汉服 Hanfu

汉服 (Han Fu), which means "clothing of the Han", refers to the Han Chinese type of traditional clothing. It is nowadays however not popular. People usually tend to link Chinese tradtional clothing with Qipao (旗袍) or Tangzhuang(唐装), however they are actually Manchurian clothing. The Qing dynasty (清朝　1644 - 1911), the last dynasty of China, was ruled by Manchurian emperors with the surname Aisin Gioro (爱新觉罗). During this period of time, they enacted a "Queue order" (剃发令), a series of laws that we violently imposed on the Chinese to dress like Manchurians. This resulted in the so-called "traditional" clothing we see and the long-hair hairstyle of men. It was meant as a sign of submission of the majority Han Chinese to the minority Manchu rulers.

A beautiful red Qipao

Tangzhuang worn by leaders during the APEC summit in China

Pigtail ("queue") look of Qing-dynasty men (I used Jet Li here. Haha)

So what then is the traditional Han clothing? Have a look:

Hanfu supporters

A beautiful green Hanfu

Male Hanfu, usually only seen in 古装片 (movies/series set in China's olden days)

Caucasians dressed in Hanfu in a Confucian ceremony

More pictures here. In recent years there has been a Hanfu revival. These revivals have mainly been initiated by overseas Chinese, but have now also a following in Taiwan and China. Based on what I've read (mostly in Chinese), some of these people have been accused of donning Hanbok or Kimono (Korean and Japanese traditional clothings respectively) and labelled as "traitors". Of course they are mistakened, but it's easy to understand why they are mistakened. The traditional garb worn by Korean and Japanese ladies are of course heavily influenced by Chinese culture in the past.

Of course, I don't expect a huge renaissance in terms of clothing amongst Han Chinese, but as Japanese and Koreans can proudly don their traditional clothings during important festivities etc. why can't Han Chinese do the same? Especially to those Chinese who view culture seriously... they should consider changing back to Hanfu.

I wouldn't mind wearing one. Haha. If only I could find someone who sells it...