Is the Chinese-style chest covering a man or a woman?

Both men and women wear it. brief introduction

Chinese-style chest covering (dù d! U), called Dou Du in ancient times, is a kind of underwear that protects the chest and abdomen in China traditional clothing. The upper part is tied around the neck with a cloth belt, and the lower sides are tied around the waist. The names of Chinese corsets are different from generation to generation. In addition to Chinese-style corsets, there are other aliases such as wiping the chest, wiping the abdomen, wiping the abdomen, wrapping the abdomen, taking the pocket, taking the bag, taking the terminalia chebula and taking the clothes.

The art of Chinese corsets is mainly embroidery, and there are also patched patterns. Because it includes sewing, embroidery, tailoring, modeling and color composition, Chinese-style belly cover belongs to the comprehensive performance part of folk women's art.

[Edit this paragraph] Interpretation

1. Tight clothes covering the chest and abdomen. Diamond-shaped, some with bags, used for storage. In the Ming Dynasty, Liu Ruoyu's "Inner Rules": "If you cast gold, you have stolen the honor, and the first one will not sell it. Steal a Chinese chest bag and carry it with you day and night. " The second episode of "Hate the Sea": "The coachman said, put down the whip and put the money in the Chinese pocket." Mao Dun's "Lin's Shop" IV: "Shousheng lifted his clothes as he spoke, took out a towel bag from his belly pocket and handed it to Mr. Lin." Press and cover the clothes for cooking, which also has this name. Shanghai is called "rice list" and Hunan is called "apron".

2. A tubular coat used by women or children in the old days. Qing Wu Zhuquan's Miscellaneous Notes on You Ya's Continued Banqiao: "As for wiping the chest, it is commonly known as Chinese-style chest covering, Xia Dong crepe, musk crumbs and brocade." Child users are still common today, but there are generally no packages. Hunan is known as the "Dou Du" to avoid the wind blowing the navel when sleeping.

[Edit this paragraph] Source

It's a long story about Chinese-style chest covering. Its origin can be traced back to the beginning of chaos in heaven and earth. Two brothers and sisters, Nu Wa and Fuxi, got married and had children after the flood, and created the first costume of mankind-a Chinese-style corset, in order to cover up the shame of human body.

According to the historical records of China, its origin can be traced back to 8 18 BC. "Zuo Zhuan" said: "When you meet with Confucius, you are loyal to each other to play the DPRK." The clothes mentioned here are close-fitting clothes, or they may be later Chinese corsets. Pre-Qin called it "fake" and Han called it "holding the belly", which was popular in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. There is also a saying that Chinese-style chest covering was invented by Yang Guifei to cover up the trace of her affair with An Lushan. There is also a folk saying that when Chinese-style chest wrapping began in the Han Dynasty, single women were afraid of being bullied by rude men, so they tied their chests with cloth, which was called "corset".

[Edit this paragraph] History

Han Liuxi's "Interpretation of Famous Clothing" said: Holding the abdomen, there is a belt up and down, holding the abdomen around, and there is no crotch on it. The clothing categories of Tsui Hark's "clearing banknotes" are: Chinese Chinese-style Chinese-style bellybutton, Xia Dong crepe, musk crumbs and brocade. Cao Tingdong's Essays on Health Preservation in Qing Dynasty was published in one volume: The abdomen is the sum of the five internal organs, so the abdomen is warm and the elderly are weak, so heating is more appropriate. Do a belly wash, beat the wormwood leaves soft and spread them evenly, cover them with silk cotton, and arrange them closely with fine needles, so as not to let them break into pieces. You need to lie down at night, and it is not easy to take it off at home. Other herbs, such as ginger, cinnamon and musk deer, can treat abdominal cold pain.

