Hanfu and Art

Hanfu （漢服）

Hanfu (simplified Chinese: 汉服; traditional Chinese: 漢服) or Han Chinese Clothing, also sometimes known as Hanzhuang (漢裝), Huafu (華服), and sometimes referred in English sources simply as Silk Robe[1] (especially those worn by the gentry) or Chinese Silk Robe refers to the historical dress of the Han Chinese people, which was worn for millennia before the conquest by the Manchus and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644. The term Hanfu derives from the Book of Han, which says, "then many came to the Court to pay homage and were delighted at the clothing style of the Han [Chinese]."

Hanfu has a history of more than three millennia, and is said to have been worn by the legendary Yellow Emperor. From the beginning of its history, Hanfu (especially in elite circles) was inseparable from silk, supposedly discovered by the Yellow Emperor’s consort, Leizu. The Shang Dynasty (c.1600 BC-1000 BC), 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. Vivid primary colors and green were used, due to the degree of technology at the time.

12th century Chinese painting of The Night Revels of Han Xizai (韓熙載夜宴圖) showing musicians dressed in Hanfu

The dynasty to follow the Shang, the Western Zhou Dynasty, established a strict hierarchical society that used clothing as a status meridian, and inevitably, the height of one’s rank influenced the ornateness of a costume. Such markers included the length of a skirt, the wideness of a sleeve and the degree of ornamentation. In addition to these class-oriented developments, the Hanfu became looser, with the introduction of wide sleeves and jade decorations hung from the sash which served to keep the yi closed. The yi was essentially wrapped over, in a style known as jiaoling youren, or wrapping the right side over before the left, because of the initially greater challenge to the right-handed wearer (the Chinese discouraged left-handedness like many other historical cultures, considering it unnatural, barbarian, uncivilized and unfortunate).

Chinese paintings of this theme of characters. The earliest extant painting on silk of the Warring States, it depicts the wide sleeves hanfu, slender waist, and reveal the aesthetic of that era. The stone sculpture of the Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, figure painting, mainly clothes are then made​​. Tang Dynasty "pound practice," Palace Concert "," Wearing Ladies can be said that the peak of Chinese Paintings, is also today the people study hanfu history of important reference. The same is true of the portraits in the Ming Dynasty. The Qingbingruguan, Dressed service, prohibits service hanfu, barbarians attire, painter unworthy of a painting "portraits gradually decline. The realistic portrait reducing antique paintings of beautiful women increased.