This document provides an overview of 5 categories of traditional Chinese clothing: Hanfu, Cheongsam, Tang suit, Zhongshan suit, and customs of minority ethnics. It describes the origins and history of each category. Hanfu has the longest history, tracing back over 3,000 years. Cheongsam originated from Manchu clothing of the Qing dynasty. The Tang suit was influenced by both Manchu and Western styles. The Zhongshan suit was introduced by Sun Yat-sen as a national dress after the founding of the Republic of China. Each category reflects the cultural influences and values of different dynastic periods in Chinese history.

1. The Most Classic 5
Categories of Trditional
Chinese Dress & Clothing
The story of clothing and costumes is one of the most fascinating
developments in human history.
Every nation in the world has its unique traditional clothing, from
which the particular histories and cultures could be recognized, so as
for people to be able to distinguish one citizen from another.
China, as a multi-ethnic and time-honoured country, has many ethnic
minorities who have their indigenous culture. The mutual influences
among these different cultures have contributed to the rich textures
and fabrics of history and have made Chinese clothing with great
variation and glory.
Traditional Chinese clothing has been shaped and developed alongside
the interactive influences between the outside world and China’s own
dynastic traditions.
Every different dynastic has different scopes of territory, social values,
social norms, etc. Therefore, many aesthetic standards were made
according to the environments (socially, geographically, economically,
politically) of certain dynastic. This is the main reason why traditional
Chinese clothing has such many styles.

2. 5 Types of Chinese Traditional Clothing &
Dress
For exploring the world of traditional Chinese clothing, it is necessary
to learn the most classic 5 categories. Which are, respectively, Hanfu,
Cheongsam, Tang suit, Zhongshan suit, and customs of the minority
ethnics.
Every category has its own production techniques and considerable
discrepancies could be observed when comparing different categories
or 1 category in different times.
This article provides a brief introduction for each category. By reading
the following contents, the basic frameworks of traditional Chinese
clothing could be structured.

3. 1. Hanfu
Hanfu, with the name oriented from the Chinese meaning ‘Han
people’s clothing’, encompassing all types and styles of traditional
clothing worn by the Han Chinese.
The Han Chinese trace a common ancestry to the Huaxia, a name for
the initial confederation of agricultural tribes living along the Yellow
River. The term Huaxia represents the collective Neolithic
confederation of agricultural tribes Hua and Xia who settled along the
Central Plains around the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River
in northern China.

4. Hanfu, as its definitions, born at the beginning of the history of Han
ethic. Therefore, it has the longest history among all traditional
Chinese clothing.
History of Hanfu
Hanfu has a history of more than three millennia. From the beginning
of its history, Hanfu was inseparable from silk, supposedly discovered
by the Yellow Emperor’s consort, Leizu.
Hanfu dominated the Chinese fashion world from the reign of the
Yellow Emperor (2969 BC-2598 BC) to the end of the Ming Dynasty
(1368 – 1644).
Each dynasty has their own styles and aesthetic. For instance, shenyi
in Pre-Qin Dynasty; ru dress in Qin and Han Dynasty;

5. Tiaowenjiansequn in Wei Dynasty; Bambi in Sui and Tang Dynasty,
etc.
Some dresses are popular and worn by people in different dynasties,
some are just a flash in the pan. In both cases, all hanfu has evolved
and influenced by each other in some extent.