After the Ming dynasty, women generally had the habit of using Chinese corsets, which were called "pockets" at that time, commonly known as chest wiping. It is made of two pieces cut obliquely, with a sharp top and a flat bottom. There are two styles of chest tube towels in Qing Dynasty. One is short and close-fitting, tied between the chest and abdomen, commonly known as "Chinese-style chest covering". The other is tied between the waist and abdomen, which is called "wiping the chest and abdomen". "Clearing the banknotes" records: "Wipe the chest, there is a small coat between the breasts, and once you wipe the abdomen, it is also called wiping the abdomen; Take the cloth of square feet as it, and tighten the chest to prevent the wind and cold, which is commonly known as Dou Du. Both men and women. "

Underwear in Qing dynasty was called "Chinese-style chest covering" and was generally made into a diamond shape. There is a belt on it, worn between the neck and tied with two belts at the back of the waist. The bottom is an inverted triangle, covering the navel and reaching the lower abdomen. Most materials are cotton and silk. The strap used for binding is not limited to rope. Rich families use gold chains, middle families use silver chains and copper chains, and small jasper uses HongLing. There are all kinds of exquisite embroidery on the "belly pocket". Red is a common color in Chinese corsets. It can be seen that in the Qing Dynasty, it not only protected against wind invasion, but also played the role of medicine and sachet.

In the thirty-sixth episode of A Dream of Red Mansions, Baochai came to Baoyu's room and saw xiren sewing. It turned out to be a Chinese-style chest covering made of white silk and red material, with patterns of Yuanyang playing lotus, red lotus leaves and five-color Yuanyang on it.

Edit this paragraph mode

The front of Chinese-style chest covering usually has patterns, including printing and embroidery. Most of the popular prints are blue calico, with auspicious patterns such as "Giving birth to a precious child", "Sending a unicorn to a child", "Phoenix wearing peony" and "More than one year". Embroidered Chinese corsets are more common, and the theme patterns of embroidery are mostly China folklore or some folk customs. For example, the golden toad in Liu Hai's play, the magpie in plum blossom, the mandarin duck in the water, the lotus flower and other flowers and insects are mostly auspicious and happy themes.

[Edit this paragraph] material

Children's navel covers are mostly red cloth, adults are mostly black cloth, and lining is mostly white cloth. Because Chinese navel is underwear that women wear every day, it often needs to be replaced and washed. In addition to the comfort of materials and styles, it must be firm. In the process of knitting and embroidery, it is more necessary to be resistant to friction and washing to prevent falling off. As far as the preserved objects are concerned, the fabrics of Chinese corsets are mostly silk, and the front and back fabrics are of the same color, such as white, red, pink, blue, light blue, light green, light yellow and black. Basically, the material and color of Chinese corsets are closely related to the wearer's age, status, economic ability and local customs and culture. Just like a happy event, I like to use red. Old people advocate simplicity, so they often use black. Young or middle-aged women choose different colors. The fabric of Chinese corset for civilians is based on white and blue, and the embroidery is simple and generous. Rich people use expensive silk and satin as materials, which are inlaid with gold and silver, carving dragons and embroidering phoenixes, and the patterns are gorgeous and full.

[Edit this paragraph] Modeling

Chinese corsets are shaped like the front of a vest, mostly square or rectangular, diagonally designed, with the upper corner cut into a concave shallow semicircle and the lower corner pointed or round.

The shape of Chinese corsets varies from place to place, and the basic style is similar to an unfolded folding fan shape (or approximate diamond shape). The method is to determine the circumference, inclination, waist angle and size of the pocket, and draw the design pattern directly on the cloth with ink pen. The cut diamond cloth is about 30 cm in length and width, and the lower end is curved. Cut off the acute angle around the neck, then put a pair of flower buttons on the two tips, and hook or fix the cloth belt around the neck through the gold and silver chain. The left and right corners are fixed with fine cloth belts and tied at the waist.

