After the fall of the Tang dynasty, the Khitans, a branch of the Eastern Xianbei tribes, established Liao dynasty (AD 916–1125) in northern China. [1] [2] : 20 The Liao dynasty comprised two regions: the Northern and Southern Divisions. [3] : 26 [4] The Northern divisions of Liao was mainly composed of tribal Khitan people while the Southern regions was composed of the Han and other sedentary groups. [4] The rulers of the Liao dynasty adopted a clothing system which allowed the coexistence of Han and Khitan clothing. [5]
According to the History of Liao, the earliest clothing worn by the Khitan used to made with animal hides, and it is only during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Liao that an apparel system was developed. [5] Culturally, the Khitan was closer to the Tang dynasty culture than the Song dynasty culture; and under the influence of Tang dynasty culture, they started to include silk garments (e.g. jackets and robes) to their wardrobe and conform their clothing customs to the clothing customs of the Tang dynasty, thus fashioning themselves in Han Chinese-style while maintaining some distinction in their attire. [2] : 266 According to scholar Linda Cooke Johnson, by the 11th century AD, Chinese influences dating from Tang dynasty period appears to have been thoroughly integrated in the Liao culture. [6]
The Khitan court adopted a dual dress system, which consisted of both the guofu (國服; "State-style", i.e. "Khitan National garments" or "Khitan state" clothing) and hanfu (漢服; Han Chinese clothing) (which are basically Tang and/or Song dynasty-style clothing), [7] : 15, 74–75 [8] which the Khitan inherited from the Later Jin dynasty and were actually clothing from the Tang dynasty. [4] The guofu of the Liao dynasty was also heavily influenced by the Han Chinese clothing system. [5] In the Liao shi, the gongfu (i.e. Khitan state official dress) was purple in colour; the colour purple was used in the robes of both Liao officials and the Liao emperor as a standard practice. [7] According to the Liao shi, "The system for official dress was regulated. The Khitan style was worn in the north, and the Han style worn in the south; each was determined according to convenience" during the reign of Abaoji; however, the types of clothing worn were not always based on this northern vs southern division. [8]
In the Liao dynasty, Khitan officials and the Liao empresses wore Khitan clothes, but the Han Chinese officials and Liao emperor wore Song dynasty clothes (Han Chinese clothing); [2] : 267-268 [4] [5] [7] : 74–75 according to Liao shi, "During the Huitong 會同 period [937-947] the Empress Dowager [Yingtian] and Northern officials wore Khitan state- style dress; the Emperor [太宗, Yelü Deguang 耶律德光] and southern officials wore Han-style dress...". [8] However, in the opinion of the Song Chinese, their garments were closed in barbarian fashion (左衽 zuoren), closing on the left side instead of the right side (右衽 youren). [2] : 267 After 970 AD, it was decreed that all top Khitan officials had to be dressed in Chinese style clothing while the lower officials of Khitan origins had to continue to wear their native dress for the Great Willowtree Shooting ceremony (大射柳; dasheliu) when praying for rain. [4] [2] : 267-268
After 983 AD, the court dress which follows the Tang-Song style was worn at both Liao courts, i.e. in both Northern and Southern courts. [7] : 74–75 According to the Liao shi, "After the fifth year of the Qianheng 乾亨reign [983] when the Shengzong 聖宗 Emperor [Yelü Longxu 耶律隆緒] conferred the title of Empress Dowager on Chengtian, all of the officials above 3rd rank wore Han-style formal dress [fafu 法服]". [8]
In 1036 AD, the Emperor wore the dragon robe and officials in the North and South wore court dress of Han-style. [8] According to Liao shi, "According to the record of the zunhao ceremony 尊號冊禮 [in which a title was conferred on the emperor] in the 5th year of Chongxi 重熙 [1036], following [the zunhao ceremony] the Emperor [Xingzong 興宗, Yelü Zongzhen 耶律宗真] wore the dragon robe and the officials from both the north and south wore [Han style] court dress...". [8]
In 1055 AD, the emperor decreed that all Khitan officials had to wear Chinese-style clothing. [2] After the Chongxi period (1032-1055), all court officials wore Han clothing in important rituals whereas the daily ceremonial dress remained the same as the one used in the Huitong period. [8]
