As one of the earliest people to wear shoes, ancient Chinese once created a very rich Hanfu shoe culture. Among them, there are many "secrets" on the shoe tip, even more unexpected. Regardless of left and right feet Shoes are divided into left and right feet, which is now known as common sense. But if time can go back to 1000 years ago, the shoes are divided into left and right feet, which is quite another phenomenon. Are left and right shoes hard to wear? No! Most of the materials used to make shoes in ancient times were very soft. For example, straw shoes, flax shoes, even with animal skin can also be handled very softly. What's more, the Hanfu shoes worn by the ancients were relatively loose and large in size, so they would not be worn or worn. Although shoes are not divided into left and right, the ancients still talked about left and right when buying shoes. When trying on shoes, usually try on the left foot first, as long as the left foot can be put on, and no need to try on the right foot. This is because the left foot is generally a little…

Chinese fashion has had an independent, complete, and comprehensive cutting system since ancient times. However, since modern society, it has gradually been replaced by Western cutting techniques. Even traditional and ethnic clothing has to use Western cutting structures in order to survive. This state persisted until the revival of Hanfu. As one of China's traditional clothing, Hanfu not only has considerable influence but also has a different cutting method from Western fashion. However, this did not stop Hanfu from exploring fashion. For the past 20 years, there have been roughly four stages of exploration.   Traditional Shape · Daily Style - The First Exploration of Hanfu Fashionization In the 20 years since the revival of Hanfu, the road to fashionization has been difficult and challenging, but it has never given up moving forward. The audience of Hanfu continues to update, but there are always a group of people who are keen to explore the styles that are more suitable for modern daily life among the historical Hanfu styles. They make subtle adjustments to the size or structure based on the aspects where the wearing experience is not very good through daily wearing practice, making these styles more suitable for daily…

The ancient Chinese were designed the clothing and crown system with distinct rank differences, to conform to the social order. Women's clothing is the same as men's, was constrained by system and etiquette. This article, centered around Ming Hua Tang's hanfu, introduce you to the detail of royal hanfu dress for noblewoman (Ming Fu, 命妇) in the late Ming Dynasty.   The Definition of Ming Fu According to Ming Dynasty regulations, officials from the first to fifth ranks are eligible for the "Gao Ming" (诰命). The title "Gao Ming" is mandated by the imperial court. It is the "sacred decree" commonly known as folklore, like the exhortation came from The emperor himself. The "Gao Ming" is all vouchers for the court to grant officials and their relatives. According to the rank of officials, obtaining a "Gao Ming" sometimes requires considerable effort. For example, have made achievements in politics or the military. Women follow the rank of their husband or son. A woman who is granted a "Gao Ming" is called a "Ming Fu" (women with imperial exhortation). According to the rank from high to low, there are titles such as Fu Ren(夫人, the Honorary), Shu Ren(淑人, the Kindness), Gong Ren…

After thousands of years of history, Chinese Hanfu styles are extremely diverse. However, the Hanfu recognized today mainly refers to the costumes of powerful dynasties such as Han, Tang, Song, and Ming, and is also the main basis for contemporary Hanfu design. There is no longer to consider the hierarchy in wearing modern Hanfu, with a richer mix of colors, patterns, and fabrics. Modern Hanfu designs are more simple and more comfortable, incorporating more fashionable elements while not losing beauty. Hanfu enthusiasts can choose and match Hanfu according to their own style and preference. However, because of its distinctive national characteristics, following certain wearing etiquette will definitely make the wearer more elegant and confident.   The Origin of Hanfu Chinese Hanfu is the traditional costume of the Han people. How did the name originate? How is it worn? What is the relationship between Han Chinese costume and Chinese culture? These questions can not be explained in a few words. First of all, we need to understand the origin of the Han Chinese, the early Han Chinese set the tone for the dress of later generations. Hua Xia The Han originated from Huaxia. The term "Huaxia (华夏)" was first used in…