Due to different regions, the Chinese-style belly covers in Taiwan Province Province are still different in shape and pattern. The lower end of the belly pocket in Hsinchu area is slightly narrow and round. The lower end of the Chinese-style chest covering in Yanglan area is wide, the bottom is straight, and the left and right sides shrink into strips. Taoyuan and Miaoli Hakka's Chinese-style chest covers are between the above two, but the difference is that their Chinese-style chest covers are full of composition and embroidery.

In addition to the above-mentioned commonly used shapes, two kinds of Chinese-style belly pockets with special shapes can also be seen in the existing physical specimens. One is to add a square belly protector under the original pleated fan-shaped (or diamond-shaped) cloth, which is more common in Hakka villages in central and northern China.

[Edit this paragraph] function

▲ Practical value

Surrounding the chest and abdomen, it has the function of heat preservation and fu-organs protection. Adults' Chinese stomachs are not exposed, and children are naive when they are exposed in hot weather. There are two layers inside and outside, with large and small pockets on both sides. There are single pockets and double pockets, and some pockets have pocket covers. The pocket of Chinese-style chest covering is for children to put candy, playthings and small copper coins, while adults put keys, valuable money or small objects.

▲ symbolic meaning

The child's belly pocket is embroidered with the tiger's head and the pattern of "Five Poisons", which is used by adults to entrust the healthy growth of children. Mandarin ducks are embroidered on the belly pockets of the newlyweds, symbolizing their love. In Lintong area, the pattern of belly pocket is mostly toad, which becomes the amulet of the descendants of Nuwa and the symbol of reproductive worship. In the areas of Xifu Dali and Heyang, the Chinese-style chest covering is gourd-shaped. Gourd and pumpkin used to be one of the staple foods of agricultural ancestors, with many seeds, symbolizing more children and more happiness.

▲ Fashion significance

Fashion is a woman's toy. Whether it is mysterious and ancient culture or trendy and avant-garde technology, it can be integrated into "clothing" and become the most proud toy for women.

Someone asked: which part of a woman's body do you notice first? Some people say it's face, some people say it's chest, some people say it's ass, and some people say it's leg, but few people pay attention to their neck, shoulders and back from the beginning. Actually the latter is the most important part. It is often said that some women can endure watching, but at first glance it is nothing, and the more they look, the more beautiful they are; Some women can't bear to see it, they are amazing at first sight, and they get tired of it for a long time. The neck, shoulders and back are attractive parts, and Chinese corsets decorate these attractive parts with unique customs.

These parts are neither eye-catching nor shocking, and belong to the role of "ambiguous connotation" in sexy: implicit, quiet and full of stamina. They sneak up on you in a roundabout and low-key way without your knowledge, which makes you feel surprised and shocked, as limp and numb as your fingertips touch low voltage. A narrow, sloping shoulder, a curve that slides down from the neck, and flows sideways along the shoulder. The curve is breathtaking, reflecting the beauty of arc composition from waist line to pelvis. Skeletons are slightly visible on the shoulders and neck, exposed but not exposed, but not exposed.

The slender, white neck, thick from top to bottom, makes people feel pity at a glance, as if a gust of wind had blown away thousands of amorous feelings. The style of the back lies in the proportion and softness of the lines. Starting from the bottom of the neck, it bulges slightly upwards, and then tightens quickly above the waist, forming a beautiful long S-shape, and even the hips are spherical and high, which makes you feel an irresistible temptation.

This style of women's shoulders and necks is often revealed naturally after wearing an off-the-shoulder evening dress and rolling up a head of hair. However, in recent summer, women don't have to envy women who wear evening dresses, and they don't care about the days when there is no entertainment. Because of the elegance and mystery of this oriental woman, it is being displayed incisively and vividly in the increasingly popular exquisite embroidery, dense beaded tassels and full national flavor.

Deconstructing the future trend of clothing with gorgeous and simple ideas and emphasizing folk customs with brand-new methods are the reasons for the emergence of "Chinese corset". A thin thread around the neck, two ribbons around the waist, and a small Chinese bra allow young girls to show their beautiful youth, especially the white neck, shoulders and back. There are even some women talking about the hearts of teenagers. In this summer, they vent their long-hidden innocence on their small Chinese-style chest covering.

