What are the characteristics of traditional Chinese clothing

The traditional costumes of Chinese people are divided into two categories: Chinese and Western-style costumes. After thousands of years of historical accumulation, Chinese and Western-style clothing have formed their own distinctive styles and systems, which are different in style, shape, structure, local features, decoration, color, pattern, aesthetic culture, and have their distinctive ethnicity and regionality.

I. Style

The main form of traditional Chinese dress is the front-opening lapel and lapel style. The front bodice first originated in China and was formed in the era of the Yellow Emperor. There are two basic styles of traditional Chinese dress, namely, the upper garment and lower garment system and the garment-connected system, and the two styles have been used in China for thousands of years in a cross-compatible and inclusive manner. Women wore more tops and bottoms, while men wore more robes with tops and bottoms attached.

Western clothing in the style of an evolutionary process, the ancient Greek clothing is wrapped, ancient Rome to the Middle Ages, the style of clothing to be wrapped in non-molding type of clothing and the front of the open type of semi-molding type of clothing is dominated. In the fourth century AD, the Germanic peoples south, the Germanic peoples of the limbs separated from the body-type clothing gradually infiltrated into the basic style of European clothing, from the 13th century to the present, the body-type clothing gradually occupy the main position, the basic form of men's pants under the top, women for the top and bottom of the attached skirt.

Second, the shape of the characteristics

The shape of traditional Chinese clothing emphasizes the longitudinal feeling, since the collar part of the natural sagging, without exaggerating the shoulders, commonly used sagging lines, long sleeves over the hand, tube-shaped robe skirt, longitudinal decorations and other tactics, so that the dressed human body appears to be long and slender, in particular, so that the limbs have a sense of pulling the long sense of length. Many Asian countries have similar characteristics of clothing.

The clothing of the Qing Dynasty is relatively fat, cuffs, hems have the tendency to expand outward. However, Qing women's high buns and flowerpot-soled shoes a few inches high, along with cheongsams that hung down to their feet, made the cheongsams appear slimmer than women of all generations.

The slenderness of the clothing is to make up for the short stature of the Orientals, creating an optical illusion in the senses, and achieving perfection and harmony in the proportions. The natural slenderness of the clothing style makes men look clean-cut and women look slender. At the same time, the smooth shape of the clothing and the Chinese face softer contour lines commensurate.

The shape of Western classical clothing emphasizes the horizontal feeling, often using horizontally expanding shoulder silhouettes, a variety of stiff collars, rounded collars, inflated sleeve shapes, huge skirt supports, overlapping laces and flowers, as well as sizing yarn and padding in various parts of the garment, so that the lines of the garment produce exaggerated and outwardly radiating effects.

The shape of Western clothing is characterized by its compatibility with the passionate and exuberant temperament of Westerners, their undulating and pronounced facial contours, and their taller and stouter physique than that of the Orientals.

Three, structural features

From the structural features, Chinese clothing adopts the traditional Chinese plane straight line cutting method, no matter robes, shirts, jackets, coats, usually only the bottom seam of the sleeve and the side of the hem is connected to a structural line, no shoulder and sleeve part of the hole, the whole piece of clothing can be flat on the ground, the structure of a simple stretch.

Western clothing using three-dimensional tailoring method, three-dimensional tailoring method of the human body as a polyhedron at least tetrahedron, careful treatment of the human body from top to bottom, from front to back in all aspects of the relationship between the convexity and concavity of the relationship between the use of pleating and provincial treatment of the clothing process, and ultimately to obtain the human body and three-dimensional match with the final three-dimensional effect of the clothing.

Some people say that Chinese clothing is like a flat painting, Western clothing is like a three-dimensional sculpture, this feeling is generally right. Chinese clothes show two-dimensional effect, ignoring the side structure design. Western-style clothing emphasizes the three-dimensional effect, suitable for human structural characteristics and adapt to the laws of human movement, both fit and practical, therefore, by the world's people generally favored.

Fourth, local structural features

From the local features of clothing, Chinese clothing, oblique cross collar, foliate V-neck, upright collar, slits on both sides of the hem of the clothes, the Qing Dynasty arrow robe-style front and back of the left and right four slits, as well as the clothes of the placket, placket, a placket, Pipa placket, etc., are oriental characteristics of the local details, are often used as a designer to show the interesting treatment of the Chinese clothing, in which Chinese collar and slits on both sides of the hem are more typical.

The Western-style collar and wheel pleat collar (like a fan around the neck) are more widely used, and the continuous tucks of the wheel pleat collar are ironed and shaped after sizing the fabric, and sometimes fine metal wires are used for support. Clothing modeling like to use padding or support, such as shoulder pads, chest pads, sleeve pads, hip pads, skirt support. As the western-style clothing is not even sleeve but loaded sleeve, so the shoulder jewelry modeling variety. There are many variations of sleeve styles, such as half-leg sleeves, bishop sleeves and so on.

