniform throughout the country are elements of shoulder clothing. It's all open.

Characteristics

Clothing is divided into three groups - winter, spring-autumn and summer. It differs depending on the presence or absence of lining and cotton padding. Clothes stand out with grace and elegance. In a word, beauty and sophistication - all this is a traditional Chinese national costume. The male version is almost the same as the female version. This applies to pants, single-breasted and upper body, evening and party wear, etc.

The shape of the stand-up collar, free, with a slit in front, is almost the same. Its corners are straight or slightly rounded. The difference is only in height. In men's clothing, it does not exceed three centimeters. In the women's - reaches almost eight.

Almost all jackets, sweaters and bathrobes have long slits at the bottom of the sides. The right smell is characteristic in clothes. The left floor, finding on the right, completely closes it. Clothes are sewn, as a rule, from five panels (two for the back and the left floor, one for the right). The number of fastening buttons in a suit is always odd. They are sewn on the left floor.

Men's clothing

The Chinese national costume for a boy or a man is quite strict and concise. Summer clothes are made from thin cotton. The casual suit consists of a shirt and pants. They are girded with a wide belt. In the cold season, the set is complemented by a lined top jacket. In the recent past, a robe was also worn. Sometimes a light raincoat impregnated with tung oil is also added.

Kutza pants have no pockets or buttons. A wide strip of white fabric is sewn to their upper edge. This is the kuyao belt. When putting on pants, he presses tightly to the body with his right hand, and the rest of it is wrapped around to the right with his left. A sash is put on top - kuyaodai. It ties in a flat knot at the front. They hang a pouch on it and plug Hanshanza for it - an underwear summer shirt - cut like a tunic. A single-breasted jacket (shanzi) is cut in the same way. Demi-season sleeveless jackets are sewn with a warm lining, winter ones are stuffed with cotton wool or fur. During solemn ceremonies, the Chinese also wear a hanfu - a long top shirt to the knees.

Women's clothing

This is what concerns men. But the Chinese national costume for women, similar in cut, consisted of short pants and an elongated jacket. Festive clothes differed from everyday clothes in expensive fabric, and were sometimes decorated with colorful braid, rich embroidery and appliqués.

Kanchzyar - body sleeveless jackets with vertical straight slits in front. They fit the figure very tightly and fastened with 9-11 buttons. These clothes were a kind of replacement for a bra.

Another traditional set is shangqun - an elongated jacket with a skirt. The latter can be both narrow and wide. Ruqun is a similar suit, but the jacket is short. It looks almost like a sundress, but with long sleeves.

Chanshan - a wide dress, reminiscent of a long robe-shirt. It hides the figure completely, leaving only the edge of the shoe, palms and head visible. The pattern of the Chinese national costume is very simple in any case. And the outfits are just amazing.

To date, most often found on Chinese women can be qipao - long beautiful dresses. Modern women also wear various jackets, short blouses, vests and jackets, sweaters and capes.

Color spectrum

How else can national clothes differ? Of course, the color scheme. For example, in the north of the country, gray, blue, blue and black colors predominate. Much less common are brown and white. In the south - more often black, brown, white, gray, blue, less often - blue. This mainly applies to men's clothing. Women's outfits are distinguished by brighter colors.

Hats

The next element of the traditional costume is no less important. This is a headdress. In the north they used tou jin - a piece of white cloth, in the south - black. The Chinese also wear round felt caps and cloth caps with a knob on top. A huge variety of forms in the southern regions are distinguished by wicker hats li or cao mao. The wide brim helps protect your head from the sun and from tropical downpours. Hats are made from striped bamboo and palm leaves. Often there are also rounded models resembling a mushroom in shape. Another option is a cone-shaped high hat, decorated with an ornament applied with paint. Only men wear hats. Chinese national or women do not suggest such accessories.

Shoes

And the final touch. These are shoes. Most often, the Chinese wore lungs with a cloth top and a thick sole covered with white cotton fabric. There were no heels in such shoes. The Chinese made them mostly on their own. Wealthy people wore shoes with silk tops. A Chinese girl in a national costume, as a rule, could boast of an ornament with beautiful embroidery. In case of mourning, they wore white shoes.

