Tang Dynasty Clothing

Looking through this blog, it is probably obvious to you that I love ethnic clothes. However, I equally love historical dramas as well. After watching so many Chinese historical dramas, I've became fascinated by the various ethnic clothes of China. I searched up many different style of clothing like the hanfu, hufu, ming, etc. Out of the various styles, the Tang dynasty clothing captured my heart. I just love how light the clothing looks and the design. If you look at the picture below, you can see how beautiful it is.

  

   (Tang dynasty women clothing)          (Tang Dynasty Male clothing)

This is the three main style of Tang dynasty clothing for women. The male clothing at this time did not change much from the previous Sui dynasty. Therefore, I will be focusing on the glory of women’s clothing at this time.

(Three Types of Tang dynasty Clothing) 

The Tang dynasty (608-907) is known to be the “glorious age” and is regularly cited as the greatest imperial dynasty in Ancient China. The Sui dynasty, the previous dynasty, was bankrupt due to the emperor's military expansions. Li Yuan, the first emperor of the Tang dynasty, rebelled against the Emperor and successfully created the Tang dynasty. His son, Taizong, made many reforms such as introducing a copper coinage system. The reforms that Taizong and later Emperors made led to the economic and population growth of the Tang dynasty. What does it mean when the economy is growing? It means that trade flourishes.

(Li Yuan, the first emperor of Tang dynasty)

With the growth of the economy, many different objects and ideas were brought into China (through the Silk Road) at this time. One of the things that became popular through trade was Persian and Indian clothes. The Tang Ladies incorporated materials and designs from India and Persia for their clothes and design. Due to the influence of India’s bindi (the forehead dot), women in this era placed motifs between their eyebrows. The design on the upper clothing (look at image on the bottom left) is said to be a Persian style design. The women in the image also has a bright red motifs on her forehead. Some popular motif designs can be seen below as well. Aren’t the design beautiful? Which design do you like the most? Comment below!

 

(Clothing that has foreign Influences)                    (Various style of Motifs) 

The Increase in trade also lead to the introduction of Buddhism in China. Confucianism was the major religion before this. With the spread of Buddhism, Confucian and Buddhism merged to create the neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism was liberal and rationalistic compared to the older religions. It believed that the universe can be understood through human reasoning. This new religion helped create a liberal society in the Tang dynasty. Due to this spread of liberalism, women gained many rights. Women were able to own property, divorce, hunt, do business, and participate in politics. Some women were appointed to important government positions at that time. The image below shows a clay figure that depicts a Tang dynasty women riding a horse. In the past, women were expected to stay indoors but this clay figurine tells us that women were able to work outdoors in this time period.

(A women riding a horse from a Tang dynasty tomb) 

The growing power of women is evident with the rise of the first and last Empress Regnant of China, Wu Zetian. Isn’t it amazing that in China’s extremely long history, there was only one Empress Regnant!? Wu Zetian also made many reforms that helped expand women's right. She allowed women to travel on their own and expanded the mourning period for a mother to equal that of a father. She also sponsored scholars to produce a collection of biographies on famous Chinese women. Maybe she was the first feminist in China?

(Wu Zetian)

This growing freedom in women’s lives can be seen in their clothing. If you look at the image below, the woman is wearing a revealing clothing. She is exposing her cleavage!! (By the way, this is Ancient China for those who forgot). In a way, these people might have been more liberal than us. I had a classmate in high school that wore a t-shirt that showed her cleavage and got in trouble. During the Sui dynasty (the previous dynasty), women were expected to cover most of their body parts and had a more insignificant role due to the Confucianism. You can see the Sui dynasty clothing below. However, Neo-Confucianism saw men and women as an equal, thus this freedom in fashion and power were possible. Do you see the difference between the clothing from the Sui dynasty and the Tang dynasty?

       

(Sui dynasty clothing)                           (Tang dynasty clothing) 

This growth of Women’s power became detested by the male population. Though Wu Zetian had a successful reign with a flourishing economy, her evil deeds were well known among the people. In order to gain the position as the Empress, Wu Zetian killed her own daughter and framed the first wife of the emperor for the murder. Due to her brutality, Wu Zetian became a prime example for the male population of what happens when women gains too much power. Maybe this is why the Song Dynasty (the dynasty after Tang) became stricter on women? Women lost all the rights that they enjoyed during the Tang dynasty like the right to divorce, own property, participate in politics, etc. This strictness can also be seen in the clothing style. If you look at the image below, the women is covering every single section of her body except for her face and a part of her neck.

