Modern hanbok

The hanbok is the item of clothing that completely and harmoniously shows Korea’s beauty. It has the meaning of bringing good luck and dispelling anger, and at every important event in your life you should wear this vital part of our cultural inheritance. In order to beautifully wear the hanbok, of course you need to the undershirt, petticoat, long skirt, and top and to properly wear them, but as times change the hanbok is become old-fashioned and rustic in young people’s eyes. However, the hanbok is currently taking a big step in becoming all Koreans’ beautiful clothing again by the entrance on the market of a new brand which has developed a fusion style of traditional hanbok and long skirts that will appeal to everyone from the young generation to globalized people.(By Ian)

How to wear the hanbok

Women's Hanbok

Steps to wear women's Hanbok

1. Wear the underpants, socks and underskirt. (without brassiere or wear thin brassiere)

2. Wear the skirt. At this time, place the hem of the skirt on your left side. And, pull the hem of the skirt to the front of you.

3. Wear the top(Jeogori). At this time, pull the top(Jeogori) to front of you to prevent the loose knot.

4. Tie a coat string.

- one string is long, and other string is short.
- left hand hold long string, and right hand hold short string.
- cross the strings, short one over the other one.
- short one pass the under of long one, and make ring.
- pull the long string through the ring of short string.
- when knot is completed, remain string's length is almost same.

Men's Hanbok

Steps to wear men's Hanbok

1. wear the underwears. your own underpants.

2. wear the pants. see in the right picture. the focused line is left side. so you can find front of pants.

- place the sewing line on the inner ankle bone.
- hold that sewing line by left hand and then tighten the trouser cuff around of ankle
by right hand.
- remaining trouser cuff pass your achilles tendon and then tighten it.
- turned string twice around the ankle, and then make knot on the inner ankle bone.

3. wear the top. men's hanbok have some difference with women's hanbok. the top of men's hanbok is thought to be underwear by korean ancestors. so men's waistcoat or coat is essential.

(By Ian)

Traditional Hanbok

 “Hanbok” is the traditional attire of Korea. Its history dates back as far as the three kingdoms period (57 b.c. – a.d. 668). Koreans weaved cloth with hemp and arrowroot and raised silkworms to produce silik. It is divided largely into daywear and ceremonial wear, with differences between each age, gender and season.

 A Hanbok is characterized by a two-piece outfit without pockets and buttons that is closed with strings, belts or cords. Men traditionally wore a “jeogori”(jacket), “baji”(trousers) and “durumagi”(overcoat) with a hat, belt and pair of shoes. The women wore a jeogori with two long ribbons tied to form an “otgoreum” (know), a full length, high-waist wrap-around skirt called “chima” and “beoseon”(white cotton socks), and boat-shaped shoes.

(By Ian)

The changing of hanfu

Hanfu as one of the traditional Chinese costume, force and its impact, which given China's clothing and designer unlimited inspiration, many Chinese designers will put some han’s elements in their clothing. Because of their relatively large hanfu sleeve clothes, long, so it not easy to wear out, and many designers will be improved, which retains the essence part, joining with the characteristics of the modern aesthetic of clothing, such as the famous cover model Xin Yuan Zhang, she published a photo, a modified version of the Hanfu.

(By Echo)

Standard Style（hanfu）

Garments

The style of Han Chinese clothing can be summarized as containing garment elements that are arranged in distinctive and sometimes specific ways. This may be different from the traditional garment of other ethnic groups in China, most notably the Manchu-influenced Chinese clothes, the qipao, which is popularly assumed to be the solely recognizable style of "traditional" Chinese garb. A comparison of the two styles can be seen as the following provides:

Component	Han	Manchu
Upper Garment	Consist of "yi" (衣), which have loose lapels and are open	Consist of "pao" (袍), which have secured lapels around the neck and no front openings
Lower Garment	Consist of skirts called "chang" (裳)	Consist of pants or trousers called "ku" (褲)
Collars	Generally, diagonally crossing each other, with the left crossing over the right	Parallel vertical collars with parallel diagonal lapels, which overlap
Sleeves	Long and loose	Narrow and tight
Buttons	Sparingly used and concealed inside the garment	Numerous and prominently displayed
Fittings	Belts and sashes are used to close, secure, and fit the garments around the waist	Flat ornate buttoning systems are typically used to secure the collar and fit the garment around the neck and upper torso

