Social and cultural concepts embodied in clothing
First, the strengthening of dress rule in Qing Dynasty and the crisis of national consciousness
In material life, clothes and costumes are the first thing in daily life, which most obviously and fully shows people's status. The hierarchical system of feudal society reflected clothing very strongly, no exception at home and abroad. In China, it combined with the ritual system and became an important part of the ritual system. Successive dynasties have promulgated various laws and regulations, such as conventions, decrees, regulations or car service system, service system and funeral service system, to regulate and manage the dressing and wearing of hats at all levels. There are detailed regulations on the material, color, pattern and style of clothes. If we don't ignore the differences between the clothes of monarchs, officials and ordinary people, offenders will be treated rudely. The so-called "China has a big gift, so it is called summer; There is the beauty of service seal, which is called China. " (1) This shows that our ancestors have been known as "Huaxia" since ancient times, and have the reputation of dress etiquette. They not only attach importance to appearance, but also include a set of rules and regulations to distinguish between superiors and inferiors by clothing, which makes strict hierarchical control go deep into dressing and wearing hats, forming the tradition of dress rule in Chinese civilization, which is the characteristic of China's dress system.
The Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains as an alien, and Manchu was originally a nomadic warrior. During their military career, they formed their own way of life, and the shape of their crown clothes was very different from that of Han people. After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, in order to annihilate the national consciousness of the Han people, the rulers forced Manchu costumes and prohibited Han people from wearing Hanfu. Confucian scholars who insisted on wearing the square towel of the former dynasty were often killed, causing an uproar in various places. What most distastes the Han people is that they shave their hair off their foreheads and leave a comb at the back of their heads according to Manchu customs, big braid. Some literati prefer to shave their heads and become monks in order to maintain the integrity of the Han nationality; Some heads are painted with square towels of the Ming dynasty to show that they don't forget the clothes of their motherland; Some named Shoufa and Shoufa, expressing their inner indignation in obscure words. The strong resistance of the Han people forced the Qing dynasty to adopt the so-called "ten no" strategy, which eased the people's aversion to shaving and changing clothes, and the costumes of the Qing dynasty fully absorbed the achievements of Han costumes.
Take official uniforms as an example. Horseshoe sleeves and mandarin jackets are a major feature of official uniforms in the Qing Dynasty, but the "tonic" on official uniforms is directly taken from the Ming Dynasty, where civil servants embroider birds and military officers embroider beasts. According to the level, all kinds of birds and beasts are embroidered to highlight the requirements of officials in function and temperament. Different from the Ming Dynasty, this kind of patch is embroidered on the coat outside the gown, which is called "mending the gown" or "mending the garment". The front of the coat is double-breasted and the patch is divided into two pieces. The design of the animal head is also slightly different from that of the Ming Dynasty. Because the patch is sewn on the back of the garment, the corner treatment is more delicate, and it is often accompanied by delicate lace, which highlights the decorative effect. In the Ming Dynasty, black and white hats were replaced by Hua Ling in the Qing Dynasty, and the number of "eyes" or "dazzling" on peacock hair was used to classify the grades of monocular, binocular and tricuspid. Officials' official uniforms and uniforms are all three floors inside and three floors outside. They are robes, dresses, jackets, vests and supplementary clothes, overlapping. They must also wear all kinds of Korean pearls, Korean ribbons, Yu Pei, colorful tapestries, gold plates, purses and sachets. South Korea's pearls are limited by the grades of jadeite, agate, coral, jade and sandalwood, and even silk tapestries are shiny. The grade difference of clothing is analyzed to the extreme. Although women's clothes are relatively loose, they are carefully carved. The so-called "three inlays and three volumes", "five inlays and five volumes" and "seven inlays and seven volumes" are as many as "eighteen inlays". The hem, skirt, skirt and cuffs are covered with all kinds of pearls and embroideries besides inlaid flowers and rolled flowers, and the folds are connected in series with silk threads, so that the soles and soles are invisible. Although this overlapping and ubiquitous decorative effect has certain aesthetic value, such complicated and meticulous packaging is the product of extremely fine clothing, which also makes it difficult to develop clothing in Qing Dynasty.