Based on mural paintings from Khitan tombs during the Liao dynasty, a typical outer garment worn by the Khitan men is a narrow-sleeved, round-collar gown which falls just above the ankles, and opens from the waist down on both sides but not in the front and back; they also wear a belt around the hip area. [2] [9] The lapels of their outer garments appears to be right lapels crossing over the left, and they also fastened their lapels on the left under the arm. [9] Dark colour such grey-green, grey-blue, brown and dark green were the preferred colour used. [10]
The inner garment of Khitan's man was a short garment or tunic worn under the round-collar gown. [9] They also wore trousers and high-topped boots which were either bordered or rolled at the top. [9] Khitan officials used gold ornamented ribbons to found their hair locks around their foreheads, covering their heads with felt hats according to the Ye Longli's Qidan Guozhi. [11] Khitan wore felt hats, fur clothes and woollen cloth and the Liao emperor switched between Han and Khitan clothing. [5]
Kithan's men hairstyle was called kunfa (髡髮) according to Chinese texts. [7] : 21 Khitan wore the long side fringes & shaved pates. [11] Tomb murals of Khitan hairstyle show only some hair remaining near the neck and forehead with the rest of the head shaved. [12] Only at the temples were hair left while the crown was shaven. [10] The absence of Khitan clothes and hairstyles on a painting of riders previously identified as Khitan has lad to experts questioning their purported identity. [13] Khitan males grew hair from their temples but shaved the crown of their heads. [14] Khitan men might have differentiate between classes by wearing different patterns on their small braids hanging off their shaved foreheads. They wore the braids occasionally with a forehead fringe with some shaving off all the forehead. [3] : 53, 190 Khitan men left only two separate patches of hair on each of the forehead's sides in front of each ear in tresses while they shaved the top of their head. [14]
Khitan-style clothing for women also existed and were often depicted in Liao tombs in settings associated with nomadic lifestyle and horseback-riding. [7] : 75–77 Khitan women were skilled riders, and their clothing were well suited for riding and herding. [3] : 30 The women Khitan-style clothing a long outer robe which long sleeves, which was belted at the waist. [7] : 75–77 This form of dress appeared to be multi-layered in order to keep warm as they lived in harsher climates in the northern regions. [7] : 75–77 Those types of clothing are often depicted in the tombs painting in the Kulunqi tombs which were most likely constructed for the Xiao clan, an elite clan in Liao. [7] : 75–77 Fur caps also appeared to be worn. [7] : 75–77 A Liao tomb found near Kulunqi village depicts a wedding ceremony of Liao princess and Khitan noblemen in a set of wall paintings; these wall paintings provide information about the Khitan's society, including Khitan's dress. [6]
Khitan women also wore tight-sleeved, cross-collared long robes which were mostly buttoned on the left side and were tied at the waist with a silk band. [10] Fabric belt could also be tied just below the breasts level to close to their robes. [8] Khitan women also wore skirts but they were mostly worn under their long robe. [10] Khitan women wore boots, [3] : 30 including high boots. [10] This form of left sided, cross-collared robe is depicted in the painting "Zuo Xie tu" (卓歇图) by Hu huai. [10] The long sleeved outer robe which closes to the left is the most defining feature of the Kithan-style women clothing. [8] King Hyonjong of Goryeo had been said to have composed a poem in 1018 stating, "Had it not been for Kang, evermore would our coats on the left be bound", when Kang Kamch'an won against the invading Khitans. [15] [16]
The Han Chinese men living in the Liao dynasty were not required to wear the shaved Khitan hairstyle which Khitan men wore to distinguish their ethnicity, unlike the Qing dynasty which mandated wearing of the Manchu hairstyle for men. [14] In Han Chinese tombs dating from Liao dynasty, there are tombs murals which depicts purely Chinese customs and Chinese clothing. [9]
