Garment collars in hanfu are diverse and come in several shapes, [1] including jiaoling (cross-collars, overlapping collars at the front which closed on the right or left sides), duijin, yuanling, liling, fangling, tanling. Some forms of collars were indigenous to China while others had been adopted from the Hufu of other non-Han Chinese ethnic minorities and/or from the clothing worn by foreigners.
Chinese robes, such as the shenyi and the paofu as a general term, as well as Chinese jackets must typically cover the right part of their garment. [2] Styles of garments which overlapping at the front and closes to the right side are known as youren (Chinese :右衽; lit.'right lapel'). The youren closure is a style which originated in China and can be traced back to the Shang dynasty. [3] The youren is also an important symbol of the Han Chinese ethnicity. [2] The youren closure was eventually adopted by other ethnic minorities and was also spread to neighbouring countries, such as Vietnam, Korea and Japan.
Chinese people also wore another form of closure known as zuoren (Chinese :左衽; lit.'left lapel'), which generally refers the way garment overlaps on the front, like the youren closure, but instead closes on the left side. [2] According to the Shuowen Jiezi 《說文解字》, a form of paofu , known as xi (襲), was a robe with a zuoren closure [4] [5] while the coat known as zhe (褶; sometimes also referred as xi), typically used as part of the kuzhe , was also a xi (襲) according to the Shiming . [6]
The use of zuoren, however, was typically associated with funeral practices. This can also be found in the chapter Sang da ji (喪 大 記) of the Liji (禮 記):
"At both the dressings the sacrificial robes were not placed below the others. They were all placed with the lapel to lie on the left side. The bands were tied firmly, and not in a bow-knot [小斂大斂，祭服不倒，皆左衽結絞不紐]."
According to ancient Chinese beliefs, the only moment the Han Chinese were supposed to use zuoren was when they dressed their deceased. [2] This funeral practice was rooted in ancient Chinese beliefs; especially in the Yin and Yang theory, where it is believed that the left side is the Yang and stands for life whereas the right side is the Yin which stands for death. [7]
Therefore, according to the Yin and Yang theory, the left lapel of a garment needs to be found outside (which is in the form of youren closure) to indicate that the power of the Yang aspect is suppressing the Yin aspect, which thus symbolizes the clothing of living people. [7] On the other hand, the zuoren is a representation of the Yin aspect surpassing the Yang aspect, and thus, garments with a zuoren closure became the clothing worn by the deceased. [7] It was therefore a taboo in Chinese clothing culture for a living person to wear clothing with a zuoren closure. [7]
There are exceptions in which living Han Chinese would wear clothing with a zuoren closure. For example, in some areas (such as Northern Hebei) in the 10th century, some ethnic Han Chinese could be found wearing left-lapel clothing. [8] It was also common for the Han Chinese women to adopt left lapel under the reign of foreign nationalities, such as in the such as in the Yuan dynasty. [9] The practice of wearing the zuoren also continued in some areas of the Ming dynasty despite being a Han Chinese-ruled dynasty which is an atypical feature. [9]
The zuoren closure was also associated with the clothing of non-Han Chinese, ethnic minorities, and foreigners in ancient times. Some ethnic minorities generally had their clothing closing in the zuoren-style [2] according to what was recorded in ancient Chinese texts, such as the Qiang. [10] : 101 As a result, the traditional way to distinguish between clothing of the "Barbarian" (i.e. non-Han Chinese), Hufu, and Chinese clothing, hanfu , was typically by looking at the direction of the collar. [11]
This can also be found in the Analects where Confucius himself praised Guan Zhong for preventing the weakened Zhou dynasty from becoming barbarians: [12] [13] [14]
"But for Guan Zhong, we should now be wearing our hair unbound [pifa], and the lapels of our coats buttoning on the left side [zuoren]. [微管仲，吾其被髮左衽矣]."
