The Relationship Between Dress Changes and Class System in China

1, the Paleolithic period clothing simple without much difference

In order to hunt wild animals, deal with war, to avoid sharp claws, vectors, or out of camouflage and deterrence, the primitive beasts and animals headcovering, leather armor, shooting, shin clothes and other parts of the type of clothing was the first invention, and therefore led to the emergence of general clothing. Classes did not exist.

2. Entering the Neolithic Age

The invention of textile technology, the material for clothing has been artificially woven cloth and silk, and thus the form of clothing changed and its function was improved. The cloak-type clothing such as the Guantou clothes and the Phi Shan clothes have become the typical clothing, and the ornaments are becoming more and more complicated, and have a significant impact on the formation of the dress system.

3. Crown system

The earliest dress system in China. According to the literature and excavated artifacts analysis, the Chinese crown system was initially established in the Xia and Shang dynasties, and gradually improved in the Zhou Dynasty, and was incorporated into the rule of etiquette at the turn of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. Western Zhou's social productivity than the Shang Dynasty has made great progress, the gradual establishment of hierarchical system, resulting in the production of the crown and clothing system that corresponds to this, manifested in the noble and lowly have equal, different clothes.

Royal officials in different ceremonial occasions, the top of the crown should be ordered, wearing clothes and clothing must also use different forms, colors and patterns. Sacrifices have auspicious clothes, pilgrimage clothes, funeral clothes, according to the status of high and low, in the dress decorative patterns and colors are also different. The Zhou Dynasty also had a minister of clothing, in charge of royal costumes.

The crown system had a profound influence on the development of dress in feudal China.

Extended information:

"Rites of Passage - Wang Zao", "Clothes in the right color, clothes in the right color, non-Lie Cai not the door. "

Kong "sparse": "is called green, red, yellow, white, black five square positive colors, green, red, blue, purple, team yellow is also."

Le cai refers to the color and not two of the correct clothing. From this, we can see that in ancient times, the positive color is honorable, and the inter-color is inferior, and very important to the purity of the clothes, the noble color and the low II II pick.

The Book of Rites. Yuzao" records the cloud: "the son of heaven, Zhu Li, the end of the open; lords and vassals, the end of the open; the great doctor, the open belt, open hanging." Whether it is a crown, or cover the knee, belt, are the color to indicate the identity of the wearer, of which red (red), Zhu (red) in the highest position.

Baidu Encyclopedia - History of Chinese Dress