Tombs in haner families (i.e. Han Chinese of mixed origins or who have adopted some Khitan customs), for example the Zhang and Hann families, often depicts men dressed in Khitan clothing in corridors and antechambers while inner culture shows haner culture. [3] Some Han Chinese or Haner men adopted and mixed or combined Han clothing with Khitan clothing with Khitan boots and Han clothes or wearing Khitan clothes. [3] : 48, 52–53 [17] Han women on the other hand did not adopt Khitan dress and continued wearing Han dress. [3] : 48, 52–53 [17] For example, the tomb of Hann Shixun (a man from distinguished haner families) who died in the early 12th century during the late Liao dynasty depict Khitan-style clothing in the antechamber whereas women in Han Chinese-style clothing is seen in the painting found in the inner chamber. [3] : 44–45 Another example can be seen in a mural painting found in the tomb of Zhao Wenzao, where children and servants are depicted wearing Khitan hairstyles and Khitan-style clothing, while the woman who is standing behind the table is depicted in Han Chinese clothing. [3] : 46–47 During the Liao dynasty, Han Chinese women living in the Southern Division and Haner women were culture bearers, who generally preserved Han Chinese culture and continued to wear the Han Chinese clothing which was worn prior to the conquest. [3] In a tomb at Zhaitang, there are two female servants depicted standing by the doorway wearing Chinese clothing. [6]
From at least the Han dynasty, Non-Han women (regardless of their social status or cultural identity), who lived closed to the Han dynasty territories, often adopted Han-Chinese style clothing while their Non-Han men did not; this clothing trend can be seen in the Tang dynasty depictions, and this trend continued until the Mongol period. [7] : 75–77 The Liao had both Han Chinese Tang and Song dynasty-style clothes and Khitan clothes. Both Khitan women and Han Chinese women in the Liao wore the Han Chinese style Tang-Song dress. [7] : 75–77 [8] Tang-Song style clothing women clothing in Liao also included a long-sleeved, outer jacket with ample sleeves which could cropped or waist-length, was tied with sash in a bow below the breasts to create an empire silhouette. [7] : 75–77 The outer jacket was worn over floor-length dress which was worn a short overskirt (which looked like an apron) on top. [7] : 75–77 In Northern Liao mural tombs depictions, women who are dressed in Han style clothing are depicted in Tang dynasty fashion whereas in the Southern Liao murals, women dressed in Han style clothing are wearing Song-style clothing. [8] The Song-style fashion for women consisted of long narrow skirts and jackets which closes to the right. [8] These jackets could be worn over the narrow skirts, which was a contemporary Song style fashion. [8]
The hanbok is a traditional clothing of the Korean people. The term hanbok is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as chosŏn-ot (조선옷).
A queue or cue is a hairstyle worn by the Jurchen and Manchu peoples of Manchuria, and was later required to be worn by male subjects of Qing China. Hair on top of the scalp is grown long and is often braided, while the front portion of the head is shaved. The distinctive hairstyle led to its wearers being targeted during anti-Chinese riots in Australia and the United States.
Vietnamese clothing or Việt phục is the traditional style of clothing worn in Vietnam by the Vietnamese people. The traditional style has both indigenous and foreign elements due to the diverse cultural exchanges during the history of Vietnam. Due to it being part of the East Asian Cultural Sphere, Vietnamese traditional clothing have elements which bear similarities to those of China, Korea, and Japan. This all eventually led to the birth of a distinctive Vietnamese style of clothing, including the birth of the modern national dress of Vietnam, the áo dài.
Chinese clothing includes the traditional hanfu and garments of ethnic minorities, as well as modern variations of indigenous Chinese dresses. Chinese clothing has been shaped through its dynastic traditions, as well as through foreign influences. Chinese clothing showcases the traditional fashion sensibilities of Chinese culture traditions and forms one of the major cultural facets of Chinese civilization.