6. Even though there are a plenty of hanfu styles, each of them could be
assembled by a set of clothing pieces.
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
Qun (裙)
or Chang
(裳)
skirt for women and men

7. Ku (裈) trousers or pants
Apart from these, ancient Han Chinese were also accessorize with
tassels and jade pendants or various ornaments hung from the belt or
sash, known as pei (珮).
Follows are the introduction of some Hanfu styles.
Zhongyi (中衣) or Zhongdan (中单) inner garments, mostly white cotton or silk
Shanqun (衫裙) a short coat with a long skirt
Ruqun (襦裙)
a top garment with a separate lower garment
or skirt
Kuzhe (裤褶) a short coat with trousers
Zhiduo/Zhishen (直裰/直身)
a Ming Dynasty style robe, similar to a sheny
but with vents at the side and ‘stitched
sleeves’
Daopao/Fusha (道袍/彿裟)
taoist/ buddhist priests’ full-dress ceremonial
robes
Xuanduan (玄端)
a very formal dark robe; equivalent to the
Western white tie
Shenyi (深衣) a long full body garment
Quju (曲裾) diagonal body wrapping
Zhiju (直裾) straight lapels
Yuanlingshan (圆领衫), Lanshan (襕
衫) or Panlingpao (盘领袍)
closed, round-collared robe; mostly used for
official or academical dress
2. Cheongsam
Cheongsam, also known as Qipao in Mandarin, is a traditional dress
that has its origins back in the 17th century. It is a type of famine
body-hugging dress with distinctive Chinese features of Manchu origin.

8. During 1920s-1930s, it was called mandaring gown and popularized by
upper-class women in Shanghai.
Qipao History
In the Qing dynasty, China was ruled by Manchus rather than Han
Chinese. The rulers used an administrative division called the Eight
Banner system. Originally, only the Manchu households were organized
within this system, but over them Mongols and Han Chinese were
incorporated.
The Manchus, and anyone living under the Eight Banners system, wore
different clothing from ordinary civilians. Such clothing consisted of
similar long robes for both men and women and were known as
changpao.

9. For a period of time, under the dynastic laws after 1636, all Han
Chinese were forced under penalty of death to adopt the Manchu male
hairstyle, the queue, and dress in Manchu changpao instead of
traditional Han Chinese Clothing.
However, in the 19th
century, it was very common for females wearing
Qipao in both formal and casually occasions voluntarily.
Nowadays, Cheongsam is recognized around the world and has
inspired many foreign adaptations because of its simple yet exotic
lines. It is popular because it fits the Chinese female figure well, has
simple lines and looks elegant. It is suitable for wearing all year round
for both young and elderly group.
Modern females do not wear qipao as everyday attire. Cheongsams are
now worn only during formal occasions like weddings, parties, and

10. beauty pageants. Qipao is also used as a uniform at some Chinese
restaurants, hotels and, airlines.
It is popularly worn in China as the wedding dress, traditionally in red.
Cheongsam is usually embroidered with elaborate gold and silver
designs. Brides in southern China wear Qipao or a modified two-piece
style, which is elaborately adorned with a gold dragon and phoenix
pattern. Dragon and phoenix is a traditional wedding dress favored by
Chinese brides nowadays.
3. Tang Suit
The Tang suit, also been translated as Tangzhuang, often refers to a
type of modern Chinese jacket rather than the clothing of the Tang
Dynasty (AD 618 – 907).

11. Origin of name
Although Tang suit is not clothing in the Tang dynasty, it has
something to do with it. The Tang dynasty is one of the most
prosperous time in Chinese history. As a result, people usually use the
word Tang to refer to the traditional Chinese culture. For example,
Chinatowns in the U.S. or the U.K. are also be called as Tang People
Street.
Tang suits, as the name of Tang People Street, represent a certain
clothing of deep traditional Chinese cultures.
Tang Suit History

12. The history of Tang suit could be traced back to early 1900s (at the
end of the Qing Dynasty). It is the product of the combinations
between Manchu’s jacket elements and the western jacket elements.
A new uniform system had been released by the Chinese government
in 1929. With this new system, Tang suit had become one of the
national formal attire for males.
It was also around 1929, the medias throughout the world reported
and introduced Tang suit widely. People around the world started
regarding Tang suit as one of the most typical traditional Chinese
clothing.
Recent years, with variety of styles and production techniques, Tang
suit is getting more and more popular not only in China but globally.
Tang suit has appeared in many international events. On the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2001, all national leaders wore
tang suit in royal blue, scarlet, and embroidered with round pattern of
peonies- China’s national flower. Furthermore, Tang suit could also be
seen on the 2008 Olympic Games and the some of the meetings of
World Trade Organization.
In addition, Tang suit elements were being utilized many times in
famous Kung Fu films and dramas. It is the efforts of both designers
and cultural industries that spread the influential of Tang suit further
and further.
4. Zhongshan Suit
The modern Chinese tunic suit is a style of male attire originally known
in China as the Zhongshan suit (after Sun Yet-Sen, also called Sun
Zhongshan), and later as the Mao suit (after Mao Zedong).

