What are the Artistic Characteristics and Cultural Connotation of Chinese Traditional Costume?

The three major connotations of traditional Chinese dress culture

Dress is an external feature of a nation, so the cultural characteristics reflected in the dress of different nations vary. After thousands of years of glorious development, the connotation of Chinese traditional dress culture is extremely rich and colorful. However, from a macro point of view, the most representative ones are the three major connotations of "harmony and unity" culture, "prominence" culture and "variety" culture.

The culture of harmony and unity is the essence of traditional Chinese dress culture. Throughout the thousands of years of China's dress development history, harmony and unity are the true meaning of its culture. Since the birth of Chinese dress, it has been following the unity of physical warmth and aesthetic expression, marking display and symbolic expression, individuality prominence and joyfulness and auspiciousness, to maximize the harmony and coordination between dress and nature, dress and society, and dress and people. The beauty of blending scenarios and unity of imagery is the most precious quality of traditional Chinese dress culture.

Labeling culture is the most basic element of traditional Chinese dress culture. This element is mainly manifested in the marking of hierarchy, profession, behavior and morality, as well as the marking of age structure and gender in the expression of clothing concepts generated by people's long-term production practice and social practice. From the primitive tribal chiefs and hunting officials dress labeling to the feudal emperor's official clothes, from the civil and military officials labeling to the modern military uniforms, professional clothing labeling, from the official system in the ritual system to today's civilian clothes, evening dress, etc., have demonstrated its labeling prominent cultural connotations. Marking is not only a requirement of the "system" (legal system), but also a social and moral norm. This kind of culture, which has pushed the idea of the function of dress marking to a peak, has also greatly advanced the development of traditional Chinese dress culture. It can be asserted that the honor of the "Kingdom of Clothes" would not have been possible without the protection of the crown system of class society for thousands of years.

The culture of diversity is another characteristic of traditional Chinese dress culture. Vertically, there have been large differences in Chinese dress culture throughout the ages. In terms of the trajectory of the evolution of the "institutional form" of dress in China over the past three millennia in the form of class society, the Zhou ritual is different from that of the Han; the Tang system is different from that of the Qing system, and basically, each dynasty has its own dress system, with its own specific ceremonial requirements. Horizontally, due to China's vast territory and many nationalities, there are great differences in the pursuit of dress styles, taboos on dress colors, the technical level of dress materials, and the expression of imagery at different times, places, and locations, sometimes reflecting great antagonism. This diversity reflects both the richness and colorfulness of traditional Chinese dress culture and its different characteristics from other countries.