Northerners wore zhan se. These are felt massive shoes. Often there were also leather shoes.

The rural population preferred to wear light woven sandals - rope, straw or hemp - with a low back and a square toe. Shoes were tied to the leg at the ankle with ropes, or the fingers were threaded under a transverse jumper made of thick braid. Over time, sandals with thick solid wooden soles began to be sold in the cities. Expensive women's shoes were covered with paint or varnish. Some models had a low heel.

In a word, this is what Chinese national costumes looked like. Today, in the country, of course, they wear European clothes that are familiar to us. However, the Chinese do not forget about traditional outfits.

National clothes and national cuisine, which have developed over the centuries, can tell much more about the material and spiritual culture of any country than all history textbooks combined.

Chinese civilization is one of the five oldest civilizations on the planet, originated in 2-3 thousand BC, and for a long time this country lived in isolation from its neighbors and did not experience other people's influence. This left its original imprint on the development of the culture of the Celestial Empire and was reflected in the national costume. Some countries of the world have completely abandoned their national costumes, and they can only be seen in ethnographic museums. But in China, even today, national motifs that have come from time immemorial prevail in the clothes of the population.

The clothes of Chinese citizens are not influenced by fashion and modernity. She lives her original and unique life outside of time and space.

Of course, social status and material well-being have had an impact on clothing since antiquity. So, for example, powerful, rich and noble people in ancient China wore multi-layered, bright clothes made of silks of various textures.

The middle strata of the population wore no more than two layers of clothing, while the poor wore cotton trousers and shirts, both men and women.

It was the same with the color scheme: the upper strata of the population wore clothes of bright, eye-catching colors, while the lower ones chose dark, nondescript colors.

Chinese men's national clothes

Men's national clothing for men in China was an undershirt without fasteners and wide trousers. They were sewn from hemp, cotton or silk fabric, it depended on the wealth of the owner. It was considered indecent to show the bottom pants, so the outerwear was very long, and the so-called pants were put on the legs - leggings, which were attached to the sash with ribbons. In Northern China, due to the severe cold, they wore quilted trousers and cotton-lined legs.

Double-breasted robes or wadded sweaters without any fasteners with a smell on the right side were put on top. The Chinese considered the left side unlucky and those who wrap their clothes to the left were called barbarians. The width of the sleeves attracted attention: the higher the social status of a person, the wider the sleeves of his clothes (sometimes they reached 3 meters). During work, such sleeves were tied with special ribbons and crossed under the chest.

In winter, the Chinese wore wadded robes (even a few) or wadded dresses. Wealthy people could afford coats made of dog, monkey or goat fur. The very rich afforded fur coats made of sable or silver fox, but the most valuable were fur coats made of golden astrakhan fur. Over fur coats, special painted silk robes of bright scarlet color were worn.

According to Chinese customs, it is indecent to show one's lower limbs, so a wide piece of fabric, the so-called "shan", was tied around the belt. It was attached to the belt with a wide sash, which also served as a waist bag. Items important for every person were kept in it: flint and steel, a knife, an archery ring, etc.

An important role in the costume was played by the color red-black colors were considered truly masculine. The emperor and mandarins (his ministers) could wear yellow and orange robes, symbolizing power and wealth.

On clothes with the help of colored ink, hieroglyphs in an ornament of bats were applied, most often “longevity” and “happiness”.

Women's Chinese national costume

The women's national costume in China largely repeats the men's. The underwear also consists of pants and a shirt, dressing gowns or sweaters are put on top. In the Tang era, wide skirts appeared, which were held on the hips with brightly colored sashes. But women's clothing was distinguished by exquisite embroideries and patterns. These patterns were highly symbolic. Various flowers and plants personified different seasons, the image of a butterfly symbolized the family hearth and marital love, a pair of mandarin ducks - eternal marital fidelity. Sometimes especially skilled craftswomen could embroider entire plot pictures on their clothes.