(By Echo)

ref:(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanfu)

The Introduction of Hanfu/Han Chinese Clothing

In Evolution of Chinese Women’s Clothing, we mentioned how the popular Chinese traditional dress, qipao (旗袍 qípáo) or cheongsam, was in fact brought to China by Manchurians in the Qing Dynasty. Prior to the Manchu occupation, Chinese wore the traditional Han Chinese clothing, which was banned during Manchurian’s rule of China. Gradually, Han Chinese clothing disappeared and the qipao became the iconic Chinese traditional clothing. During the last decade, there has been a movement in China to revive traditional Han Chinese clothing and reintroduce it to modern life. What is Han Chinese clothing, or hanfu (汉服) anyway?

Cultural China gives a simple explanation:

“Hanfu, also known as Hanzhuang or Huafu, refers to the traditional dress of Han Chinese people before Qing dynasty. The term Hanfu derives from the Book of Han, which says, ‘then he (Qu Li) came to the Court many times to pay homage and was delighted at the clothing style of the Han. ‘ Here Han refers to Han Dynasty, but as a matter of fact Hanfu includes not only clothing in Han Dynasty but also in Shang, Zhou, Tang, Song and Ming.”

The article then breaks down the pieces of a typical Hanfu:

“Yi (衣): Any open cross-collar garment, and worn by both sexes 
Pao (袍): Any closed full-body garment, worn only by men in Hanfu 
Ru (襦): Open cross-collar shirt 
Shan (衫): Open cross-collar shirt or jacket that is worn over the yi 
Qun (裙) or chang (裳): Skirt for women and men Ku (裤): Trousers or pants

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There are two parts overlapping on the front. This is called ‘Jiao Ling’ (Crossing Collar), which is a main feature of nearly all Asian costumes. The order of the two parts is quite important. From the wearer’s point of view, the crossing is always on his/her right side, which is called ‘You Ren’ (Right Front). Therefore an easy way to recognize Hanfu is that its collar forms a ‘y’ shape if you look at the dress from the front.

Hanfu usually has a waistband, on which various little decorations are hung, including Yu (jade) and Chinese knots. These hung decorations, together with the long ribbons and relatively wide sleeves, can sway as one walks. Its idea is to cover up any imperfections and to accentuate the bodily beauty of an East Asian woman.”

There are three basic makes of hanfu, 衣裳制, 深衣制, and 长衫制.

1. 衣裳制 (yīshang zhì), is separated into a top and a bottom piece of clothing.

For Males

For Females, 襦裙 rú qún

2. 深衣制 (shēn yī zhì), where the top and bottom are sewn together into a whole piece.

3. 长衫制 (chángshān zhì), where the top is extended into a long shirt.

直身 zhí shēn (male)

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褙子 bèi zi (female)

披风 pīfēng (female)

圆领 yuán lǐng (male)

(By Echo)

ref:(http://www.at0086.com/at_News/12/802072708634249.html)

Tang suit and modernity

The term“tang suit”is originated from abroad. A Chinatown is a section of an urban area associated with a large number of Chinese within a city outside the majority. The local people always named the Chinatown as“town of people from Tang Dynasty”(唐人街)and called these Chinese“people from Tang Dynasty”(in Chinese唐人) since Tang dynasty was the most thriving, prosperous, splendid, and glorious period of ancient Chinese. Thus, the clothing worn by the Chinese is called“tang suit”.

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Actually“tang suit”is not the clothing of Tang Dynasty. They are totally different. The origin of Tang suit or Tang jacket can be traced back to Qing Dynasty. It is evolved from Magua from Qing Dynasty, a traditional Chinese costume worn by males. It is a short tunic with high and round collars and lapels, which are fasten down the front. By the 1940s, what we now know as the Tang suit became prevalent for all classes in China. Compared with the ancient style, the sleeves had become longer and wider. Patch pockets were added and the number of frog buttons became standard at seven. This jacket was worn with matching pants.

