Qun Hing Chinese Takeaway, Birkenhead (2)

(), referred as () prior to the Han dynasty, () and (), and sometimes referred as apron in English even though they are not apron as defined in the English dictionary, is a generic term which refers to the Chinese skirts used in , especially those worn as part of , and in . The and its predecessor, the , along with the upper garment called and the trousers called , are all indigenous clothing of the , which conformed to the fashion style of the Chinese civilization in ancient times. Both the and the , were both typically in the form of a wrap-around skirt like an apron. However, throughout Chinese history, the eventually evolved into the ; and the evolved in diverse shapes, styles, and construction throughout the succeeding dynasties. The continued to exist even in the Republic of China. Several forms of ancient-style regained popularity in the 21st century following the Hanfu movement; this also inspired the development of new styles of qun with modern aesthetics and shapes.

Terminology

In a broad sense, the Chinese character 《》is a synonym for the word (); both of these are generic words for skirts in China.

In ancient China, the Chinese character 《》can refer to "lower garments," which included both the trousers called and the skirt also called which also use the same character《裳》. The term with the Chinese character《》also referred to skirt . According to the , the 《帬》was called 《》in the area of Wei and Chen; it was also called 《》by some people from the east of the Pass. The also explains that the term which uses the character《帬》is the same as the term which uses the characters《 》. It also explains that the , which uses the Chinese character《》, is a skirt by using the term with the characters《 》.

There are also specific terms which are related to the , such as () and . The is a generic term which refers to unlined skirts. The is a generic term which typically refer to a form of inner skirt.

History

In the ancient times, the was referred as and existed even prior to the creation of the trousers called . The appeared on unearthed artifacts dating as early as the Shang dynasty; the eventually evolved into what became known as the .

Warring states period and Qin dynasty

In the Warring States period, men could also wear short skirts similar to a kilt.

Han dynasty

Several wrap-over were found in the Han dynasty tombs. The () first appeared in the Eastern Han dynasty. According to the story, however, the wearing of short skirts with pleats first appeared in the Western Han dynasty when Feng Wufang saved Zhao Feiyan from falling; but while saving her, her skirt had been ripped. This led to the creation of a long excessively pleated-style , called , which was inspired by the ripped skirt of Zhao Feiyan and became popular.

Song dynasty

After the Sui and Tang dynasty, the pleats which were used in the increased in numbers, from a few dozens to over one hundred forming the . The tomb of Huang Sheng contains various forms of , such as the and the .

Yuan dynasty

The continued to be worn in the Yuan dynasty.

Qing dynasty

The continued to be worn in the Qing dynasty. In this period, the worn by the Han Chinese were often which featured pleats and embroideries at the panels and decorative borders. The late Qing dynasty were also heavier compared to those worn in the earlier times as they were weighted by the embroideries and pleats.

Republic of China

During the early period of the Republic of China, people in Beijing continued to wear the clothing worn in the Qing dynasty. Women continued to wear the ; however, the had evolved in style and had become shorter.

Types and styles in

The can also have specific names based on the styles, design and constructions, the number of pleats and colours. In , the can be used in set of attire, such as the , , . In some dynasties, the could be found very long and was tied under the armpits either below or above the bust regions; for example, in the . In other dynasties, the could be tied at the waist level.

() are a form of which are made out of several panel of fabric sewn together instead of using a single piece of cloth, similar to a gore skirt.

and

In the Qin and Han dynasties, the were made out of four panel of fabrics which were sewn together. The upper parts were narrower than the lower parts; and there were also two pieces in the middle were also narrower than those which were found at the sides of the . It was most often found with a belt attached to it; however some women preferred to use a separate belt.

The four-panel , as the one found in the Mawangdui tomb No.1 dating from the Western Han dynasty, was used as a form of () and was usually worn over the or under the . This form of also had a waist belt which was sewed at the upper part of the skirt and both ends of the waist belt would extend to form the ties.

