Evolution history of cloth

Judging from the unearthed cultural relics, the origin of costume history can be traced back to the late Paleolithic period in primitive society. There are 1 root bone needle and 1, 4 1 diamond, bone, shell and tooth ornaments in Zhoukoudian Neanderthal Site in Beijing (about 1.9 million years ago). Facts have proved that simple clothes can be sewn with natural materials such as animal skins. The history of China's clothing culture originated from this. About 1 0,000 years ago, it entered the Neolithic Age, the invention of textile technology and the artificial weaving of clothing materials. The form of clothing has changed and its function has been improved. Cloak-style clothing, such as full-length clothes and single clothes, has become typical clothing, and its accessories are becoming more and more complicated, which has a great influence on the formation of clothing system.

In the Neolithic Age, in addition to ordinary clothes, crowns, boots, headdresses and decorations were also found in some pottery relics.

Costumes in Shang and Zhou Dynasties (about16th century BC ~ 77 1 year BC) were gradually established from Shang Dynasty to Western Zhou Dynasty, which was a period of differentiation in upper and lower dress system, crown service system and service emblem system. Clothing materials in Shang Dynasty were mainly leather, leather, silk and hemp. Due to the progress of textile technology, silk and linen fabrics have occupied an important position. Shang people were able to weave extremely thin silk, jacquard geometric patterns, tulle and Reno fabrics on twisting looms. This material is very dark in color.

In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the hierarchical system was gradually established, and the Zhou Dynasty set up the official positions of "Si Fu" and "Inner Si Fu" to take charge of the royal costumes. According to the literature records and the analysis of unearthed cultural relics, China's crown service system was initially established in the Xia and Shang Dynasties, and was perfected in the Zhou Dynasty, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In order to show honor and dignity, royal officials and ministers should wear their crowns in an orderly manner and adopt different forms, colors and patterns on different ceremonial occasions. The most famous is Shangshu? The Book of Changes contains twelve chapters: "Draw the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons and insects, and embroider Zong Yi, algae, fire, pink rice, flounder and glutinous rice in five colors." Chapter twelve tattoos became the service system of emperors' dresses in past dynasties, and continued until the abdication of the Qing emperor and the restoration of Yuan Shikai as emperor. From the anthropomorphic cultural relics unearthed in the Zhou Dynasty, it can be seen that although the clothing decoration is complex and simple, it is clear from top to bottom, which has laid the basic shape of China clothing.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770 ~ 22 BC1), weaving and embroidery technology made great progress, which made the clothing materials more and more refined and the variety names more and more varied. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the clothes of the upper class were broad and the clothes of the lower class were narrow. Deep clothes have the meaning of hiding the body. They are the casual clothes of domestic literati and the dresses of Shu Ren people. They are unisex and may have been formed at the turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The deep coat combines the previously independent coat and skirt into one, but keeps the line that divides into two, and the upper and lower parts are not sewn, and the width is not wide. The most ingenious design is to embed a rectangular fabric at the junction of waist seam and sleeve seam of two armpits, which can make the plane cut three-dimensionally, perfectly represent the human body shape, and the sleeves also have greater elbow extension function. According to records, there are four different names for deep clothes: deep clothes, long clothes, linen clothes and medium clothes. In 307 BC, King Wuling of Zhao issued the order of Khufu to promote Khufu's riding and shooting. Khufu refers to the costume of "Hu Ren" at that time, which is quite different from Dai Bo who took off his coat in the Central Plains. It is characterized by knee-length clothes, a fruit belt around the waist, hooks and boots, which is convenient for riding and shooting activities. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, clothing styles were unprecedentedly rich and varied, including deep clothes and Hu clothes. Musicians wear hoods, dancers have sleeves several feet long, and some people often wear horns or magpie tails, long small sleeve dresses and diagonal skirts. These are all related to the colorful social life.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties (2265438 BC+0 ~ 220 AD), the clothing was richer in material than during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the deep clothing also got new development. Especially in the Han dynasty, with the establishment of the clothing system, the distinction between official ranks and grades of clothing was more strict. Clothing fabrics in Qin and Han dynasties are still brilliant. Embroidery patterns are mostly mountain clouds, birds and animals or vines. Brocade has various complicated geometric diamond patterns, and the whole pattern is woven with words. Men's and women's clothing in the Western Han Dynasty still followed the form of deep clothes. Whether it is a single product or a cotton product, most of the tops and skirts are cut and stitched together, and the upper and lower parts are still not stitched or stitched; There are Hanfu and underwear in the coat, and their leaders are exposed together to become a rigid suit. Wear tight pants and keep the style of "boasting clothes and big skirts". The first step is to wear different shoes. Belt. In the Qin dynasty, clothes were black.