Vocab Palace Belt - 宫绦, gōng tāo, is an accessory worn around the waist to prevent dresses from flowing in the wind. It is commonly paired with hanfu for a simplistic look and referred to as such in modern times. Silk Belt - 丝绦, sī tāo. An accessory that ancient Chinese people used to refer to. However, it was not only used as a fashion accessory but also on fans or flutes. Zhiduo - 直裰, zhídāo. A traditional Chinese robe worn by scholars and officials during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It has a straight-cut Mandarin collar without openings and is a formal attire reserved for special occasions. It is worn over long shirts and wide trousers. Tassels - 流苏, liúsū. In ancient China it had different names, such as 穗子 (suìzi), 缨旒 (yīng liú), and 流苏 (liúsū). Nowadays, 流苏 (liúsū) is the most commonly used name for tassels. Silk ribbon- 绶, shòu - the ribbon with a jade or officials seals at the end.   History of Gong Tao The Palace Belt, known as 宫绦 (gōng tāo), is an accessory that dates back to the Warring States Period. It is a long woven rope with tassels attached on both…

The program "Nian Jin" at the 2024 CCTV Spring Festival Gala showcased the beauty of traditional Hanfu from various dynasties to billions of viewers. Among them, the exquisite patterns connected the vision of a prosperous new year and allowed more people to understand the essence of traditional Hanfu, which is supported by classical patterns and traditional fabrics. From the grandeur of the Warring States period to the elegance of the Ming Dynasty, this stage performance passed down the beauty of China's thousands of years. Liu Tao, Liu Shishi, Li Qin, and Guan Xiaotong led the singing of "Nian Jin", and they represented the splendor of the Han, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, HANTIME will share the highlights in detail with us. Liu Tao's outfit consists of a Zhiju robe and a Gui Yi, with yellow as the main color, representing a solemn and grand emotional meaning. The pattern combines the patterns of the Chinese flowering crabapple and clouds, with a cape made of swallowtail gauze. The hem of the robe is made of Changle Mingguang brocade, a Han dynasty brocade discovered in Loulan, Xinjiang. The pattern mainly features animal motifs, with the words "Changle Mingguang" symbolizing auspiciousness, intricately woven with…

Hanfu (汉服, hàn fú), Chinese traditional costume, the full name of which is "traditional costume of Han nationality". It is also known as Han Yiguan(汉衣冠), Han Zhuang (汉装), and Huafu (华服), which was formed from the reign of the Yellow Emperor to the middle of the 17th century (late Ming and early Qing dynasties), in the main residential areas of the Han nationality, with "Huaxia-Han" culture as the background and the dominant idea. With the Chinese ceremonial culture as the center, through natural evolution, formed the unique style and character of the Han nationality, obviously different from the traditional clothing and accessories system of other nationalities. This guide is classified according to the 1: basic feature of the Hanfu, 2: Hanfu shape & style, 3: Hanfu in different wearing scenes, 4: Hanfu in different dynasties, and the 5: related contents of Hanfu, so as to facilitate readers to understand and query.   Basic Feature of the Hanfu 1.1: Basic Structure Hanfu is cut from 50cm wide cloth and divided into parts: Ling (领, lǐng, collar), Jin(襟, jīn, placket), Ren (衽, rèn, overlapping part), Jin (衿, jīn or jìn), Ju (裾, jū), Xiu (袖, xiù, sleeves), Mei (袂, mèi), Dai (带, dài,…

Traditional Chinese colors come from nature and from the imagination of the ancient Chinese civilization. Traditional Chinese colors pursue the color concept of giving colors according to types and conveying consciousness through colors. In ancient times in China, there are positive colors and inter colors, with the distinction of respect, and lowly; righteous, and evil. Positive color refers to the color that promote each other, that is, the original color. Ancient primary colors to "Yin Yang Five Phases" doctrine in the five elements, water, fire, wood, metal, and earth, respectively, corresponding to black, red, cyan, white, and yellow as color symbols, known as the five-color system. Traditional Chinese clothing colors are also mainly primary colors. With the development of the times, different dynasties revered different colors, and these popular colors also reflected the material and spiritual civilization of their dynasties to a certain extent. Hanfu Shi Dai has compiled a summary of the traditional hanfu color schemes through dynasties, let's explore together.   Han Dynasty The Han Dynasty was influenced by the Taoist philosophy of Huanglao and Confucianism, and its costumes often pursued the essential beauty of the whole. At the same time, by the previous Qin dynasty, the concept of black…