Gwanbok is a Korean term which was borrowed from the Chinese terms guanfu and guanfu. The term gwanbok is a collective term which refers to historical official attire, which was bestowed by the government court, including Chinese courts of various dynasties. The guanfu (冠服) system was a court attire system in China which also formed part of the Hanfu system. This system was them spread to neighbouring countries and was adopted in Korea since ancient times in different periods through the ritual practice of bestowal of clothing. Acknowledgement through bestowed robes and crowns (冠服) from the Emperor of China, who held hegemony over East Asia, would give support to Korean Kings and successors, as being the authentic rulers of their country as well as confirmed the political status of the Korean kingdom in the rest of the Sinosphere. The gwanbok system in Korea was different for each kingdom and changed throughout different periods. For example, initially given by the Chinese court in ritual practice, successive gwanbok were more often than not locally manufactured in Korea with different colours and adopted into hanbok. The gwanbok, which was used as the uniform of court officials, formed part of the gwanbok system and was used like the suit is nowadays.
Ruqun is a set of attire in Hanfu which consists of a short jacket typically called ru worn under a long Chinese skirt called qun. However, when use as a general term, ruqun can broadly describe a set of attire which consists of a separated upper garment and a wrap-around lower skirt, or yichang, in which yi means the "upper garment" and the chang means the "lower garment". In a broad sense, ruqun can include the shanqun and aoqun in its definition.
Banbi, also known as banxiu and sometimes referred as beizi or half-beizi before the term beizi eventually came to refer to a long-sleeved beizi in the Song dynasty, and referred as dahu in the Yuan dynasty, is an upper garment item in Hanfu. The banbi is in the form of a waistcoat or outerwear with short sleeves, which could either be worn over or under a long-sleeved ruqun. The style of its collar varies; it can also be secured at the front either with ties or a metal button.
A yuanlingshan is a type of round-collared upper garment in the traditional Chinese style of clothing known as Hanfu; it is also referred to as a yuanlingpao or a panlingpao when used as a robe. The yuanlingshan and yuanlingpao were both developed under the influence of ancient Chinese clothing, known as Hufu, originating from the Donghu people during the early Han dynasty and later by the Wuhu, including the Xianbei people, during the Six Dynasties period. The yuanlingpao is an article of formal attire primarily worn by men, although in certain dynasties, such as the Tang dynasty, it was also fashionable for women to wear. In the Tang dynasty, the yuanlingpao could be transformed into the fanlingpao using buttons.
Dragon robes, also known as gunlongpao or longpao for short, is a form of everyday clothing which had a Chinese dragon, called long (龍), as the main decoration; it was worn by the emperors of China. Dragon robes were also adopted by the rulers of neighbouring countries, such as Korea, Vietnam, and the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Hanfu are the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of hanfu, such as the ruqun, the aoqun, the beizi and the shenyi, and the shanku.
Mianfu is a kind of Chinese clothing in hanfu; it was worn by emperors, kings, and princes, and in some instances by the nobles in historical China from the Shang to the Ming dynasty. The mianfu is the highest level of formal dress worn by Chinese monarchs and the ruling families in special ceremonial events such as coronation, morning audience, ancestral rites, worship, new year's audience and other ceremonial activities. There were various forms of mianfu, and the mianfu also had its own system of attire called the mianfu system which was developed back in the Western Zhou dynasty. The mianfu was used by every dynasty from Zhou dynasty onward until the collapse of the Ming dynasty. The Twelve Ornaments were used on the traditional imperial robes in China, including on the mianfu. These Twelve Ornaments were later adopted in clothing of other ethnic groups; for examples, the Khitan and the Jurchen rulers adopted the Twelve ornaments in 946 AD and in 1140 AD respectively. The Korean kings have also adopted clothing embellished with nine out of the Twelve ornaments since 1065 AD after the Liao emperor had bestowed a nine-symbol robe to the Korean king, King Munjong, in 1043 AD where it became known as gujangbok.