13. Sun Yat-sen introduced the style shortly after the founding of the
Republic of Chinaas a form of national dress although with distinctly
political and later governmental implication. He based the suit on the
Japanese Cadet uniform.
The suit was also known to have cultural implications in which the four
pockets represented the Four Virtues of the Chinese culture: Propriety,
Justice, Honesty, and Shame, and the five buttons represented China’s
five branches of government.
History of the Zhongshan Suit
When the Republic was founded in 1912, the style of dress worn in
China was based on Manchu dress (qipao and changshan), which had
been imposed by the Qing Dynastyas a form of social control.

14. The majority Han Chinese revolutionaries who overthrew the Qing
were fueled by failure of the Qing to defend China and a lack of
scientific advancement compared to the West. Even before the
founding of the Republic, older forms of Chinese dress were becoming
unpopular among the elite and led to the development of Chinese
dress which combined the changshan and the Western hat to form a
new dress. The Zhongshan suit is a similar development which
combined Western and Eastern fashions.
The Mao suit remained the standard formal dress for the first and
second generations of PRC leaders such as Deng Xiaoping. During the
1990s, it began to be worn with decreasing frequency by leaders of
General Secretary Jiang Zemin’s generation as more and more Chinese
politicians began wearing traditional Western-style suits with neckties.

15. Jiang wore it only on special occasions, such as to state dinners. Hu
Jintao still wore the Mao suit, but only on special occasions, such as
the ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic in
2009.
Hu Jintao even showed up to a black tie state dinner in the United
States wearing a business suit, attracting some criticism for being
underdressed at a formal occasion. In the Xi Jinping administration,
however, the Mao suit made a comeback as a diplomatic uniform and
evening dress.
5. Ethnic Minorities
Some countries, such as Japan, Korea, France and Greece, are mono
ethic countries. China is not one of them which has multi ethnics living
in down the ages.

16. Ethnic minorities in China are the non Han Chinese population in China.
China officially recognizes 55 ethnic minority groups within China in
addition to the Han majority. As of 2010, the combined population of
officially recognized minority groups comprised 8.49% of the
population of mainland China.
The degree of variation between ethnic groups is not consistent. Many
ethnic groups are described as having unique characteristics from
other minority groups and from the dominant Han, but there are also
some that are very similar to the Han majority group. Most Hui
Chinese are indistinguishable from Han Chinese except for the fact that
they practice Islam, and most Manchu are considered to be largely
assimilated into dominant Han society.
The 55 ethnic minorities are Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Uygur, Miao, Yi,
Zhuang, etc.

17. As to the clothing of the ethnic minorities, great variations could be
observed due to the geographical, cultural, and historical factors.
Features of Clothing
Common features of ethnic minority clothing are flowery and colorful,
extremely exquisite, and highly distinctive.
Every aspect of their garments, such as raw materials, textile
technology, fashion and decoration, retains a distinct characteristic of
the ethnic group and the locality. The Hezhen ethnic minority people,
who mainly make a living on fishing, used to make clothes with
fishskin. The hunting ethnic groups, such as Oroqen and Ewenki, used
roe skin and animal tendon to stitch up their clothes.