Based on Confucius' sayings, pifa zuoren (simplified Chinese :被发左衽; traditional Chinese :被髮左衽; pinyin :bèifà zuǒrèn; lit.'unbound hair left lapel'), bound hair and coats which closed on the left side, was associated with the clothing customs of the northern nomadic ethnic groups who were considered as barbarians. [12] From the standpoint of the Huaxia culture, pifa was a way to reject refined culture and being turned into a barbarian. [10] : 101
By the Han dynasty, since Confucius himself was the first person to use the phrase pifa zuoren to refer to Non-Zhou dynasty people, this phrase became a common metaphor for primitiveness. [10] : 103 When used by the ancient Chinese literati, the concept of pifa zuoren became a phrase, which held the symbolic of foreign people who were living a barbarous and civilized lifestyle; this concept also became a way to emphasize the customs differences between the Han people and other ethnic minorities and draw the line to distinguish who was were considered as civilized and barbarians. [10] : 103 The zuoren thus also became a reference to Hufu and/or to the rule of foreign nationalities. [2] Of note, some non-Chinese ethnicity who adopted Hanfu -style sometimes maintain their left lapels, such as the Khitans in the Liao dynasty. [15] : 267
Jiaoling youren (Chinese :交領右衽) were cross-collars which overlapped on the front and closed on the right side following the youren (右衽) rule; [16] they can also be described as cross-collar garments closing to the right side, or y-shaped collar. The jiaoling youren started to be worn in the Shang dynasty in China. [17] [18] This form of collar eventually became one of the major symbols of the Sino Kingdoms [16] and eventually spread throughout Asia. [18] Garments and attire which used the jiaoling youren collar include: shenyi, jiaolingpao, mianfu, pienfu, diyi, dahu, and tieli.
Jiaoling zouren refers to the cross-collars which closes on the left side instead of the right side. They were typically used by non-Han Chinese ethnicities in ancient China, but were also adopted by the Han Chinese in some circumstances, e.g. when they were ruled by non-Han Chinese rulers. Han Chinese women were also found sometimes found in the paintings of the Ming dynasty, which is an atypical feature. [9] They were also used to dress the deceased of the Han Chinese. [2]
Collars which runs parallel and straight at the front are called duijin (对襟). [19] [20] : 22 Garments with duijin collars can either be closed at the centre front [20] : 22 [21] or be left opened in the front. [19] They could be found with or without a high collar depending on the time period. [1] Duijin could be used in garments and attire, such as beizi, banbi, and beixin.
Round collars are called yuanling (圆领) [1] or panling (盘领). [22] [23] In ancient China, clothing with round collars were typically introduced and/or influenced by foreign ethnicities, such as the Donghu, [24] [25] the Wuhu, [24] [26] : 317 and the foreigners from Central Asia, such as the Sogdians, [27] [28] and the Mongols, [25] at different point in time. Yuanling can be overlapping to the right or closing at the front in the duijin manner. [1] [29] Yuanling could be used in garments and attire, such as yuanlingshan, yuanlingpao, panling lanshan, and wulingshan (无领衫). [29]
High standing collars in the Ming dynasty are referred as shuling (竖领) or liling (立领). [1] They appeared by the late Ming dynasty. [30] : 93 There were two main forms of high standing collars garments based on their types of lapels and closure. [1]
Clothing with shuling dajin (竖领大襟), also called liling dajin or shuling xiejin or liling xiejin, has a standing collar and a large lapel which closes on the right. [29] The dajin placket is also called xiejin (Chinese :斜襟; pinyin :xiéjīn; lit.'slanted placket').
Clothing with shuling duijin (or liling (or shuling) duijin) has a standing collar and closes with a central front closure. [1]
Fanling refers to the lapel collars, typically categorized as Hufu-style collars
Square collars are referred as fangling (方领). [4] : 166 [1]
U-shaped collar are known as tanling (Chinese :坦领; pinyin :tǎnlǐng; lit.'flat collar/ open-hearted collar'). [31] Tanling could be used in garments and attire, such as tanling banbi and tanling ruqun.