Clothing in the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties (220 ~ 589) During the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the grade clothing changed and the national clothing merged greatly. The crown hat has been replaced by towels used by scholars, such as horn towels, water chestnut towels, purple nylon towels, white nylon towels and so on. In the Jin Dynasty, besides towels, men with official positions also wore small crowns, and the lacquer sarong crowns with gauze caps on them were originally made by warriors of the Han Dynasty and passed down from generation to generation, not only for male officials, but also for the people and men and women. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, northern minorities entered the Central Plains, people lived in different places, and political, economic and cultural customs infiltrated each other, forming a situation of great integration, which led to the development of costumes. Wearing the dumb pleats of northern national shorts has gradually become the mainstream, which can be worn by both men and women, regardless of grade. Women's clothing is "frugal and rich". From the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the period of Qi and Liang Dynasties, dresses were skirts, which originated in the Han Dynasty. In the Jin dynasty, it had the characteristics of short coat and wide skirt. There was a time when full-toe shoes and high-toothed shoes (a kind of lacquer-painted clogs) were popular. On the other hand, influenced by the etiquette of the Han Dynasty, ethnic minorities wear Hanfu. In the 18th year of Taihe (494), after Xianbei Northern Wei moved its capital to Luoyang, Emperor Xiaowen of Wei promoted the policy of sinicization, changed his surname to Tuoba, and led hundreds of officials to wear Han and Wei costumes. It turns out that Xianbei people are wearing small sleeve clothes with collars. This reform of the old customs, called "filial piety reform", has enabled the old system of crown clothing to continue since the Qin and Han Dynasties and promoted the development of China's clothing culture.

Clothing in the Sui and Tang Dynasties (58 1 ~ 907) During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, China was divided and unified, and its economy and culture were prosperous. The development of clothing presents an unprecedented brilliant scene in materials and styles. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the main characteristics of men's crown clothing were that the upper layer wore robes, the officials wore hoes, and the people wore short shirts. Until the Five Dynasties, there was little change. Officials in Tian Zi and Guanbai used colors to distinguish grades, and patterns to indicate official ranks. Women's clothing in Sui and Tang Dynasties was full of fashion flavor, which often developed from palace women's clothing to folk, and was imitated in succession, and was often influenced by northwest nationalities. The most fashionable women's dress in Sui and Tang Dynasties was short skirt, that is, long skirt with short coat, and the waist of the skirt was tied with silk ribbon, almost reaching the armpit. Women in Sui and Tang Dynasties were well dressed. The "half-arm" handed down from the court has double-breasted pullovers, lapels or collarless styles. The sleeves are elbow-length and waist-length, and a small belt is tied as a chest. Because the neckline is very wide, the upper chest is exposed when wearing it. The half arm lasted for a long time, and then the man wore it. At that time, a long scarf was also popular, which was made of tulle and had flowers painted with silver flowers or gold and silver powder. One end is fixed on the chest strap of the half arm, then put on the shoulder and wrapped around the arm, so it is called silk. Women's hair accessories in Tang Dynasty are various, each with its own name. Women's shoes are generally flower shoes, mostly made of splendid fabrics, colored silks and leather. Tang people are good at integrating northwest minorities with foreign cultures such as Tianzhu and Persia, and Hu Fu's new clothes were very popular between Tang Zhenguan and Kaiyuan.

The costumes in Song, Liao, Xia and Jin Dynasties (947 ~ 1368) basically retained the style of Han costumes in Song Dynasty, while the costumes in Liao, Xixia and Jin Dynasties had the characteristics of Qidan, Tangut, Jurchen and Mongolian respectively. In the Song Dynasty, Luo was the main fabric of official clothes. Due to the old system of the Five Dynasties, the government gave the pro-expensive ministers robes in seven different colors every year. The colors of official uniforms follow the Tang system, with purple being more than three, Zhu being more than five, green being more than seven and green being more than nine. The style of official uniforms is roughly similar to the long-sleeved official uniforms in the late Tang Dynasty, but the first clothes (crowns and hats, etc.). ) It is already a flat-winged black silk hat, named Straight Foot, which has been customized. The official clothes of the Song Dynasty followed the system of wearing fish in the Tang Dynasty. Officials who are qualified to wear purple and scarlet official uniforms must tie a "fish bag" around their waist, which contains fish made of gold, silver and copper to distinguish official products. "Curved collar in the square" is also a feature of the imperial costume, that is, the ornaments under the circle are placed on the items of the imperial costume. In addition to official clothes and uniforms, the daily casual clothes of officials in Song Dynasty are mainly small sleeve round neck shirts and soft-winged hoes, which are still in Tang style, but their feet are replaced with casual shoes that are more convenient for daily life. Liao, Xixia and Jin were regimes established by the Khitan, Tangut and Jurchen in ancient China, and their costumes reflected the development track of their respective national traditions in long-term cultural exchanges with the Han nationality. Tangut women wear Hu clothes with lapels and the neckline is beautifully embroidered. Khitan and jurchen usually wear long coats and boots with narrow sleeves and knees, which are suitable for hunting immediately; Women wear long gowns with narrow sleeves and collars, and they are all left-handed. Contrary to the Han people, the fishing piers they used to wear are widely popular in the mainland. In Liao dynasty, the embroidery patterns of flowers, birds and animals on silk official uniforms were used to distinguish official products, which affected the grade identification of official uniforms in Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Jin Dynasty, the rank was determined by the size of the flowers on the official clothes, and the lowest rank was sesame without grains or small diamond grains. The men's wear of Khitan and Jurchen is also adopted by Han people because it is easy to move.