18. The Mongolians, Tibetans, Kazakstans, Khalkhases, Yugurs, etc., who
are mainly engaged in stockbreeding, make their apparel mostly from
animal skin and hair. And, farming ethnic minorities usually take the
locally produced cotton or hemp thread as raw materials to spin cloth
and silk and make clothes.
Ethnic minorities’ spinning and weaving, tanning and felting techniques
boast a long history. For example, bombax cloth of the Li ethnic
minority, woolen fabric of the Tibetan,Adelis silkof the Uygur, fur
products of the Oroqen have enjoyed a worldwide reputation all along.
There are numerous clothing designs and forms in Chinese ethnic
minorities. Generally speaking, they can be classified into two types:
long gowns and short clothes. People usually wear a hat and boots to
match long gowns, and headcloth and shoes to match short clothes.
The gowns take various forms: the high-collar and big-front type worn
by the Mongolian, the Manchu, the Tu and so on; the collarless tilted-
front type worn by the Tibetan, the Moinba and so on; the tilted-front

19. type worn by the Uygur and other ethnic minorities; and so on. As for
short clothes, they fall into two types: trousers and skirts.
Costumes of ethnic minorities vary greatly not only with different
nationalities, but also with different branches and different regions
within the same ethnic group. Difference can be seen from province to
province, from county to county, and even from village to village.
Costume is the most obvious symbol of an ethnic group, and in the
history, many ethnic groups were named just according to their
garments.
The 7 Key Variations in Traditional
Chinese Clothing
The 5 broad categories of traditional Chinese clothing have been
introduced. In general, each of them could be recognized by 7 key
variations.
l Design, Traditional Chinese clothes usually adopted a straight cut
and were loose in shape. In addition, the overall harmony of the outfit
was also emphasized.
l Embroidery, a folk art with a long tradition, occupies and important
position in the history of Chinese arts and crafts. It is, in its long
development, inseparable from silkworm-raising and silk-reeling and
weaving. The production of silk thread and fabrics gave rise to the art
of Chinese embroidery, and the embroidered works have become
highly complex and exquisite.
l Color, People normally wore light colored clothing in daily life. Red,
bright yellow, and purple always exclusively belonged to the emperor
and the imperial family. The mass people mostly wore red at
weddings. Besides that, white clothing was normally worn at a funeral.
For example, for women, only an empress or official wives could wear
true red while the color was prohibited to concubines.
l Pattern, In ancient feudal society, people’s rank and social status
could easily be figured out from their daily dressing, especially for the
ordinary people and the upper-class. Among the upper dominating
classes, only the Emperor was assigned the colour yellow and the

20. dragon emblem on traditional Chinese imperial dress as an exclusive
affirmation of their power. As for the ministers, generals, councilors
and their wives, their uniforms were also restrictively regulated for
how many lions or cranes etc can be embroidered on.
l Gender, Women’s clothing was more diverse than clothing for men.
Compared to men’s clothing, women’s clothing had more ornaments,
items, and styles.
l Material, At the very beginning, the ancient Chinese only covered
their bodies with leaves. As agricultural development increased, more
clothing material appeared. In later years, linen, cotton, and silk were
the prominent materials. During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644),
according to the government’s policy of physiocracy and restriction
ofbusiness, businessmen were forbidden to wear silk clothing, even if
they were rich.
l History, Almost every dynasty had its own unique clothes, some of
which were really exquisite beyond compare.
Only a Beginning
Nowadays, more and more fashion designers are devoting themselves
to the improvements of traditional clothing designs.
As wearers, we are not only customers but also co-producers.
Especially in today’s market, people are able to choose any style of
clothing with great freedoms. It is our likes and dislikes that determine
the routes of clothing designs.
This article gives only a very brief introduction to the Chinese
traditional clothing. Each of the 5 categories could be further divide
into much more sub-categories. It is a very big map in which we only
take a small glimpse.
Newhanfu is an interactive platform for people who interested in
traditional Chinese clothing to learn and communicate with each other.
We provide not only information and stories about Hanfu but all the 5
categories of traditional Chinese clothing.