Pianjin (Chinese :偏襟; pinyin :piānjīn; lit.'slanted placket'), also called Pipa-shaped collars and sometimes referred as 'slanted' collar in English, [21] were form of collars which overlaps and closes to the right side with a big lapel. [21] This form of collar was influenced by the Manchu clothing. [21] The Manchu's front overlap opening was a Manchu innovation; their clothing was closed with buttons on the centre front of the neck, right clavicle, and under the right arm along the right seams. [32] The Manchu overlap was more shaped like an S-curved overlap; it ran straight to the right of the centre-front of the neck, drops down to the burst before curving to the right side. [33] : 63 The Manchu's garments rarely showed high collars until the 20th century. [30] : 93 The Pip-shaped collar were worn in the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. [34] [21] It could be found without or with a high collar (e.g. mandarin collar). [21]
Changshan, also known as changpao, and dagua, is a form of paofu, Chinese robe, which was derived from the Qing dynasty qizhuang, the traditional dress of the Manchu people, which were worn by Manchu men. The changshan was actually developed by the Han Chinese through the modification of their own Ming dynasty's Hanfu by adopting some Manchu men's clothing elements in one of their Hanfuchangshan. In function, the changshan is considered the male equivalent of the women's cheongsam. The changshan was often worn by men with a magua, also commonly translated as "riding jacket" in English language.
A mandarin collar, standing collar, Nehru collar, band collar or choker collar is a short unfolded stand-up collar style on a shirt or jacket. The style derives its Western name from the mandarin bureaucrats in Qing-era China that employed it as part of their uniform.
A wrap dress is generic term for a dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side across the other, and is fastened at the side or tied at the back. This forms a V-shaped neckline. A faux wrap dress resembles this design, except that it comes already fastened together with no opening in front, but instead is slipped on over the head. A wrap top is a top cut and constructed in the same way as a wrap dress, but without a skirt. The design of wrap-style closure in European garments was the results of the heavy influences of Orientalism which was popular in the 19th century.
Hanfu Movement, also known as the Hanfu Revival Movement, is a cultural movement seeking to revitalize Han Chinese fashion. That movement developed in China since 2003. Han Chinese clothing was changed drastically during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. The Hanfu movement seeks to restore the dress and attire and aesthetic sensibilities of Han Chinese dress from previous eras recognized as high points for Han culture - principally the Ming, Tang, Song and Han.
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.
Chang-ao, lit. translated as "long jacket" or "long ao", is a historical long-length, Chinese upper garment called ao (袄), which was worn by women. It is also known as da ao (大袄) and chang ru which appears to be the precursor of the ao.
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.
Daopao, also known as xuezi when used as a Xifu during Chinese opera performances, and deluo when it is blue in colour, is a traditional form of paofu in Hanfu and is also one of the most distinctive form of traditional clothing for the Han Chinese. The daopao was one of the most common traditional form of outer robe worn by men. Daopao literally means "Taoist robe"; however, despite its name, the daopao were and is worn by men, and did not imply that its wearer had some affiliation to taoism. The daopao can be dated back to at least the Ming dynasty but had actually been worn since the Song dynasty. Initially the daopao was a form of casual clothing which was worn by the middle or lower class in the Ming dynasty. In the middle and late Ming, it was one of the most common form of robes worn by men as casual clothing. The daopao was also a popular formal wear by the Ming dynasty scholars in their daily lives. It was also the daily clothing for the literati scholars in the Ming dynasty. In the late Ming, it was also a popular form of clothing among the external officials and eunuchs sometimes wore it. The daopao was also introduced in Korea during the Joseon period, where it became known as dopo and was eventually localized in its current form.
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.
The Round collar robe, also called yuanlingpao and yuanlingshan in China, danryeong in Korea, was a style of paofu, a Chinese robe, worn in ancient China, which was long enough to cover the entire body of its wearer. The Chinese yuanlingpao was developed under the influences of the Hufu worn by the Donghu people and by the Wuhu. Depending on time period, the Chinese yuanlingpao also had some traces of influences from the Hufu worn by the Sogdian. The Chinese yuanlingpao continued to evolve, developing distinctive Chinese characteristics with time and lost its Hufu connotation. It eventually became fully integrated in the Hanfu system for the imperial and court dress attire. Under the influence of ancient China, the Chinese yuanlingpao was adopted by the rest of the East Asian cultural sphere.