However, Chinese-style corsets can't make all women icing on the cake. Women should not wear Chinese-style chest covering too thick or too thin. As someone teased: a woman's squat is a man's nightmare; A woman with only two big shoulders and a back bone is like the wings of a bird.

Chinese-style chest covering belongs only to those young women who are fat and thin. As far as the belly pocket itself is concerned, whether it is silk bright lace or elastic fine mesh, it can add luster to it; Crystal beads and peach sequins, like stars, make women more passionate; The simplified version of Chinese corset is a cowboy, but it just shows the unruly and tough girl; The pattern of exotic flowers and plants is the most popular pursuit. With the same series of bags, necklaces, bracelets, embroidered shoes and belts, the national trend will be pushed to a climax.

Please pay attention to the gentle and graceful women who love beauty: Chinese-style chest covering, that touch of amorous feelings …

[Edit this paragraph] Customize

Chinese-style chest covering also has a certain position in the wedding. In Hakka wedding customs, when getting married, the bride's belly pocket is full of all kinds of treasures, each of which is full of profound auspicious meanings. There is an almanac, two orange cakes, a packet of rock sugar, a small mirror, a foreign silver, a copper and a silver. Almanac means to ward off evil spirits, orange cake means auspiciousness, rock sugar means sweetness and harmony, small mirror means light, copper coin means concentric, and foreign silver means reunion. On the wedding night, the bride takes out everything and eats orange cake and rock sugar with the groom.

In Shaanxi and Guanzhong area, Chinese-style chest covering is often accompanied by life etiquette. When a woman is happy, her mother and her husband's family will sew a Chinese-style corset for the upcoming baby. On Dragon Boat Festival, my uncle will give my nephew a Chinese corset. Daughter-in-law who has never been through the door will also make Chinese-style chest covering for her future husband. When a mature person reaches the age of "crossing the threshold", he will also put on a new belly to ensure peace; When the elderly reach the taboo year of "crossing the threshold", the daughter should wrap her belly for the elderly and pray for a long life. In many places, after death, people wear a Chinese-style chest covering before wearing a shroud.

In most parts of Shanxi, whether it is a plowman, a woman or a doll, generations can't live without their stomachs all year round. When the child is born, the first dress prepared by the mother is red cloth; Since then, every birthday, grandma's family and relatives have been sent to have a stomachache; When I grow up and get engaged, my daughter-in-law will send me a trip ... Year after year, the days have changed, but the habit of traveling has not changed.

The diamond-shaped cloth with ruler handle is embroidered with auspicious patterns such as flowers, Kirin and Ai Hu's poison control. The upper end is decorated with a collar around the neck, and the two ends of the lower end are tied to waist height, and they do not leave the body all year round. A child with a pinch of "long-lived hair" in the back of his head, naked and wearing a red belly, is lively and gratifying, so don't worry about cold stomach; The farmers took a nap in the scorching sun, took off their coats and showed off their exquisite stomachs, which not only had some fun, but also showed their daughter-in-law's needlework. Daughters-in-law don't have to worry about getting cold when they feed their children on their bellies. Indeed, Dou Du is not only a beautiful ornament, but also a health care product for warming the stomach.

Nowadays, the use of belly may have exceeded the original intention of our ancestors. Shanxi people not only use it to protect themselves, but also pin their hopes for a healthy and happy life on this small pocket.

[Edit this paragraph] Status quo

Belly pocket is a kind of traditional folk underwear. In modern times, due to the evolution of society and the introduction of western woven fabrics, urban people first replaced Chinese-style bellies with shirts and vests. But today, there is still a tradition of wearing Chinese corsets in remote areas, which are only made for children, but it seems that little is done for adults. However, with the changes of the times, the mysterious and ancient Chinese corset has become an avant-garde fashion and a toy that women are most proud of.