With the movement and innovation of Hanfu, more and more new styles of Hanfu have appeared in our eyes, but those who are new to Hanfu may not know much about its style, so they don't know where to start to understand Hanfu style. Today, we have collected some basic styles of Hanfu and their corresponding historical prototypes, so let's experience the ancient Chinese fashion together. The Hanfu costume "began in Huangdi (黄帝) and was perfected in Yao (尧) and Shun (舜) ", and was styled in the Zhou Dynasty, and through the Han Dynasty, a complete system of headwear and costume was formed based on the Four Books and Five Classics. Duijin Ruqun (对襟襦裙, parallel collar) Ruqun is a top garment and skirt in Chinese, it is one of the earliest and most basic forms of Hanfu. "Ru", is a short garment, with collar style with parallel collar, crossed collar, or shawl collar (U-shaped collar). "Qun", is a skirt, is usually a one-piece or two-piece. The term "Duijin" refers to the symmetry of the left and right lapels of the Ruqun, and need wearing of an inner Moxiong(camisole). Duijin Ruqun was mainly popular in the Song Dynasty. Compared to other…

The Definition of Auspicious Costume Ji Fu (吉服, auspicious costume) was a new classification of clothing formed in the Ming Dynasty, referring to the clothing used for various auspicious occasions such as seasonal festivals, weddings, birthdays, and banquets. In the Qing Dynasty, it became a specialized category within the clothing system. Traditional Ji Fu refers to the clothing used for auspicious ceremonies (major rituals, etc.). With the development of the times and the increase in festivals and celebrations, there was a need for a special auspicious costume for all kinds of festive occasions, so the Ming dynasty referred to a more formal dress than the everyday casual dress for rituals and all kinds of auspicious occasions as the auspicious costume. Although not found in the system, the term "Ji Fu" was repeatedly used in various political books and literary works. During the Ming dynasty, the auspicious costume was not a single standard style, but the same style as the regular and casual hanfu costumes, such as Yuan Ling Pao, Zhi Shen, Yi San, Tie Li, Dao Pao, Ao Qun, etc. The color was mostly in festive colors such as red, for example, the officials used to wear a red round…

Hanfu wedding, which is wearing traditional Chinese clothing: Hanfu, and taking the traditional Chinese wedding system as the prototype. Modern people restore the traditional Chinese wedding, they roughly sum it up as follows The Zhou Hanfu wedding (周制婚礼), represented by the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties. Tang Hanfu wedding (唐制婚礼) represented by Wei, Jin, and Tang Dynasties. Ming Hanfu wedding (明制婚礼) represented by song and Ming Dynasties. The traditional Chinese Hanfu wedding ceremony is generally divided into three parts: pre-wedding ceremony, formal wedding ceremony, and post-wedding ceremony. As we all know, culture is the life of a nation, and etiquette is one of the main signs of all civilized nations and an important window of national culture. As the Chinese nation with a long civilization of 5000 years, attach great importance to marriage. The book of Zhouyi said: Only when there are heaven and earth can there be everything. Only when there is everything can there be men and women. Only when there are men and women can there be couples. Only when there are couples can there be fathers and sons. Only when there are fathers and sons can there be princes and ministers. Only when there are princes and…

Daxiushan (大袖衫, big sleeves shirt) were originally men's clothing in the Wei and Jin dynasties, but in the Tang dynasty it referred to women's extra wide big sleeves outfits. The shape of the Daxiushan is straight collar, symmetrical lapels, long sleeves, large cuffs, mostly long clothing body and with splitting and lacing.   Daxiushan in Tang Dynasty During the Tang Dynasty, the society was open and Hu clothing was prevalent. Women were free-spirited and often wore men's or Hu clothing. After the flourishing Tang period, the style of women's clothing became wider and wider, and this feature became more obvious in the middle and late Tang period, with general women's clothing, the sleeve width was often more than four feet. Wide sleeve shirts, long skirts and Pibo were worn as the noble dresses at that time, and usually worn on important occasions, such as court meetings, ceremonial, and marriages. The Daxiushan costume is recorded in Zhou Fang's painting "Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair With Flowers" records the Daxiushan costume. The beauty in the painting wears a long dress with a large-sleeved sarong shirt draped directly. The artist's realistic approach not only portrays the delicate clothing materials of the Tang Dynasty,…