Zaju chuishao fu, also called Guiyi, and sometimes referred as "Swallow-tailed Hems and Flying Ribbons clothing" or "swallow tail" clothing for short in English, is a form of set of attire in hanfu which was worn by Chinese women. The zaju chuishao fu can be traced back to the pre-Han period and appears to have originated the sandi of the Zhou dynasty; it then became popular during the Han, Cao Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties. It was a common form of aristocratic costumes in the Han and Wei dynasties and was also a style of formal attire for elite women. The zaju chuishao fu can be further divided into two categories of clothing style based on its cut and construction: the guipao, and the guichang.
Qixiong ruqun, which can also be referred as Qixiong shanqun, also known as "chest-high ruqun", is a set of attire in hanfu, the traditional Chinese clothing worn by the Han Chinese. The qixiong ruqun is a unique style of ruqun, which is characterized with a high waistline qun, Chinese skirt. The qun used in the qixiong ruqun is generally tied above the bust level. It was worn by women during the Southern dynasties, Sui dynasty, Tang dynasty and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The style was also revived in the early and middle Ming dynasty.
The founder of the Western Xia dynasty of China (1038–1227), Li Yuanhao, established an apparel system for all civil and military officials characterized by Tangut culture. Han-style and Tangut-style clothing were distinguished from each other, but both were used in the Western Xia. The Emperor Jingzong also ordered that all subjects of the Western Xia must be shaved in an attempt to restore old Xianbei customs, and disobedience would result in death penalty.
The fashion in the Yuan dynasty of Mongol (1271–1368) showed cultural diversity with the coexistence of various ethnic clothing, such as Mongol clothing, Han clothing and Korean clothing. The Mongol dress was the clothing of elite for both genders. Mongol attire worn in the 13th-14th century was different from the Han clothing from the Tang and Song dynasties. The Yuan dynasty court clothing also allowed the mixed of Mongol and Han style, and the official dress code of the Yuan dynasty also became a mixture of Han and Mongol clothing styles. After the founding of the Yuan dynasty, the Mongols strongly influenced the lifestyle and customs of the Han people.
Hufu, also referred as Hu clothing, nomadic dress, 'barbarian' clothing or dress, or foreign dress, is a generic term which refers to any clothing which was worn in ancient China and its surrounding regions by non-Han Chinese people. This term is also used to refer to foreigner's dress or clothing of foreign origins in ancient China. The introduction of Hufu-style garments and attire in China occurred by the time of King Wuling of Zhao.
Ru, sometimes referred as shan, ao, and yi, is a form of traditional Chinese upper garment, or coat, or jacket, which typically has a right closure; however, some of them can also have a front central opening. It is a daily upper garment for women of the Han Chinese ethnic. It can be worn in combination with a skirt in a style called ruqun, or a pair of trousers in a style called shanku.
Qizhuang, also known as Manfu and commonly inappropriately referred as Manchu clothing in English, is the traditional clothing of the Manchu people. Qizhuang in the broad sense refers to the clothing system of the Manchu people, which includes their whole system of attire used for different occasions with varying degrees of formality. The term qizhuang can also be used to refer to a type of informal dress worn by Manchu women known as chenyi, which is a one-piece long robe with no slits on either sides. In the Manchu tradition, the outerwear of both men and women includes a full-length robe with a jacket or a vest while short coats and trousers are worn as inner garments.
Tanling ruqun, also known as Tan collar ruqun and U-collar ruqun, is a type of Hanfu which was developed under the influence of Hufu ; it is a form a kind of ruqun which typically consists of three parts, featuring a low-cut low-cut U-shaped collar upper inner garment with long sleeves, a U-shaped collar banbi upper outer garment with short sleeves, a long high-waisted skirt. It can also be adorned with a shawl, called pipo. It was a popular form of clothing attire in the Sui and Tang dynasty. In the 21st century, the Tanling ruqun re-appeared as a result of the Hanfu movement. The 21st century Tanling ruqun was developed by reproducing the original patterns of the historical tanling ruqun while being aligned with modern aesthetics.
After the Jin dynasty was founded, the Jin dynasty rulers imitated the Song dynasty and decided to establish their own carriages and apparel system.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)