(Song dynasty clothing)          

Out of all the dynasty’s clothes, I love the Tang dynasty the most because of its beautiful design and the liberal/social background that the clothes conveys to us. As a history nerd, I also love how the Tang dynasty led to the advancement of other countries clothes. The rich culture and economic success of the Tang dynasty was known by every nation around China. Many of those nations copied the Tang clothing and culture to become more modern and advanced like the Tangs. If you look at my Japanese Clothing blog post, I talked about how the Japanese clothing was a copy from the Tang dynasty. In a way, the Tang clothing is the foundation of many different ethnic clothing.

Sadly, this freedom in clothing that the Tang dynasty had was destroyed with the rise of the Song dynasty. However, many people still wear Tang dynasty clothing for ceremonies and dances. It is also one of the most popular ethnic clothing in China.

Here is a video for you, if you want to know more about Chinese clothing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiWEBzZofjo

Korean Clothing

Recently, I’ve been interested in the creation of hanbok. During the summer, my Korean friend went to visit Korea for 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks, her snapchat story was filled with Korean food and tourist spots. On one of the days, she posted picture of herself in a hanbok, a traditional Korean clothing. Looking at this beautiful piece of clothing, I’ve became curious how this was created and started my research.

(A modern Hanbok. This isn’t a picture of my friend though.)

Not much is known about the prehistoric era of Korea and the people's lifestyle at that time. There was apparently a kingdom called Gojoseon which lasted from 2333 BC to 108 BC, but there is no account about the clothing of this kingdom. However, we do know that Gojoseon was later conquered by the Han dynasty. Therefore, I suspect that the Koreans in this era wore something similar to Hanfu (the Han dynasty clothing). The oldest information on Korean clothing is from a mural from the Goguryeo dynasty (around 37 BCE), which can be seen in the image below.

(Mural from Goguryeo dynasty)

Through trade with China, the Korean clothing became more like the Chinese clothing as time went on. These clothing had a wide sleeve and a top that covered the hips. If you compare the two images below, you can clearly see the similarities.  Which clothing do you like better? Comment below!

(Goguryeo clothing from around 400-660AD)       (Northern dynasty 420-589AD)

During the Yuan dynasty (Mongols dynasty), the Mongols conquered the Korean kingdom Goryeo. The traditional design underwent change due to the influence of the Mongols. The sleeves became narrower and the upper clothing became a little shorter. The most noticeable change was that there was a bow tie near the chest instead of the band around the waist. You can see this clothing style on the bottom left picture. If you look at the image on the bottom right you might think, “hey, that’s not a Mongolian clothing.” You’re completely right. When the Mongols took over China, they incorporated the Han clothing. That’s why the Mongol clothing in this image looks different from the current Mongolian ethnic clothing. So in a way, you can say that the Korean clothing was influenced by the Hans not the Mongolians.
　　　　　

                             

(Goryeo clothing around 1270-1370 AD)          　(Yuan Clothing from 1271-1378 AD)

Around the late 14th century to the early 15th century, both China and Korea went through a turbulent time. The Korean kingdom Goguryeo was destroyed and the Joseon dynasty emerged. At around the same time, the Yuan dynasty was ousted by the Ming dynasty. Both the Ming dynasty and Joseon (the Korean people) use to be subjects of the Yuan dynasty. Therefore, the two countries were quite close and traded with each other. This close connection allowed the Ming to influence and change the Korean clothing. If you compare the two clothing below, you can tell that the Korean clothing is a copy of the Ming’s. Maybe China and Korea's close relationship started around here? What do you think?
 

(15th century Joseon clothing)                    (15th century Ming clothing)

After the 15th century, the hanbok did not really experience a tremendous influence from other countries. However, there were still some changes. The upper clothing became shorter and the sleeves became narrower as years went on. The skirt also became shorter. The cause of this change is not clear, but I think it’s because these changes made it easier for people to move around. You can see this change in the image below.