Paofu, also known as pao for short, is a form of a long, one-piece robe in Hanfu, which is characterized by the natural integration of the upper and lower part of the robe which is cut from a single fabric. The term is often used to refer to the jiaolingpao and the yuanlingpao. The jiaolingpao was worn since the Zhou dynasty and became prominent in the Han dynasty. The jiaolingpao was a unisex, one-piece robe; while it was worn mainly by men, women could also wear it. It initially looked similar to the ancient shenyi; however, these two robes are structurally different from each other. With time, the ancient shenyi disappeared while the paofu evolved gaining different features in each succeeding dynasties; the paofu continues to be worn even in present day. The term paofu refers to the "long robe" worn by ancient Chinese, and can include several form of Chinese robes of various origins and cuts, including Changshan,Qipao, Shenyi,Tieli, Zhisun, Yesa.
Dahu was a form of robe/jacket which originated in the Ming dynasty. In Ming dynasty, the dahu was either a new type of banbi or a sleeveless jacket, whose designs was influenced by the Mongol Yuan dynasty clothing.
Shanku is a generic term which refers to a two-piece set of attire in Hanfu, which is typically composed of a youren yi, a Chinese upper garment which typically overlaps and closes on the right side which could be called shan, ru, ao, and a pair of long trousers ku. As a form of daily attire, the shanku was mainly worn by people from lower social status in China, such as labourers, shopkeepers, or retainers from wealthy household. The shanku was originally worn by both genders. Up until the mid-20th century, it was popular in China and outside of China where it was worn by overseas Chinese in countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Suriname, etc. It is still worn in present-day China and can be found in rural areas.
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 to as shan, ao, and yi, is a form of traditional Chinese upper garment, or coat, or jacket, which typically has a right closure; however, they may also have a front central opening. It is traditional everyday wear for women of the Han Chinese ethnic group. It can be worn in combination with a skirt in a style called ruqun, or a pair of trousers in a style called shanku.
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.
Fanlingpao, sometimes referred to as kuapao and hufu in the Tang dynasty when they feature double overturned lapels, is a type of paofu with lapels. It was categorized as Hufu instead of Hanfu due to its association with clothing of the foreigners who came from the Silk road. Fanlingpao were first introduced in China during the Northern Wei dynasty and became popular in Northern Qi. The custom of wearing fanlingpao were then inherited and further developed in the Sui and Tang dynasties. The fanlingpao could be transformed into a round collar robe, called yuanlingpao, in the Tang dynasty through the use of buttons. The fanlingpao shows foreign influences, which are mostly likely from the Persian, Sassanian Persian, Iranian Sogdian, and Turkic. Fanlingpao were popular fashion during Tang dynasty for both men and women and showed the popularity of Hufu-style clothing during this period; it was considered hufu while yuanlingpao was categorized as a form Hanfu.
Traditional Chinese wedding dress is a collective term which refers to all the different forms and styles of traditional wedding attire worn by the Han Chinese when performing their marriage ceremony, including the traditional Chinese marriage. There are various forms of traditional Chinese wedding dress in the history of China. Since the Zhou dynasty, there have national laws and rules which regulated the different categories of clothing and personal accessories; these regulations have created various categories of clothing attire, including the traditional wedding attire of the Chinese people.
Xiuhefu is a two-piece garment set of attire which was designed to look like a style of traditional Chinese wedding dress and follows the traditional Chinese yichang clothing system. The Xiuhefu is a modern recreation version of the Qing dynasty wedding aoqun, a form of Hanfu, which was worn by the Han Chinese women, composed of a qun as lower garment and an ao as an upper garment. It was developed in modern China and became popular in 2001 when it was popularized by when Zhou Xun, the actress who played the role of Xiu He, in the Chinese television drama Juzi Hongle(橘子紅了; 'Orange turned red'), thus gaining its contemporary name from name of the television drama character. It is often confused with another traditional Chinese wedding dress known as qungua due to their similarities in appearance.
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