The hanfu culture is no longer just a celebration for a small group of people; an increasing number of ordinary individuals are now sharing their hanfu experiences through creative short videos, integrating hanfu into their daily lives. At the same time, the seemingly unrelated realms of hanfu and fashion have also begun to merge. Hanfu covers in fashion magazines have sparked discussions within the hanfu community, fashion circles, and academic circles alike. Among them, we can find replicas, traditional designs, and fusion styles of hanfu. Dongjin Shangyu has compiled a collection of fashionable magazine spreads featuring hanfu throughout the years for you.   Hanfu in 2013 "FHM" Ten years ago, social networks were not as active as they are today. However, even at that time these three photos broke through the aesthetic norms of the hanfu community and even attracted attention from the media industry. One of these works was used as a cover photo in Issue 112 of "CHINESE HERITAGE" magazine. At that time, Yu Lingyuan was responsible for this photoshoot and said: "The structure of Western suits is similar to Western sculpture - it is very complex in terms of craftsmanship and has a three-dimensional quality. However, what…

This article introduces you to the components of the Hanfu upper garment. Use the most common cross-collar shirt for demonstration. original picture This is a Ming Dynasty women's woven gold cross-collar short shirt currently in the Confucius Museum in Shandong. 1. Guard collar (Huling, 护领): added to the outside of the collar parts, shorter than the collar, made of plain cloth, can be used to prevent wear and tear dirty. 2. Lapel (Jin, 襟, jīn): it refers to the edge of the chest part of the clothes, which is the collar edge of the clothes with cross collar and straight collar. 3. Ren (衽, rèn): refers to the chest part of the clothes. The Ren of Hanfu is usually covered to the right (when viewed from the front, the right lapel covers the left lapel), which is called You Ren (右衽, right overlapping). 4. Du (裻, dú): refers to the middle seam of the clothes, due to the narrow width of the cloth in ancient times, will be seamed in the middle of the back, called the Zhong Feng (中缝, middle seam). 5. Lacing: The rope belt used to fix the clothes. 6. Ge (袼, gē): refers to the sleeve…

In the process of evolution, there are dozens or even hundreds of styles of Chinese clothes. This article mainly introduces the most classical styles of Chinese Hanfu clothes. Women's clothing Suit Ruqun(襦裙) Ruqun is a kind of hanfu, also call: Shanqun (衫裙), short clothes worn on the upper body, call "Ru", and the dress of the lower body, call "Qun", together call "Ruqun". It is a typical "Shangyi Xiachang(top clothes and underdress) " form. Ruqun has an obvious feature: short top and long dress. The Ruqun appeared in the Warring States Period, Ruqun was worn by ordinary people(female) until the end of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Jiaoling Ruqun/ Shanqun(交领襦裙/衫裙) Jiaoling Ruqun is a kind of Ruqun, the main feature is: the top collar is cross. It is quite common in the Song Dynasty. Wearing method: First: Wear top clothes, Align the collar of the top clothes; Tie a knot in right Jin(襟, the chest part of the top); Tie a knot in left Jin. Second: tie up the dress, Put the dress in front of you, wrap the skirt behind you; Two sides of the dress overlap behind; Folding outwards the pressing on the inner layer of dress; Adjust…

So maybe you’ve been interested in hanfu for a while, and you’ve vaguely started to pick out the differences between Ming Dynasty aoqun and Tang Dynasty heziqun, but you still have no clue what the order of the time periods are or even what they were characterized by. Upon a quick sift through Wikipedia, there’s just wayyyyy too much information to process, and you don’t even know what information to look for—what matters to your understanding of hanfu culture. Fear not! Here’s a compendium of what you need to know about the historical context of hanfu. The Structure of Ancient Chinese History There’s a phenomenon in Chinese history that we call the Dynastic Cycle. Ancient China was ruled over by many different time periods called Dynasties, each with a family of rulers, and most of these follow the same general scheme: the central ruling power is established, the population goes up and the country flourishes, corruption starts affecting the political scheme, people revolt, and the country either dissolves into several warring states or gets conquered by another group of people. Then one state emerges victorious over the other ones or the invaders, the next dynasty is established, and the cycle…