Clothing in Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 ~1911) was dominated by traditional Han costumes in Ming Dynasty, and Manchu costumes were the mainstream in Qing Dynasty. The costumes of the upper and lower classes of the two generations have obvious grades. The official dress of the upper class is a symbol of power, which has always been valued by the ruling class. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, robes and yellow have been exclusively used by the royal family. Since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, purple is the most expensive. Civil servants use birds as a supplement, and military officers use animals, which are divided into nine categories. Usually, T-shirts are distinguished by the length of clothes and the size of sleeves, and the old ones are the most respected. The main first clothes of officials in Ming Dynasty are slightly different from those in Song and Yuan Dynasties. The wives and mothers of the banned officials also have red big sleeve dresses with different stripes and decorations and various summer shawls. In addition, high heels have been used by upper-class women, which are divided into high heels and high heels. In the Ming Dynasty, people's clothes were long and short, including shirts or skirts, which basically inherited the old tradition and had a very rich variety. In terms of dress color, civilian wives and daughters can only wear purple, green, pink and other colors to avoid mixing with official clothes; Working people are only allowed to use brown. During the Qing dynasty, shaving and changing clothes were carried out by violent means, and men's clothes were unified according to Manchu customs. In the ninth year of Shunzhi (1652), the regulations on wearing colored epaulettes were promulgated, abolishing the crown clothes with strong colors of Han nationality. In the Ming Dynasty, all men wore their hair in a bun and wore loose clothes, stockings and pumps. In the Qing Dynasty, the hair was blown into braided hair, the braids hung behind the head, wearing thin horseshoe cufflinks, tight socks and deep boots. However, according to the law, official and folk costumes are completely different. The main variety of official uniforms in Qing dynasty is robes and mandarin jackets. A jacket is a coat added to a robe, named after it originated from riding a jacket. It is characterized by a slit at the front and back, and a blue chest (disc for the king of Prince Edward County). Buzi's bird and beast patterns and order are similar to those of the Ming Dynasty. The official hats of the Qing dynasty are completely different from those of previous dynasties. Military and political personnel above non-commissioned officers and officers wear weft hats that look like hats, which are divided into warm hats and cool hats according to winter and summer seasons. They were also dressed in "coats" of different colors and materials, and a bunch of peacock feathers were dragged behind their hats. Ling is called Hualing. There are "eyes" (round spots on feathers) on the senior ling, which can be divided into one eye, two eyes and three eyes. More eyes are more expensive, and only princes or ministers with outstanding achievements are rewarded. The emperor sometimes wears a yellow jacket to show his special affection. During Kang Yong period, Han women kept Ming style, while clothes and long skirts were popular in small sleeve. After finishing, the clothes are getting fatter and shorter, the cuffs are getting wider and wider, and with the cloud shoulders, the pattern renovation is endless; By the end of the Qing Dynasty, urban women had put on skirts and trousers, which were inlaid with lace and rolled teeth, and most of the expensive clothes were spent on them. Manchu women wear "flag clothes", comb the flag bun (commonly known as two ends) and wear "flowerpot bottom" flag shoes. As for the so-called cheongsam circulated in later generations, it has long been mainly used in the court and the royal family. In the late Qing dynasty, cheongsam was also imitated by the ladies of the Han nationality.

Modern clothing (since 19 12) The Revolution of 1911 ended the feudal monarchy for more than two thousand years, and the clothing of the Chinese nation entered a new era. Prior to this, the reformist Kang Youwei wrote to Foreign Minister Wu Chunian in 1894 to reform the service system and service style; China students also put on their suits. With the strengthening of communication between China and foreign countries, colorful clothes have finally washed away the hierarchical concept of clothes. Traditional robes, shirts, jackets, trousers and skirts are increasingly influenced by western clothing and replaced by many new varieties and styles. Men's wear: in the early years of the Republic of China, suits and ties went hand in hand with robes and jackets. Wearing a hat is considered to be the most solemn dress, whether it is a Chinese suit or a western suit. Chinese tunic suit appeared around 1920s, and gradually became popular in cities. The vast rural areas have always followed the traditional coat pants, wearing felt hats or top hats, and wearing their own sewn cloth shoes. ② Women's clothing: The Revolution of 1911 brought variety. Besides a coat and trousers, I also wore a coat and skirt suit. Since the 1920s, women have loved cheongsam, which has gradually become a fashion. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, clothing advocated simplicity and practicality. From 1950s to 1970s, Zhongshan suit gradually became the main clothing for men. In addition, military casual clothes and civilian clothes were also very popular. Women's clothing was influenced by the Soviet Union, and dresses were popular in cities. Besides, Lenin's clothes are very popular. But in rural areas, it has always been the traditional dress of most farmers. After 1978, China implemented the policy of reform and opening up, which reflected the spirit of the times, and costumes with China national characteristics mushroomed and took on a new look.