() are a form of made of alternative strips of fabric of two different colours sewn together. Its structure can be traced back to the late Northern Wei dynasty and continued to be used until the Five dynasties and Ten kingdoms period. This form of skirt was high-waist during the Sui and the Tang dynasties and were characteristics clothing for women during this time period. The evolution process of the reflects the multiculturalism context, the cultural exchange, and the cultural integration which occurred between the Han Chinese, the northern ethnic minority culture, and the culture of the Western regions which occurred from the late Northern Wei dynasty to the Sui and Tang dynasties. The design of the skirt thus reflects the gradual integration of and .
File:前秦紫缬襦绯碧裙.jpg, alt=, A waist-length , former Qin
File:新城公主墓壁畫1.JPG, alt=, A floor-length jiansequn tied above the bust-level, Tang dynasty.

Pleated skirts are called (). There are several forms of , such as the (), and the .
File:Dress, two piece (AM 2013.18.1-24).jpg, alt=, used in , c.1928
File:Dress, two piece (AM 2013.18.1-37).jpg, alt=, used in is closed with a zipper, c.1928

is a form of wrap-around skirt which was tied at the waist level; it consisted of over 100 hundred pleats in numbers. Each pleats were fixed to the waistband of the skirt and each pleats had the same width.

and its variant

The was a wrap-around skirt composed of two overlapping panels of fabric which was tied at the waist level. It was characterized with a flat front and pleats on the two sides. The () was a variant of the and featured small pleats which gave a ripple effects. The early prototypes of the was the and the . A derivative of the is the skirt used in the , which is also called .
File:Skirt (AM 1944.51-1).jpg, alt=, Standard , Qing dynasty
File:Skirt, bridal, woman's (AM 1966.181-6).jpg, alt=, , Qing dynasty, late 19th century
File:Woman's skirt (yulin baizhe qun), China, Qing Dynasty, c. 1880-1900, damask and satin - Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume, Royal Ontario Museum - DSC09380.JPG, alt=, , Qing dynasty
File:Skirt, woman's (AM 11750-1).jpg, alt=, Yuehuaqun (月華裙)
File:MET 30 75 88 closed.jpg, alt=, Langanqun
File:A bride in Xiuhe dress between Taihedian and Zhonghedian (20220218120518) (skirt).jpg, Mamianqun used in the Xiuhefu, a derivative of the Qing dynasty mamianqun.

=

=

The skirt, sometimes literally translated as "Dragon skirt" in English, was a skirt decorated with Chinese dragons and/or Chinese phoenixes or with (). The could typically vary in colour; however, red and green were the most common colours used. The was typically paired with the jacket.

During the Qing dynasty, the was worn by Han Chinese women; it was typically worn by the wives of Chinese noblemen or wives of high-ranking Qing officials as part of their quasi-official formal clothing attire on ceremonial occasions when their husband would be wearing the Qing dynasty court robe attire. Wives of the Qing dynasty officials also wore the as part of their wedding attire and as their burial attire.

The () was a red skirt which was especially popular in the Tang dynasty.
File:李震墓提壺托盤女侍圖.jpg, alt=, Shiliuqun (石榴裙)

Imperial and court attire

File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Ceremonial Usages - pic361 - 裳.svg, alt=
File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Ceremonial Usages - pic373 - 朱裳.png, alt=
File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Ceremonial Usages - pic355 - 紅羅裳.svg, alt=

Types and styles in

The was also used as a costume item in . There are several forms of which are used as by performing Chinese opera actors, which include the:

* () is worn with an by a .
* (): a skirt which has the shape of a tube; it is often worn as outer-skirt being worn over an inner skirt, which could be pleated skirt.

Similar forms

* Chima – Korean equivalent

See also

* Hanfu
* List of Hanfu
*
*

Notes

References

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing
Hanfu
Chinese traditional clothing
Skirts