Typical ChineseCostumes典型中国服装类型

   Chinese Tunic Suit, Chinese cheongsam, and Tang costume are typicalChinese costumes, and each of them enjoys high reputation in the world with itsown history and characteristics.

   The Chinese Tunic Suit wasa uniform that Dr. Sun Yat-sen^①likedto wear and also recommended to the people of the country to wear. TheRevolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty andfounded the Republic of China. Members of his Nationalist Party proposed achange to the national costume. During discussions, Dr. Sun favored the casualdress prevalent in Guangdong Province but proposed certain modifications.

   A designer worked with hisideas and produced a tunic with four pockets and a turn-down collar, securedwith five central buttons. It looked simple and tasteful and gave an air ofrespectability. It had a revolutionary implication: The pocket lids were likereversed-triangle penholders, symbolizing facile revolutionary writers. Thefive buttons represented the five powers outline in the proposed constitution.Dr. Sun set an example by often wearing the tunic suit. It did not take longbefore the style became fashionable across the country. Now, some people stillwear tunic suits on formal occasions.

   The cheongsam is a classicdress for Chinese women with the elaborate elegance of Chinese traditionalstyle. It enjoys a growing popularity in the international world of highfashion. The word “cheongsam” simply means “long dress”. It entered the Englishvocabulary from the Cantonese dialect of China. In other parts of the countryincluding Beijing, however, it is known as “Qipao”. When the early Qing rulerscame to power, they organized certain people, mainly Manchus^②, into “Banners” (qi) and called them “banner people” (qiren), whichthen became loosely the name of all Manchus. The Manchu women’s normal longgown likewise came to be called “qipao” or “banner dress”. Although theRevolution of 1911 toppled the rule of the Qing Dynasty, the female dress survivedthe political change and, with later improvements, has become the traditionaldress for Chinese women. The cheongsam is easy and comfortable to wear, snuglyfitting the female Chinese figure. Its neckline is high, collar closed, and itssleeves may be short, medium or full length, depending on the season or thewearer’s taste. The dress is buttoned on the right side, with a loose bodice, afitted waist, and side-slits to the hem, all of which combine to set off thebeauty of the female’s figure.

   At the end of the 20thcentury, the Tang costume (Chinese-style coat) began entering the mainstream.Like the Cheongsam, the Tang costume is another representative of Chinesenational costumes. It derived its name not just because its designers gotinspirations from the costumes of the Tang Dynasty but also because the TangDynasty was a prosperous period in Chinese history. Clothes that embody aChinese flavor were therefore collectively referred to as Tang costume. Famousinternational designers set their sights on China, and its 5000-plus years ofcivilization and fashions. China’s impact on the global fashion industry wasrealized during the Ninth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC)^③ in October 2001, when all the heads of the member nations wore theTang costumes.

Abridgedand revised from

                                    Liao Huaying, AGlimpse of Chinese Culture, 2008

Notes:

①Dr.Sun Yat-sen: 孙中山（1866年—1925年），名文，字载之，号逸仙，化名中山。是中国近代民主主义革命的开拓者，中华民国和中国国民党的缔造者，三民主义的倡导者，被尊称为中华民国国父。

②Manchus:满族人，旧称满洲族。是通古斯民族中最大的一个支系，族人旧称旗人，1911年辛亥革命后，满洲族改称满族。

③APEC: 亚太经济合作组织（Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation，简称APEC）是亚太地区最具影响的经济合作官方论坛。