Hey everyone, sorry for the hiatus! I’m back now with a new series of articles—Hanfu Unearthed, a series examining the more technical, historical origins of hanfu. This series of articles is going to focus on the archaeological side of hanfu research: the relics that we’ve uncovered from various dig sites and tombs. The way that hanfu is defined by most is that its shape and construction is designed off of these relics, so let’s take a look at the real historical references that we have. A quick disclaimer—this series of articles is a result of my own research. I’m not a trained historian or archaeologist, I’m an inexperienced student with an interest in hanfu and chinese history. I don’t have a works cited page for these (though I can point you towards some of the resources I used off the top of my head if you really want them), and I didn’t spend a long time verifying my sources beyond checking with multiple sources to make sure the information was consistent, because frankly I don’t have the time to do that. All articles will come with this disclaimer, so please, please understand that I’m doing my best with what I…

When we introduced the Xiapei during the Song and Ming dynasties, we mentioned that the Xiapei hangs flat in front of the chest. The creation of Hanfu ornament: "Peizhui (帔坠)" is to ensure that the Xiapei (霞帔) is flattened in front of women's chest and belly when they move, maintaining a dignified image. Nowadays, you can often see girls who like Ming-style Hanfu hanging their Peizhui pendant around their neck for decoration. As an important part of Song and Ming women's costumes, the historical Peizhui pendant is integrated with the Xiapei, which serves the function of beautifying decoration and distinguishing social hierarchy. In the excavated tombs of Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, the silk fabric of Xiapei is not easy to be preserved, but the gold, silver, and jade quality of Peizhui has been preserved. Today, let's learn more about Peizhui pendant, a precious Hanfu ornament! Peizhui is usually made of two patterned curved pieces that are fastened together and attached to the end of the Xiapei in front of the body. The patterns are mostly hollow, often mistaken for scented sachet when unearthed earlier. The Peizhui unearthed in Song, Yuan, and Ming tombs are mainly made of gold, silver,…

This section contains Aoqun (袄裙), which can be divided into: Duan Ao (短袄), Da Ao (大袄), Mamian Qun (马面裙). Size range: Duan Ao and Da Ao (155/80A to 175/96A),  Mamian Qun (155/80A to 175/80A). Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance.     Introduction In the Ming Dynasty, women's Hanfu clothing is very popular in the form of clothes cover skirt way of dress, the most common "Aoqun (袄裙)" is a Ming Dynasty women's clothing general term, that is, the upper Ao (袄, jacket) with the lower Qun (裙, skirt) with the way, and not a single piece of clothing. The "Ao" in this section refers to a cross-necked female top, and the "Qun" refers to a Mamian Qun (horse-face skirt). Early Hanfu tops were mostly called "Ru (襦)", and after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, they were also called "Ao" and "Shan (衫, shirt)". Nowadays, it is generally considered that the Aoqun is longer and covers the waist of the skirt, while the one that requires the clothes to be tucked into the waist of the skirt is the Ruqun (襦裙), but both belong to the Ruqun system. The Ming-style Aoqun…

Fabric and craftsmanship are both very important aspects of hanfu making. In this article, several common hanfu fabric processes will be briefly introduced to you.   Zhuang Hua Zhuang Hua (妆花) is the most complex variety of weaving technology in Nanjing cloud brocade, and also the representative jacquard silk weaving variety with the most local characteristics of Nanjing, was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Traditional Zhuang Hua is made of artificial weaving, and the Zhuang Hua on nowadays are all "imitation Zhuang Hua", which are made by machines. The Zhuang Hua fabric is characterized by many colors and is rich in color changes. In terms of the weaving method, the pattern on the fabric is partially painted by using a colored fleece weft bobbin. The color matching is very free and there are no restrictions. The main pattern of the design is usually expressed in two or three levels of color, and some patterns are expressed in simple color (such as pedicels, leaves, and buds). A piece of Zhuang Hua fabric with patterns and colors can be matched in more than a dozen or even 20 or 30 colors. Although there are many colors of Zhuang Hua, but…