The unified and prosperous China was established in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In China's history, the Tang Dynasty was a period when the polity and economy were highly developed and the culture and art were thriving.

Women's dress and personal adornments of the Tang Dynasty were outstanding in China's history. The clothing materials were exquisite, the structure was natural, graceful and elegant, and adornments were splendid. Though the forms of garments were still the continuation of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) and the Sui Dynasty (581-618), they were influenced by cultures and arts of the Western Regions. Especially, the national power of the High Tang was strong. The trades and cultural exchanges with Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Persia and other countries gradually became frequent, and they mutually dispatched emissaries and accepted students of other countries. In this way, a special open and romantic style of dress and personal adornments was formed.

(By Mary)
ref:http://www.google.com.au/search?q=tang+suit&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0p0UUsuoC67uiAfy5YGwAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1311&bih=594#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=wlMAPA0g0OIerM%3A%3BQQ-G341tHp1VIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.cultural-china.com%252FchinaWH%252Fupload%252F01460865.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftraditions.cultural-china.com%252Fen%252F15Traditions6359.html%3B520%3B367

Tang Suit

A tangzhuang (Chinese: 唐装; pinyin: tángzhuāng; literally "Chinese suit" ^[1][2]) is a Chinese jacket that originated at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). The Tangzhuang evolved from the Magua (马褂), a Manchurian piece of clothing, which was in turn adopted by the Han Chinese during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, only aristocrats and government officials wore it, however, in modern times it has been adopted by common people. They are often worn by men, although women wear them as well.^[3]

In Chinese communities, the Mao suit, the western suit, and the Tang suit are the main forms of formal dress for men on many occasions. Tangzhuang are made in different colors, most commonly red, navy, gold, black and green. One common design is the usage of Chinese characters (Hanzi, 汉字) as monogram such as Fu (福,'happiness' in Chinese), Shou (寿, 'longevity' in Chinese) to spread good luck and wishes. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shanghai in November 2001, the host presented silk-embroided tangzhuang jackets as the Chinese traditional national costume.
(By Mary)
ref:http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/01460840.jpg&imgrefurl=http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/15Traditions6359.html&h=323&w=456&sz=17&tbnid=ethj3aiHEr6iPM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=127&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtang%2Bsuit%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=tang+suit&usg=__btv9H21JephSZAQtZBYpsF-j_K0=&docid=QQ-G341tHp1VIM&sa=X&ei=0p0UUsuoC67uiAfy5YGwAw&ved=0CCwQ9QEwAA&dur=188

Ancient Tang suit

Because of communication with the Western Regions, the influence of dressing culture of other minorities on the Tang court also reflected the change of thoughts and concepts. The social status of ancient women was very low: they often served as Jileren (music performer), Guanji (official performer), Gongji (palace performer) and Jiaji (family performer), and were regarded as the playthings and goods that can be sold and bought by rich people. Some females had rebel spirit in the Tang Dynasty, so they climbed or jumped over the walls and went to the nature to view the beautiful scenes and/or go sightseeing in the spring by riding horses with men. Just as recorded by many historical materials, some girls therefore dressed as boys in order to go out.

The garments in the Tang Dynasty also greatly affected the garments of neighboring countries. For instance, Japanese kimono adopted the elites of the dresses of the Tang Dynasty in terms of colors, and the Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) also adopted the advantages of the dresses of the Tang Dynasty. The dresses of the Tang Dynasty were mainly made of silk, so dresses were famous for softness and lightness. The dresses of the Tang Dynasty boldly adopted the features of foreign garments in terms of forms and adornments; i.e. they mainly referred to the garments of other countries (such as the Central-Asia countries, India, Iran, Persia, northern countries and the Western Regions) and used them to improve the culture of the Tang Dynasty.
(By Mary)
ref:http://www.google.com.au/search?q=tang+suit&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0p0UUsuoC67uiAfy5YGwAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1311&bih=594#imgdii=