Therefore, the change of the clothing system of the Ming Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty had an impact on the clothing of China people, but it never shook the clothing rule of China people, because in the clothing rule of China people, clothing is not only a consumer product, but also a symbol of hierarchy and rank, and it is also a material and social treatment of identity and status. Therefore, the rules of clothing are actually the differences of clothing, and there are various complicated regulations on wearing boots, hats, clothes and accessories. Therefore, the clothing in the Qing Dynasty changed the form, not the substance, and the form was also to suppress and dilute the national consciousness of the Han people and strengthen the rule of the Qing people. Because of this, the Qing dynasty inherited and strengthened the tradition of Chinese clothing rule, and integrated it with the sense of national oppression, forming the clothing system of the Qing dynasty. This also means that when the Qing dynasty's rule gradually declined and ethnic contradictions rose to a certain extent, another clothing storm was bound to appear.
By the end of Qing Dynasty, this dynasty had ruled for more than 200 years. In the long years, Manchu and Chinese cultures have gradually merged, and customs have been passed down from generation to generation. The costumes of the Qing dynasty were recognized by the Han nationality and formed a new tradition of costumes, but the national consciousness hidden in the changes of costumes in the early Qing dynasty did not die out. When social contradictions are sharp and class contradictions intensify, the national trauma left by forcing Han people to shave their hair and change clothes has revived, which has become an opportunity for Han people to unite against the Qing Dynasty. The Taiping Army rose up and called on the Han people to "store hair and change clothes" against the Qing Dynasty, which was a heavy blow to the dress rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Second, the Taiping Army's whirlwind of "storing hair and changing clothes" and the rule of unchanging clothes.
Taiping Army originated from poor peasants. At the beginning of the uprising, both leaders and ordinary soldiers used yellow cloth as a reminder on their skirts, and their clothes were shabby and there was no difference. After the occupation of Wuchang, the power became stronger and stronger, and there was a difference between horses and horses. After entering Nanjing, Hong Xiuquan sat on the throne of heaven. He immediately imitated the imperial system and set up a "etiquette officer". From the material, color and length of robes and boots, standards are set according to the level of official positions to show the difference of grades. Generals at all levels wear red robes and mandarin jackets, and the color and materials of Baotou cloth have strict grades. The official rank is higher and the length is one inch. 186 1 year, the "Regulations on Qin Decree" was promulgated, which stipulated that "all the hats worn by folk residents are made of Ubuntu. Rich people are satin crepe, and they are free, but they must not be mixed with those with official titles in other colors. " (2) At the same time, the styles of coats, gowns and boots of Shi Xiu, Strategist, Jieshi, Dashi, Shiguo, Samurai, No.2, Tan Hua and Champion were specified according to their identities. Soldiers' clothing is not customized. Generally, it is wrapped in head, scarf, coat and flower shoes. The most noteworthy thing is that the hair storage system is long and drooping.
Shaving one's head, storing one's hair and wearing a crown are the official clothes of Manchu rulers. The Taiping Army first cut in from here, strictly forbidding wearing official uniforms of the Qing Dynasty, requiring men to grow hair and beards and women to let go. In the proclamation of "Autumn Tiger in Tian Feng", it was declared: "China has the image of China, which made Manchukuo pay attention to haircuts, dragging a long tail behind it, and turned China people into animals. China has China's clothes, which makes Manzhouli wear another crown, a monkey crown and a bad crown, which makes China people forget their roots. " (3) I think that the clothes of honest officials are "demon clothes" and they are torn everywhere. Every time you occupy a place, the first announcement is often a storage order, announcing that "whoever shaves again will be killed without forgiveness." (4) In order not to let the hat cover the shaved hair, the red scarf of Taiping Army was wrapped, and it was also ordered not to wear felt hats.
Clothing of the Qing Dynasty has been popular in China for more than 200 years. After several generations of inheritance, it has become a part of the Han lifestyle. Not everyone is willing to change their habits, especially not wearing a felt hat, which causes people's disgust. Some people were beaten, displayed and even killed because they didn't want to take off their hats. Although some people have taken various radical actions and boycotts, there are not a few people who voluntarily save their hair. According to the observation of Li Ling, who sympathized with the Taiping Army, in Suzhou, "What moved me was that they were willing to keep their hair, which was a sign of the Taiping Army and freedom." This is also reflected in Zeng Guofan's memorial. It can be seen that the clothing of Taiping Army used to be very popular in the south. Because it is a clothing style associated with the Taiping Army regime, with the demise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, this kind of clothing also died out, and the Taiping Army characterized by long hair became the title of "long hair".