V. Decoration

From the decorative features, because the Chinese clothing is a flat straight line cutting, showing two-dimensional effect, so the decoration is also based on two-dimensional effect, emphasizing the flat decoration. The means of decoration is the traditional Chinese set, embedded, rolling, disk, embroidery several major crafts. The clever use of these processes, so that Chinese clothing, although the shape is simple, but colorful patterns, beautiful.

Embroidery for clothing has a long history, the development of later, and even "clothing must be embroidered". The use of flat embroidery method to decorate the surface space of the garment, is the usual method of Chinese clothing design, used to this day. Especially the exquisite embroidery craft and silk fabrics with, make clothing full of oriental charm, marvelous.

In addition to embroidery, inlaid, rolling technology in Chinese clothing is also used a lot. For example, the end of the Qing Dynasty, the city popular in the edge of the clothes set, roll decoration, women's clothing edge is getting broader and broader, from three set of three rolls, five set of five rolls, the development of "eighteen set of rolls".

Western clothing is a three-dimensional composition design, the performance of three-dimensional effect, so the decoration and the overall structural modeling corresponds to emphasize the sense of three-dimensionality and spatial sense, the means of decoration is to use a variety of three-dimensional things such as tassels, flower knots, ruffled edges, gold and silver ribbons, tucks, cuts, etc. embellish the surface of the garment. Initially, flowers, lace and so on just a small amount of decorative clothing surface, enriching the surface effect. To the Rococo period, some gowns even with three-dimensional flowers piled up.

Western clothing using three-dimensional decoration has its brilliant place: a three-dimensional decoration and three-dimensional structure modeling echo, natural harmony; Second, the decorative effect is in line with the aesthetic psychology, because all the plain, all-encompassing surface, prone to give rise to a monotonous sense of the people, and the level of rich, virtual and real with the overlapping and interspersed with the surface of the space has an intriguing effect, easy to provoke the ornamental sense of aesthetics.

Sixth, fabrics, colors and patterns

From the clothing fabrics, China's earliest use of textiles are kudzu cloth, ramie cloth and hemp cloth. Kudzu cloth is made from the stem bark fiber of kudzu vine. Ramie is a unique plant in China, Europeans call it "Chinese grass", hemp is called "hemp". China's world-renowned clothing fabric is silk. Silkworms, reeling, silk weaving is the ancestors of China's outstanding contribution to the development of the world's textile and clothing. Chinese people wear cotton later, cotton was introduced from India, to the Yuan and Ming time, cotton has become a commonly worn clothing material.

From the color of clothing, in the ancient times, black was considered by the Chinese forefathers is the domination of the color of the emperor, Xia, Shang, Zhou, the son of the emperor's coronation dress for the black. Later, with the development of feudal centralized dictatorship, people turned to the worship of the gods (black) to the worship of the earth (yellow), so the formation of the traditional concept of "yellow is precious". Yellow became the exclusive color for emperors and kings, a metaphor for the supremacy of the ruler.

Traditional clothing colors are influenced by the five elements of yin and yang, and there are five colors: green, red, black, white and yellow. Green, red, black, white and yellow are regarded as positive colors, while the rest of the colors are intermediate colors. Positive colors were reserved for the upper class society in most dynasties, indicating nobility. In folklore, the positive colors are the colors that people love and pursue in their clothing and color schemes.

From the point of view of color matching method, high vividness and strong contrast are the traditional color matching method in China. Strong contrasting colors in gold, silver, black, white and other neutral colors with the buffer, so that the clothing overflowing with opulence, simplicity and generosity of the atmosphere.

Chinese folk have a traditional favorite of blue, such as blue printed cloth, indigo batik cloth. Blue and yellow skin color matching, easy to harmonize, can produce a soft color contrast effect.

The patterns of Chinese traditional costumes are rich and colorful, including birds and beasts, flowers of the four seasons, mountains and pavilions, geometric patterns, and so on, with abstract, figurative, exaggerated and realistic styles, which are not only exquisite, but also have rich connotations.

