Hanfu 漢服 : The (Real) Traditional Chinese Clothing

Hanfu 漢服: The (Real) Traditional Chinese Clothing Brought to you by:Toronto Guqin Societyhttp://torguqin.wordpress.com

Hanfu? • Chinese identify themselves by clothing, history as early as 7th c. BCE • “Hanfu” first appeared in Chinese history books in 1st c. CE • Crossover design to the right, tied with sashes • 2D cutting: Easy to make, fits various body shapes beautifully

But wait, isn’t this Chinese…? • Yes, but of an ethnic minority called Manchus • Manchu Empire (Qing) ruled China in 1644-1911, and forced all ethnicities to wear their clothing; over 60 million died in resistance, of which at least 10 million were massacred • After 1911, some scholars in China tried to bring back Hanfu, but majority of society took Western clothing, thinking that learning and doing Western things is necessary to survive • In the 21st Century, Chinese people searching for their own heritage feel that they should be confident to start wearing it again, and give Manchu clothing back its rightful origins.

Doesn’t Hanfu look Korean/Japanese? • It should look similar! • China is the origin of many aspects of Japanese and Korean culture • The similar clothing designs only prove the close ties between each other!

Major Categories of Hanfu • Yi-Shang 衣裳: Top/skirt types • Yi-Ku 衣褲: Top/Trouser types • Shenyi 深衣: Joined top/skirt robe • Pao袍: Robes • Shou-fu 首服: Headwear • Zhu-fu 足服: Footwear • Xie-Yi 褻衣: Underwear

Yi-Shang 衣裳制: Top/skirt style • For both men and women • The most formal design • “Morning ritual dress” • Top piece: cross-collared • Yi-Shang for women are calledRu-qun襦裙 (“Roo-chün”) • Ru can be further classified:“Ao襖” : thick, double-layered tops“Shan 衫” : thin, unlined tops

Yi-Ku 衣褲制: Top/trouser style • For work, sport, or play! • Traditionally “commoner” clothingcalled Shuhe裋褐 • “Middle” wear for longer robes,called Zhongyi/ku中衣/褲 • Clothing for children! • Wear this for everyday life!

Shen-yi深衣制: The “Deep Robe” • Most ritualized design, for both men and women • Traditionally “Evening Dress” • Designed by sage king Huang Di 黃帝, over 4700 years ago, by sewing Yi and Shang together into one robe • Clothing of scholar-literatis(This instrument is a guqin ->)

Meanings of the Shenyi • Every part has a meaning! • 4 pieces of fabric on Yi top: 4 seasons • 12 pieces of fabric on Shang bottom: 12 months • Back seam goes top to bottom: Rope measuring straightness, justice • Square collar and rounded sleeves: Round Heaven, Square Earth • Square-trimmed belt: Balance of power and justice • Sleeves go past the fingertip and back to elbow-length, equal to bottom length when let straight down • Black collar: Parents and grandparents aliveNavy collar : Parents alive, grandparents deceasedWhite collar: Parents and grandparents deceasedNo collar: In Mourning

Pao-fu 袍服: Long Robes • Usually for men, but women wear it too! • The most creative type of Hanfu design • Round, crossed, or even square collars • Hidden knob buttons as well as sashes • Worn as outer coats, or on its own • May have long sleeves, or even no sleeves • Loosely defined as full-length cut, but top/bottom cut designs exist as well • Despite its stately look, they are casual or semi-formal clothing.

Examples of Robes • Yuanling-Pao圓領袍/Panling-pao盤領袍“Round collared robes” • Daopao道袍/Xingyi行衣“Daoist Robe”, “Travel Robe” • He-cang鶴氅/Beifeng披風 (“Heh-tsang”) “Crane coat”, “Back-vest” • Beixin褙心/ Bijia比甲“Back and Heart Vest”, “Parallel robe” • Yesa曳撒“Jisun Robe” (Mongol-inspired banquet robe)

Shoufu首服: Headwear • 4 main categories: • Guan冠: Formal, ritual hard coronets • Jin 巾: Soft or hard gauze caps or headscarves • Mao 帽: Brimmed or pre-shaped hats • Zhan/Chai簪釵: Single or Duo-pronged Hairpins

Zhu-fu 足服: Footwear • Generally cloth, wood and leather also used • Xie鞋: Shoes • Ji屐: Wooden sandals (raingear) • Xue靴: Boots • Mo 袜: Socks • Boat shoes with upward toes are worn with long Shang skirts to prevent tripping over • Lü履: Single-layered boat shoes • Xi 舄: Multi-layered boat shoes

Xie-yi褻衣: Underwear • Zhongyi中衣 must be worn under outside clothing first, coupled with trousers 中褲 or skirt 中裙. • Some robes require a Zhongdan中單 robe to be worn. • Underwear covering the front abdomen existed for both male and female, and are usually rectangular in shape. • Interestingly, Mongol and Manchu period Chinese underwear are diamond-shaped

How to wear Hanfu? • Tie sashes together in a live knot (eg. Butterfly knot) • Left side knots first, then right side • Skirts: Long sashes mean wrapping around waist before tying them up. • Trousers: Press and fold extraparts of trousers around hips,roll the head up by a layer,then tie them up towards thecentre.

Want to know more? • Wikipedia, Google it up! • Keywords: “Han Chinese Clothing”, “Hanfu Movement” • Search “Hanfu” on Facebook! • Learn how to make Hanfu, at our website: http://torguqin.wordpress.com • (Chinese) Search “漢服” (汉服) on tieba.baidu.com • http://hanminzu.com

Remember that… • Hanfu is beautiful, and Hanfu is cool! • but not all Chinese remember it: Remind them what it is, and spread the word! • Hanfu is not “ancient”: It is modern and it is VERY hip! In fact, it is the future. • Hanfu is diverse: It is not a messy collection of all clothing worn by Chinesepeople in history, but a consummation ofChinese creativity and identity. • Wearing Hanfu is not just for fun: It reminds us of our heritage, and be responsible to society and the world. • Whatever the occasion, there is a righttype of Hanfu for it. Know what to wear!

Thank you for watching! Hope to see you out in Hanfu soon. Prepared by Toronto Guqin Society, (CC BY-NC-ND) 2011 http://torguqin.wordpress.com

Hanfu 漢服 : The (Real) Traditional Chinese Clothing