The Taiping Army set off a wave of "storing hair and changing clothes", which was never seen in peasant uprisings in previous dynasties. Whether it was the Yellow turban insurrectionary uprising in Han Dynasty, Huang Chao in Tang Dynasty or Li Zicheng in Ming Dynasty, there were also marks on the costumes during the uprising, but there was no clothing change in society, so it was a pioneering work of Taiping Army, only changing the style and modeling, not the grade of clothes. After Hong Xiuquan ascended the throne, he immediately imitated the etiquette of the feudal dynasty and applied it. In essence, the rule of maintaining hierarchical membership is still a traditional dress code, so the clothing reform of Taiping Army is racial, which has no significance in improving customs and has no chance of modernization.
Third, the modernization of clothing and the disintegration of clothing rule.
The start of clothing modernization began with clothing reform as an activity to improve customs, and the disintegration of clothing management was an important symbol, which was outstanding in the reform movement.
After the Opium War, the spread of western learning to the east and the emergence of early capitalism promoted the change of social concepts, and people felt that people's wisdom was an important reason for China's weakness. To extend civil rights, we must broaden people's wisdom and enlighten people's wisdom. We must first get rid of the imprisonment of people by bad habits and customs, especially opium smoking and foot binding, which are two major public hazards that destroy people's health and humiliate national dignity. Advanced intellectuals have no choice but to criticize. If banning smoking is still a rectification of the bad habits of a few people, then opposing foot binding will change thousands of years of stereotypes and bad habits, spread to thousands of households, and have a broader and more profound impact on society than the former.
Abolishing foot-binding shoes and bow shoes that destroy women is the liberation of women and the reform of shoes. Looking at people's clothes and shoes with a strong and practical concept is bound to promote the transformation of clothing. As early as the Reform Movement of 1898, Kang Youwei wrote "Please forbid women to bind their feet and fold them" and "Please cut off their hair and change their clothes into Yuan folds", arguing that women do not work when binding their feet; The braided hair is long and drooping, which is not conducive to machine production; Take off your coat with a wide belt and dress elegantly, which is not conducive to competition among countries. In this era, it is required to let go, cut hair and change clothes to "conform to European and American customs", and it is said: "Unless you change clothes, you can't change people's hearts and become a custom, and the New Deal won't work." This takes changing clothes as an important part of learning western civilization and carrying out the New Deal, which has the significance of inspiring people's wisdom.
Foot-binding is not an ancestral system in Qing Dynasty. In the second year of Shunzhi and the third year of Kangxi, foot binding was forbidden twice, but in the end, it was forbidden to loosen it. Even the women in the Qing Dynasty were sinicized and put on thin golden lotus. This situation shows that the improved customs will be swallowed up by the old ones if they are not supported by new ideas. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the reform and reform became a social trend of thought, and opposing foot-binding could avoid the contradiction between Manchu and Han nationalities and be vulnerable.
With the support of the rulers, some officials also wear hair ornaments to commend women who let go of their hands and feet, so compared with braiding,
However, in the Qing dynasty, it was the most taboo thing, that is, breaking your hair and changing clothes. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Han people were forced to shave their heads and braid their hair by violent means. How could the ancestral system among the descendants of the Qing court be interrupted? However, it is this wisp of hair and the clothes that have been changed that have become the kindling to ignite the people's anti-Qing struggle. Modern democratic revolutionary thought was inspired by the anti-Qing national revolution. After the death of the Ming Dynasty, the pain of humiliating the Han people and subjugating the country escalated in the ethnic contradictions in the late Qing Dynasty. "I really hate ruining my clothes and cleaning up my nest for the Ming Dynasty." (5) "forbear to make the national costume, and drop the barbarians?" Leading the heroes of the Central Plains and returning my rivers and mountains! " (6) The braid, regarded as the national symbol of the Qing Dynasty, became the object of curse. "If you want to remove the obstacles of Manchu, you must go to the shape of Manchuria." (7) "Pig slave", "half monk" and "ugly left neck with braided hair" once almost became the mantra of a row of hatred. When the revolution was directed at Manchu rule, breaking clothes became the most powerful call to mobilize people to support the revolution. Until after the Revolution of 1911, 19 12 on March 5th, the interim President Sun Yat-sen ordered the whole country to cut braids. He also stressed: "The Manchu people stole the country and forced it to be compiled, which is known to the fish customs. At the beginning, Gao Shi was unyielding and unyielding, and he died calmly; Or escape to the stream for the rest of the year. ..... Today, the Manchu court replied, and the Republic of China succeeded. All my compatriots are allowed to clean up the old pollution and become the people of the new country. " "In order to eliminate customs, it is spectacular."
