Did they have underwear in ancient China?

According to the order of China's historical evolution, many scholars and treatises follow the traditional three-part approach of the upper, middle, and near ancient times to describe China's ancient cultural history. The evolution of ancient Chinese underwear is characterized by a wealth of features and styles in the context of traditional Chinese culture. In the ancient pre-Qin Dynasty, there were written records of underwear culture, and at that time, there was little distinction between men's and women's underwear. "Shuowen Jiezi" cloud: "profane, private clothing also." Blasphemy is clothes worn close to the body, with frivolous, obscene meaning. Another form of underwear "bract", "interpretation of the name - interpretation of clothing": "robe, bract also. Pod, underwear also." Because of the ancient dyeing technology is not high, "the Department of the day near the sweat of the clothes will be colorless", the initial underwear fabric more than the use of the color of kudzu cloth. Han Dynasty, there is a "shy favoritism" (mean side), "sweat clothes" (sweatshirt) of the underwear system, sweatshirt and other underwear is different from men and women, both men and women, nobility and inferiority of the service. The upper end of the women's "heart clothes" is made of "hooked shoulders", the back is bare without a back piece, and plain weave silk is used as a common fabric. There are also northern nomadic clothing evolved from the "crotch", both when the chest and back, made of brocade. Liang Tuyun "difficult to travel the road" recorded that women also have a unique structure of "open cut through" underwear.

The medieval period of the "chevron" is a major feature of women's underwear in the Tang Dynasty. This bundle in the skirt between the chest as underwear, so that the shoulders, chest and back all bare or shoulders draped in a transparent shirt, wear in the chest under the bundle of two straps can be, so that the upper part of the chest to achieve the effect of standing. The commonly used fabric is "weaving", which is firm and slightly elastic. In addition, also popular without underwear bare neck long skirt attire. Song Dynasty women's underwear appeared "抹胸" (抹肚), "襦", "襦", "裹肚", "抹胸" can be worn on the breasts and can cover the belly, with the use of Covering the breast can cover the belly, with buttons or straps tied, single folder, the form varies. The common people with cotton products, aristocratic families with silk fabrics and embroidery on it. The most interesting is the "Liao Dynasty Cultural Relics Series" clothing chapter described the Liao women "chest" as "a banner of cloth and silk, wrapped in the chest"; and the Khitan women are bold to "chest" as "female" (female). "female" (female sumo wrestlers called) competition clothing; close-fitting underwear "" (calf pants), modeled like a bull's head, vivid image. Yuan dynasty underwear from back to front bundle is its main feature, in front of the chest with a row of buttons, or with rope and other bundles, figuratively named "Hohan lapel". Its fabrics to brocade mostly, the four sides of the continuous for the main pattern. Documentation of men's underwear to "white silk in the single" for the authentic.

Nearly ancient times, the Ming Dynasty women's underwear "main waist", open lapel, two lapel each decorated with three lapel straps, shoulder crotch, crotch with a belt, the waist side also has a tie will be all the lapel straps tightened to form an obvious waist. Ming and Qing dynasties popular for the longest time, men, women, old and young people can wear a form of underwear is "bib" - the classic of ancient Chinese underwear. There is also a devastating chest "bundle body", to the Republic of China evolved into a tighter and narrower undershirt, open in front of the chest, to a row of dense buttons ò knot, known as the small vest, its role is used to bind the chest flat. Cao Tingdong's "Essay on Nourishing Life" of the Qing Dynasty also recorded underwear with the function of building preservation. After the Middle Ages and the Near Ages, the use of underwear materials is more extensive, both silk, silk, silk, satin and other high-quality materials, as well as cloth, hemp, yarn, batik cloth and other traditional fabrics.