Style of cheongsam

Cheongsam style a lot, there is wishful breasted cardigan, pipa lapel, Xie Jin, double-breasted; possess high collar, low collar, no collar; cuff long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless; slit with high slits, low slit; still has a long dress, short dress, clip cheongsam, cheongsam and other single.
cheongsam style changes are mainly sleeve, lapel shape changes.
Sleeve-shaped styles are: wide sleeves shaped, narrow sleeves shaped, long-sleeved, the sleeves, short sleeves or sleeveless.
There are round-shaped lapel lapel styles, straight lapel, side lapel, pipa lapel:
Round breasted cheongsam dress - lapel Department smoother flowing lines;
Straight lapel cheongsam dress - plump, round face female fit this style, can make the body look slender;
Party lapel cheongsam dress - the lapel unit carried out bold reforms, suitable for different face shape wear.
There are also double-breasted cheongsam circle, double cardigan cheongsam and other styles.
Collar
General collar, penguins collar, impatiens collar, no collar, drop collar, bamboo collar, horseshoe collar
Material
Have made ​​cheongsam fabric, silk, brocade, at present there are silk crepe de chine, silk spinning, spinning power, Hang Luo and other real silk.
Color
Common red cheongsam, colorful eye-catching, unique style, fully demonstrated the full national history and culture, with emphasis reflects the charm of oriental women subtle elegance.
Pattern
Modern common pattern for the brocade cheongsam, together with traditional Chinese decoration such as fish, rich flowers, plum, etc., as well as in Chinese ink painting depicts a hand-painted floral designs cheongsam.
Button
Buttons on the plate buttons cheongsam is that it is mainly used production method called "loop of" folding sewing thin strips of cloth woven. This is modern with a single piece made ​​of hard material button holes are not the same. If thin fabrics can be lined with cotton yarn. Do buckle corsage loop strip is lined with tinsel general, in order to amorphous.

(By Nico)

ref:http://baike.baidu.com/view/2113.htm

Modern cheongsam

Within the early twentieth century popular wore horn Duanao wide sleeves, jackets and places around the pendulum sleeveless long vest. Thereafter cheongsam in the side, sleeve, lapel, collar, etc. made ​​some changes to increase the decoration, appear complicated changes. But still maintain the straightness of large old-style cheongsam vest, Xi Yong traditional linear way of tailoring, revealing no women's slim figure. The late twenties and thirties, cheongsam in length, width, height and slit short sleeve long sleeve, high neck collar and low-scale aspects of the changes has been repeated. In 1929, affected by European and American short skirts, the original medium length cheongsam began to become shorter, reduced to the knee hem, cuffs shorter smaller. Subsequently, uniform style cheongsam hem shortened to one inch above the knee, the sleeves using Western. This change was criticized in 1931 after a variable length cheongsam began to hem drooping. Development of extreme mid-thirties, robe bottom floor covering feet, known as the "sweeping cheongsam." Original dress can cover the wrist to the elbow sleeves shortened. After getting shorter sleeves, shrink two inches under the shoulder-length, 1936 after almost sleeveless.

No slits Qing cheongsam, cheongsam shortening sleeves, also quietly opened lower on the left side slits. Later, the higher the more open panties getting high knee to the thigh. As no objection, once back gown slit below the knee. However, a reduced pressure of public opinion, gowns panties and increased rapidly after 1933 popular big slit cheongsam. Traditional dress is a straight up and down, plus high collar. The early 1930s began to accumulate and shrink waist gowns, to 1934, the entire female body curves finally revealed. Tall collar and ear gradually grow shorter, and later some became no collar cheongsam.

(By Nico)

ref：http://qipao.baike.com/category-33375.html

The history of Cheongsam

The cheongsam is a Manchu Qing Dynasty robes, was born in the early 20th century, prevailed in three forties. The experts on the 1920s as a popular starting point cheongsam 1930s to a peak state it quickly swept from the birthplace of Shanghai to the Chinese world. At that time Shanghai is high ladies, senior socialite paradise, they are keen to swim, play golf, flight operation, horseback riding, luxurious social life and chase fashion, doomed cheongsam epidemic. As Shanghai has Chong Shanghai faction Western lifestyle, so that later appeared in "improved cheongsam" from the curve of the body to cover unexpected appearance exquisite female curves, so dress to rid itself of the old model, a unique national characteristics of Chinese women fashion world.

A short history of the cheongsam

ref：http://qipao.baike.com/category-33358.html

(By Nico)