Introduction

Sometimes, Hanzhuang, Wufu also known as Han Chinese Clothing,and sometimes referred in English sources simply as Silk Robe or Chinese Silk Robe refers to the historical dress of the Han Chinese people, Han Chinese clothing refers to the clothing worn by the Han ethnic people from the ruling periods of the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns to the Ming Dynasty. It was the traditional costume of the nation worn for millennia and representative of the characteristics of the Han nationality. Over thousands of years, the Han people created brilliant Hanfu culture with their wisdom. The basic Han clothing was a robe, which was either full-length or calf-length. The front of the robe was left cut, and it was kept closed by a belt. As a rare commodity, cloth was valued by the Han. Excess fabric was used to indicate wealth and prestige, and wearing larger and larger clothing, often to the point of immobilizing the wearer, conveyed status. More and more people liked the clothing, more and more people would like to do something for the Chinese traditional clothing. 

History

Hanfu has a long history, and is said to have been worn by some other people. From the beginning of its history, Hanfu was a veryImportant thing for culture. It was inseparable from silk, supposedly discovered by the Yellow Emperor’s consort, Leizu. The Shang Dynasty, developed the rudiments of Hanfu; it consisted of a yi, a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt, called chang, worn with a bixi, a length of fabric that reached the knees. The clothing has a lot of colors at that time.

Styles

The Han Chinese Clothing made popular by 3,000 years ago still remain popular in traditional Chinese fashion today. Han styles are noted by beautiful silk robes with each style of clothing denoting a different strata of society. Han Chinese clothing retained its simple and elegant style. The main characters of the clothing include "Y" shaped cross collar with the left one upon the right, no buttons, and string or belt fastening, giving a free and elegant feel.

Influence

In the year of 1911, the last dynasty called Qing was gone,Manchu dress and the pigtail disappeared quickly in favourite of western-style dress. Today most Han Chinese wear western-style clothing, and Han Chinese clothing is largely unknown. Recent attempts by Hanfu advocates in China to wear Hanfu outdoors have provoked curious reactions from onlookers, many of them mistaking Hanfu for Japanese dress. Most Han Chinese wear Western-style clothing in everyday life. Han Chinese clothing is presently worn only as a part of historical reenactment, festivals, hobby, coming of age/rite of passage ceremonies, ceremonial clothing worn by religious priests, or cultural exercise and can be frequently seen on Chinese television series, films and other forms of media entertainment. The Chinese clothing is not only in the history, but also in the mind of the people today.

The Han Chinese Clothing:汉服,中华名族的传统服装