III.+Ancient+Chinese+Clothing

As with many traditions of the Chinese, one of the most interesting is the clothes they wear. The chinese clothing can be described as different pieces of cloth draped over ones body. The prices of the clothing ranged from cheap to expensive. This is an image of a style of clothing known as the ch i'-p 'ao which is a modified form of a traditional Ching Dynasty fashion.(Chinavista) It is still popular in the modern world which women now wear on formal occasions. During the Sui Dynasty, in the 500's AD, the emperor decided that all poor people had to wear blue or black clothes, and only rich people could wear bright colors. The Emperor wore gold colored clothes as this symbolized wealth and power. (Chinastyle)

In early China, poor people made their clothes of hemp or ramie while only the rich wore silk. A Hanfu or "silk robe" was made famous by the Han dynasty rulers, however this later became the traditional clothing.(Carr) Women sometimes carried a sun umbrella for their use in the summer in order mot to get burned by the sun. Today many women still use umbrellas. (Chinese Umbrellas) Women often wore many acessories. These included things such as macramé. are used to decorate shoulders, bodices, pockets, seams, and openings of clothing, as well as belts, hair ornaments, and necklaces.(Chinastyle) This is an image of a macramé necklace.

Many forms of Ancient Clothing have now transitioned to classic clothing such as the pien-fu, the ch'ang-p'ao, and the shen-i. Those three types of clothing were all wide and with voluminous sleeves and had a very loose fit. The pien-fu was a two piece ceremonial tunic top with a skirt or trousers. The ch'ang-p'ao is a one-piece garment extending from the shoulders all the way to the heels. The most popular of them was the shen-i which was cross between the pien-fu and ch'ang-p'ao. Women of all ages have been seen wearing these beautiful pieces of garment.(Evolved Clothes)