I. The Historical Significance of Reviving Hanfu
Hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Huaxia nation since ancient times, has a long history and has been passed down for thousands of years, representing the accumulation and inheritance of Chinese culture. Since the rise of the Hanfu revival movement, more and more people have begun to rediscover and fall in love with this elegant and luxurious traditional attire. However, some may wonder why modern revived Hanfu is not called “Ming Clothing” when the Ming Dynasty was a period of prosperity for Hanfu culture?
II. Historical Background of Evolution
We first need to understand the evolution history of Hanfu. The development of Hanfu can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, during which the initial clothing system was formed. With the alternation of dynasties, Hanfu also continuously evolved, becoming the representative clothing of the Han Dynasty, and later received a certain degree of inheritance and development during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Sui and Tang periods. However, after entering the Song Dynasty, Hanfu gradually faded from people's sight, being replaced by more new-style clothing.
The Ming Dynasty, as a glorious chapter in Chinese history, played an important role in the inheritance and evolution of Hanfu culture. The Ming Dynasty excelled in innovation and reform, incorporating elements of Hanfu into clothing design, forming unique Ming Dynasty Hanfu. Its characteristics include elegance and luxury, paying attention to details and quality, better conforming to the aesthetic standards of the era.
However, Ming Dynasty Hanfu is not the end point of the entire history of Hanfu; it is only one chapter. With the decline of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of the Qing Dynasty, Hanfu culture gradually declined. During the Qing Dynasty, in order to consolidate their ruling position, the Manchu promoted Manchu clothing and clearly restricted Han clothing. During this period, Hanfu culture was almost completely prohibited, and Han people could only wear Manchu clothing.
III. The Significance of the Hanfu Revival Movement
The original intention of the Hanfu revival movement was to excavate and protect excellent Chinese cultural resources, inheriting the essence of traditional culture. This movement promoted the inheritance and development of Hanfu culture, enhancing people's understanding and recognition of traditional culture. However, precisely because Ming Dynasty Hanfu is only a small part of the entire history of Hanfu, we chose the broader term Hanfu rather than Ming Dynasty Hanfu.
IV. Characteristics of Ming Dynasty Hanfu
Ming Dynasty Hanfu, as a unique form of clothing, has distinct characteristics and aesthetic styles of its time. One of the features of Ming Dynasty Hanfu is its delicate embroidery craftsmanship, fully demonstrating the craftsmanship aesthetics of traditional Chinese culture. Ming Dynasty Hanfu pays attention to overall garment design, allowing people to fully experience the essence of traditional Chinese culture.
In addition, Ming Dynasty Hanfu includes many innovations. For example, the shape of the garment front, the design of the cuffs, and the style of the collar all have obvious changes and breakthroughs, reflecting the unique insights of Ming Dynasty people into garment design.
V. The Broader Meaning of Hanfu
The choice to call it Hanfu is because this term is more general. Although Ming Dynasty Hanfu is one of them and has unique artistic and cultural values, we believe that Hanfu is not limited to Ming Dynasty Hanfu but also includes traditional clothing of other dynasties after the Han Dynasty. Defining Hanfu as Ming Dynasty clothing appears too narrow and insufficient to describe this rich and diverse traditional culture.
Therefore, we choose to call it Hanfu to summarize the traditional clothing of the Han nationality from ancient times to the present, expressing the integrity of traditional Chinese clothing and also aligning more with the original intention of inheriting and promoting Chinese culture.
VI. Conclusion
Ming Dynasty Hanfu, as an important node in Hanfu culture, is one of the treasures of the Hanfu revival movement. However, to better enhance people's understanding and recognition of traditional culture, we chose the broader term Hanfu. The success of the Hanfu revival movement is not only reflected in the restoration and inheritance of Ming Dynasty Hanfu but more importantly in inspiring people's love and reflection on traditional culture. In our hearts, having only Ming Dynasty Hanfu is far from enough; only the revival of the entire Han traditional clothing can truly achieve the brilliant re-emergence of Chinese traditional culture.
