Hanfu are the historical clothing of the Han Chinese, here categorized by clothing style.
Informal wear
Two traditional forms of ruqun (襦裙), a type of Han Chinese clothing worn primarily by women. Cuffs and sleeves on the upper garment may be tighter or looser depending on style. A short skirt or weighted braid (with weight provided by a jade or gold pendant) is sometimes worn to improve aesthetics or comfort of the basic ruqun.
Types include tops and bottoms, long skirt, and one-piece robes that wrap around the body once or several times (shenyi).
Zhongyi (中衣), which is usually the inner garment much like a Western T-shirt and pants, can be wear along in casual.
The typical set of informal wear consists of two or three layers. The first layer is mostly zhongyi (中衣). The next layer is the main layer which is mostly closed at the front. There can be an optional third layer which is often an overcoat called a zhaoshan which is open at the front.
For footwear, white socks and black cloth shoes (with white soles) are the norm. But in the past, shoes may have a front face panel attached to the tip of the shoes.
Generally, this form of wear is suitable for meeting guests or going to meetings and other special cultural days. This form of dress is often worn by the nobility or the upper-class as they are often expensive pieces of clothing, usually made of silks and damasks. The coat sleeves are often deeper than the shenyi to create a more voluminous appearance.
A piece of ancient Chinese clothing can be "made semi-formal" by the addition of the following appropriate items:
Chang (裳): a pleated skirt
Bixi (蔽膝): a cloth attached from the waist, covering front of legs.
Large loose outer coat with loose and long sleeves
Song – Ming
Formal wear
In addition to informal and semi-formal wear, there is a form of dress that is worn only at confucian rituals, important sacrifices, religious activities or by special people who are entitled to wear them (such as officials and emperors).
The most formal dress civilians can wear is the xuanduan (sometimes called yuanduan 元端),[7][8] which consists of a black or dark blue top garment that runs to the knees with long sleeve (often with white piping), a bottom red chang, a red bixi (which can have a motif and/or be edged in black), an optional white belt with two white streamers hanging from the side or slightly to the front called peishou (佩綬), and a long black guan. Additionally, wearers may carry a long jade gui (圭) or wooden hu (笏) tablet (used when greeting royalty). This form of dress is mostly used in sacrificial ceremonies such as Ji Tian (祭天) and Ji Zu (祭祖), etc., but is also appropriate for state occasions. The xuanduan is basically a simplified version of full court dress of the officials and the nobility.
Government officials in Changfu during the Wanli era, Ming dynasty
Court dress is the dress worn at very formal occasions and ceremonies that are in the presence of a monarch (such as an enthronement ceremony). The entire ensemble of clothing can consist of many complex layers and look very elaborate. Court dress is similar to the xuanduan in components but have additional adornments and elaborate headwear. They are often brightly colored with vermillion and blue. There are various versions of court dress that are worn for certain occasions. The practical use of court dress is now obsolete in the modern age since there is no reigning monarch in China anymore.
Those in academia or officialdom have distinctive gowns (known as changfu 常服 in court dress terms). This varies over the ages but they are typically round collared gowns closed at the front. The most distinct feature is the headgear which has 'wings' attached. Only those who passed the civil examinations are entitled to wear them, but a variation of it can be worn by ordinary scholars and laymen and even for a groom at a wedding (but with no hat).
It was a high waisted skirts which integrated both the techniques of the Han dynasty and foreign techniques from the Western Region.[16] In the Sixteen kingdoms, the skirt had panels of different colours; which could vary to: 6, 8, 12 regions.[16] From the Northern dynasty to the Tang dynasty, the skirt had denser multiple stripes.[16] In Tang, the stripped skirt was A-line.[17]
Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties - Tang dynasty
An unpleated skirt which is composed of two pieces of fabric sewn to the same waistband. The middle part of the skirt overlap and are not sewn together.[20]
Song
Baidiequn
百迭裙
A one-piece pleated skirt; the top is narrow and the bottom is wide.[20]
Song
Sanjianqun
三裥裙
A skirt made of 4 skirts pieces sewn together.[20]
A skirt made of two-pieces of fabric sewn to the same waistband. The sides of the skirt has knife pleats whereas the back and front have flat panels.[22]
Made of ten pieces of fabric which was then tucked in 10 pleats; each pleats had a different colour which was light. It was a popular skirt in the early Qing dynasty.[19]
An underskirt which is decorated with long ribbons of different colours of silk, the ribbons were narrow. Different embroidery is found on in each ribbon strips. It was popular during the reign of Kangxi and Qianlong.[19]
Those in the religious orders wear a plain middle layer garment followed by a highly decorated cloak or coat. Taoists have a 'scarlet gown' (絳袍) which is made of a large square-shaped cloak sewn at the hem to create very long deep sleeves used in very formal rituals.[25] They are often scarlet or crimson in colour with wide edging and embroidered with intricate symbols and motifs such as the eight trigrams and the yin and yang Taiji symbol.
Buddhist have a cloak with gold lines on a scarlet background creating a brickwork pattern which is wrapped around over the left shoulder and secured at the right side of the body with cords. There may be further decorations, especially for high priests.[26]
A square-shaped poncho-like upper outer garment; the square symbolizes the earth which is perceived as square in Chinese cosmology.[31][30][32] It has motifs such as the sun, moon, Three heavens, stars and constellations, Sacred (golden) tower and flying cranes, Wu yue, Mountain peaks and cosmic waters.[31]It is worn by high ranking taoist priests, e.g. Grandmasters.[31] It is a formal outfit worn during Taoist ceremonies.[33]
Ming- Present
Huayi
花衣
"Flowery robe"
It is a ritual robe, worn under the jiangyi.[32] It is well decorated with motif, such as dragons, clouds, mountains, cranes and the seven stars Dipper.[28] It is worn by seniors and high ranking taoist priests.[28]
Unknown- Present
Banyi
班衣
"Colourful robe"
It is a ritual robe; it can have embroidered borders but the clothing is typically monochrome, mostly red in colour. It is worn for during daily recitations of scriptures in a worship hall before divinities.[28]
Unknown – Present
Daopao
道袍
"Taoist robe"
or
"Robe of the Dao"
It is worn by middle-rank Taoist priests.[34] It is red in colour and is covered with decorations, such as bagua and cranes.[27]
Unknown – Present
Daoyi
道衣
A wide-sleeved, cross-collared gown worn by Taoist priests and nuns; it is a standard type of clothing.[35]
Unknown- Present
De luo
得罗
An indigo formal ritual clothing, worn by Taoism priests in the Quanzhen order; the blue colour is a symbolism for the East.[27] It is cross-collared.[32]
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