Chinese clothing prefer to use patterns to express auspicious wishes. From ancient times to the present, from the noble satin to folk printed cloth, auspicious patterns are widely used. Such as the dragon and phoenix, dragon and phoenix dance, nine dragons playing pearls, lizard dragon lizard and other patterns, not only a metaphor for totem worship, but also expresses the "descendants of the dragon" feelings. Like the crane and deer with the spring, magpies, phoenix through the peony, group crane immortal life, fortune, wealth and happiness, LianYuYuYu, auspicious eight treasures and other patterns, reflecting the people's hope for a happy life. In addition, the pattern of the official clothes attach importance to the role of the logo, the Ming and Qing civil officials for the flying bird pattern, military officials for the beast pattern. The emperor's dragon robe symbolizes the true dragon son, dragon robe on the twelve chapter pattern has a symbol: "the sun, the moon, the star" to take its illumination; "mountain" to take its stability; "Chinese insects" to take its literary; "Fire" for its brightness; "algae" for its cleanliness; "powder and rice" for its nourishment; "Zong Yi" for its loyalty and filial piety; "黼" for its determination; "黻" for its clarity.

Western clothing fabrics, colors, patterns, and the use of Eastern tradition there is a gap.

Ancient Greece, ancient Rome's clothing fabrics are mainly semi-woolen fabrics and linen. Ancient Greeks love white, the most popular colors of ancient Roman clothing is white and purple, purple symbolizes noble, white symbol of purity, integrity. General plebeian clothes are wool, linen natural primary colors, very plain.

The Middle Ages in the West has been a lot of expensive fabrics, in addition to the Oriental silk, brocade, there are velvet, high-grade wool, precious fur in northern Europe. At that time, the stained glass windows in Gothic churches were brilliantly decorated, leading people to pursue the colors of heaven, so clothing full of religious atmosphere of color was desired by the people.

Since the Renaissance in Europe, bright colors have been popular as the level of luxury in clothing escalated, and shimmering gold and silver threads were woven into brocade and velvet. The French especially like lilac and rose color, but also very fascinated by the subtle sky blue and holy white. The Spanish revered the elegant rose red and silver gray tones. In Britain, black is considered a mysterious, noble color, especially black satin and black velvet is often the first choice of noblewomen. The glamorous black color is dazzling against the fair complexion of white women.

The pattern on the traditional Western European dress has been changing with the change of history. In ancient times, mostly popular flower and grass patterns, Italian Renaissance popular ornate floral motifs, the French Louis XV period, influenced by the Rococo decorative style, popular expression of S-shaped or swirling vine grass and light and soft garden flowers and grass patterns. In recent times, the influential popular pattern pattern has the Fauvist Dufy pattern, the galaxy, the universe as the theme of the disco pattern, the use of geometric mise-en-scene principle of the design of the Opal pattern, the computer design of the electronic pattern and so on.

Seven, aesthetic culture

There are many differences between the East and West clothing aesthetic culture.

Western culture originated in the marine civilization, cultural instincts are more open, easy to integrate foreign clothing culture.

Chinese culture originated from the continental civilization, the cultural instincts are relatively closed, in the clothing has a stubborn "original" consciousness, the traditional dress form has been stable for thousands of years, the absorption of exotic clothing is relatively difficult.

Western culture is good at expressing contradictions and conflicts, and emphasizes exciting and extreme forms in the composition of clothing, taking pride in highlighting individuality.

Chinese culture is a harmonious culture, emphasizing the balanced, symmetrical and unified approach to clothing styling, with rules and smoothness as the most beautiful.

Western culture is a bright metaphorical culture, attaching importance to the objectified beauty of shape, line, pattern and color itself, and taking visual comfort as the first.

Chinese culture is a metaphorical culture, art favors lyricism, the pursuit of clothing elements of the spirit of allegory and cultural taste.

Western culture advocates the beauty of the human body, attaches importance to the display of sexual differences in the human body, and does not shy away from the performance of sexy. The classical mode is to show the female secondary sexual characteristics, such as exposed neck, shoulder, back, half-breasted, to tighten the waistline and padded buttocks to show the curve of the female carcass. The modern mode is to express the natural body shape of the human body in a simple form, with short exposure and tight body as modern fashion.

Chinese culture ignores the existence of "sex", clothing does not show the human body curves, does not have the elements of sensory stimulation, wide clothes, cover the human body, the performance of a solemn, subtle beauty.

The aesthetic characteristics of traditional Chinese clothing reflect the aesthetic mentality and cultural characteristics of the Chinese people. Chinese people are influenced by the complementary aesthetic thought of Confucianism and Taoism, attaching importance to the combination of feelings and reason, using reason to save feelings, pursuing idleness, blandness and mediocrity, and pursuing the spiritual meaning beyond the form. Chinese women's clothing tightly wrapped body, so that it is difficult to peep its details, increasing the sense of mystery. Chinese men's clothing is strict and slender, overflowing with the beauty of neutralization. Emperor's dress, wide and complex, brilliant and spectacular. The emperor's gown is not only a symbol of power, but also a manifestation of Chinese aesthetics.