  

In present day, hanbok is only worn during special occasions. If you’re interested in Korean clothing, check out this Hanbok fashion show! Also, if you ever go to Korea, try wearing a Hanbok! It’s really cute!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRtaxu2tztg

Japanese Clothing

Some of you might think this is weird, but I love traditional clothing. When I recently went to Japan to visit my relatives, I stumbled upon a history museum. It was an interesting museum that gave me an insight on the transformation of the Japanese lifestyle. The most intriguing part of this museum for me was the section on clothing. The showcase on the evolution of Japanese clothing was astonishing, which is why I decided to write about Japanese clothing.

The Japanese people during the prehistoric times wore clothing that were colorless and made of plants. If you look at the picture below, that is what the typical people wore at that time. People also tattooed their body. All you fashionistas must be disgusted by this colorlessness of the clothing. But don’t worry! It gets prettier thanks to the influence of other countries.
　

(Pre-historic Clothings)

From around 250-500 AD, the Japanese came in contact with the people in the Korean peninsula. Around 550 AD, there was a mass immigration from Korea. This was because Korea was split into three kingdoms that were fighting each other. The war forced many Koreans to flee to Japan. Subsequently, the immigrants brought many technologies and objects to Japan. One of the things they brought was clothing. In this era, the Japanese started to wear clothing that were very similar to that of what the Koreans wore at the time. If you look at the images below of the two countries clothing, the design and shape are quite similar. Do you see the similarities?

  

(Japanese Clothing 538-650 AD)            (Korean/Goguryeo clothing from 400-600 AD)

Once again, the Japanese clothing dramatically changed from 650-710 AD. During this time, Japan was relatively poor and weak compared to China and the Korean countries. Empress Jito, who wanted to create a strong and rich country like the Tang dynasty, incorporated many aspects of the Tang dynasty into the Japanese culture. She even changed the official Japanese court clothing to that of the Tang dynasty’s. The two countries court clothing in the images below show how identical they are. I’m personally glad that the Empress changed the court clothing. Look at that design! It’s so pretty.
   

          

          

(Japanese clothing from 650-710 AD)         (Tang dynasty clothing)

However, around 1000 AD, Japanese clothing became more original. Japanese people started to use their own design and got rid of many Chinese influences. In the past, the Chinese emperors treated Japan as a sub-country. Therefore, this was Japan’s strategy to prove to the Chinese that they are independent. Maybe Japan and China’s rivalry started around this era?

This new clothing was distinct in that women wore 12 layers of cloth on the outside. In the inside, they wore something that was like a Kimono and pants over it. They tied the 12 layers with a cloth that went around the waist. Men’s clothing didn’t change as drastically as the women’s clothing. However, if you compare the men’s clothing from the earlier period, the sleeves became longer and the pants became puffier. This evolution reflects the social standards of this era. Women, in this era, did not really have any role. They didn’t even need to take care of their children. Therefore, the women were able to wear such uncomfortable clothing. I wish I was a person from this era. I don't need to do anything!

(Japanese Clothing from around 1000 AD)

Around 1200 AD, the Japanese political structure drastically changed. The aristocrats and the imperial family started to lose power. The warrior class took over the government by creating their own separate government in northern Japan. With the decline of the aristocrats, warriors started to fight each other for power. This was the beginning of the Warring state era which lasted for about 400 years. Due to all the wars, the people during this period had to wear clothing that was easier to move around. Instead of wearing 12 layers, women started wearing just 1 or 2 layers. The sleeves became shorter and the length of the clothing became shorter as well. This type of clothing was actually worn in the earlier time period too, but as a undergarment.

　

(Japanese clothing during the Warring state era)

Since then, the Japanese traditional clothing has not changed as much. This is probably because Japan was in a state of complete peace and they also halted trade with most foreign countries for 200 years. However, the sleeves did get longer as it approached the modern era because this was thought to be prettier. During the 1880's, the Japanese began wearing western clothes to show that they were industrialized. It’s a shame that these traditional clothes are no longer worn. But don’t worry! People still wear kimonos during special occasions.

(Modern Japanese Kimono)