National headdresses of China

A Chinese costume would not be considered complete without a headdress or elaborate hairstyle for both men and women. Since ancient times, it was considered indecent in China not to take care of one's appearance and, in particular, hair. Both women and men carefully lubricated their hair with perfume oils and essences, sprinkled it with colored powder, smeared it with wax and varnish.

Women wove bird feathers, flowers and leaves, threads of beads and pearls into their hair, men used dark braided cords to strengthen their hair.

According to the rules of etiquette, a man's head must be covered with a headdress. Young men wore small metal caps until they came of age, young people from wealthy families could afford caps made of precious metals, decorated with gems. At the age of twenty (in China, the age of majority) they performed a ceremony - putting on a hat, when the cap was replaced by an adult headdress.

The emperor himself and other noble people wore a complex headdress, consisting of several layers, which was called "Mian".

The poor, on the other hand, wore wide-brimmed cone-shaped straw hats.

Noble Chinese women did not wear headdresses, they were replaced by complex hairstyles with wooden patterned hairpins crosswise. Elderly noble ladies could afford wigs.

Even today in the 21st century China is an original country with a unique culture and religion; the Chinese sacredly observe the traditions and customs of their ancestors. The national dress of China breaks all stereotypes, it is not subject to the fashion trends of Europe and America, it lives according to its own laws, only subject to it. And today, on the streets of the largest cities of this country, you can meet people in national clothes, decorated with complex bright ornaments with fans in their hands and in wooden sandals. This does not surprise anyone and does not cause excessive curiosity.

China has lived in isolation from other countries for so long that even today its culture does not lend itself to any new trends. The people of China are true patriots, sacredly guarding the heritage of their ancestors, they cherish their spiritual culture and their historical traditions.

Chinese clothing style

East is a delicate matter.

Since ancient times, or more precisely, before19th century China was the cultural center of East Asia. Its influence on the development of mankind is colossal - it was in China that paper first appeared, and they learned how to print books. But this is not the end of the track record of Chinese craftsmen, they managed to invent gunpowder and create a compass.

But let's not go too deep into the history of this beautiful country with centuries of experience and moral values, let's rather talk about the traditions that have come down to our time from time immemorial, and which we can apply in the modern world.

The topical issue of people at all times was their appearance. Clothing can be an indicator of social status and material well-being. And as the proverb says, “They meet by clothes ...”

Let's "meet" the image of a Chinese woman and try it on ourselves. Everything will be very simple, read carefully and imagine.

Let's start with the sensations: , light, smooth and flowing. Most often, it is made from high-quality natural fabrics, such as silk, satin, chiffon and the like. After all, both dresses that emphasize every curve of the figure, and loose blouses with skirts, sewn from these fabrics, attract admiring glances.

Represented? Then let's continue, consider which styles of clothing define the Chinese style. I have almost no doubt that each of you, when talking about China, imagines a girl in ... no, no, do not confuse, the kimono is from Japan, and we are talking about China! So here is a girl dressed in a silk dress with short sleeves, charming slits on the sides, a high stand-up collar, fastened slightly on the side of the neck. In addition to this image, representatives of the Chinese style can wear fitted straight jackets with a familiar collar, skinny ankle-length silk trousers with traditional side slits; long straight wrap skirts and more. The main stylistic difference of such clothes is the maximum integrity of the cut, as well as the absence of uncomfortable and non-functional pockets, buttons, ruffles, frills and other things. Chinese style combines true beauty, convenience and simplicity. It is also worth noting that the colors for clothes traditionally prefer bright, vibrant, and very naturally combined with each other. But do not think that there are no "decorations" on these clothes.

Let's go back to what everyone associates with China. Bright flowers, dragons, bonsai, butterflies and the invariable interweaving of the 4 elements. It is these motifs that are present in traditional Chinese ornaments. The airy loops and stunning embroideries are perfectly combined with each other, creating an indescribable feeling of beauty and sophistication of the Chinese style.