Although these remarks are full of strong national sentiments, they are not simply anti-Qing and regaining sight. People of insight transcend racial prejudice and publicize the benefits of editing and publishing from the perspective of changing national psychology: "The husband's editing and publishing is a matter, that is, it is not necessary to count its non-Chinese system and be humiliated by outsiders, that is, to try to win ten people by problem theory. We have this braid, what about our daily activities? " When it's inconvenient, I can decide nine times out of ten. "(9) Although changing this 300-year-old custom will encounter all kinds of obstacles from the forces of old habits, the practical value of this convenience will eventually lead Manchu and Han residents to abandon their old habits and choose to cut their braids and change clothes.
It is amazing to cut braids and change clothes as an opportunity to criticize feudalism and scold with a smile. The dress code is embodied in the official dress, which is also called supplementary dress in Qing dynasty, that is, a patch is embroidered on the front and back of the coat to show the difference between official position and moral life. Some articles do the opposite, saying that the reason why civil servants are so depressed is that military officers can't resist foreign invasion, but they can kill their peers, which leads to the deterioration of state affairs and the gradual separation of people's hearts. This is exactly what the official system does. If you don't believe me, you can look at everyone's clothes: the civil servants' supplementary clothes include cranes, golden pheasants, peacocks, clouds and cigarettes, etc. These birds either show seclusion, or keep quiet, or idle in Rong Zhi, or for the city to play with, which is obviously conniving at stealing leisure and drowning their jobs and fooling the people; The military attache's auxiliary clothes are all lions, leopards, tigers, bears, tigers and the like, and their faces are fierce. Setting up these officials to govern the people is actually treating the people like animals. (10) Some mocked the robe from head to toe, saying that the red top is made of human blood and there are endless ghosts in it. If you put it on your head, it is ten times better than the tiger and the wolf; Zhu Chao, also known as the slave circle, hangs around its neck and its people will always be slaves; Horseshoe sleeves show that you are trying your best to beg for mercy from your master; Boots are specially designed to protect feet. When you put them on, you can kneel down and run all day. (1 1) This kind of harmonious and combative conversation was constantly reported in newspapers on the eve of the Revolution of 1911. Because it spreads revolutionary ideas with the official clothes that people are used to, it is more easily accepted by the public, which makes people receive an anti-feudal education in the action of breaking clothes.
At the beginning of the 20th century, with the fall of the Qing Dynasty, a spontaneous mass movement was formed, which was in full swing. Before Wuchang Uprising, some patriotic youths spontaneously cut off their braids and took off their clean clothes. "Revolution, revolution, cutting off the braid and rebelling against the imperial court (12) has become a popular ballad. When Guangdong declared independence, people of all ages rushed to cut their braids, with more than 200,000 people a day. In Zhongshan County, knitting clubs were established one after another, and went deep into small towns in rural areas, making knitting a grand festival for China people. Xu Jincheng recorded in unofficial history of the Republic of China: "Countless Han people happily cut off the braid of this symbol of slavery, and some of them are superstitious. They choose auspicious days in advance, worship their ancestors, and then solemnly cut them off. There are also many people who cut braids, set off firecrackers and hold office banquets to celebrate. "Some newspapers pointed out that after the founding of the Republic of China, many changes have taken place in the political system, state system, official system, etiquette, calendar, criminal name, entertainment, residence, etc., among which clothing has changed most rapidly and extensively. For a time, "new clothes are filled, feathers are not full, hair is cut, braids are tied, clouds are filled, horses are left behind, patriotic hats are filled, melon seeds are filled, love for China is filled, women are killed, feet are filled, feet are withered, shoes are filled, shoes are dead. "(13) is completely new.
Cutting braids and changing clothes is a custom improvement under the guidance of anti-feudal thought, which is different from Yuan Dynasty and changing clothes in previous dynasties. Historically, the change of clothes has changed the form, but what remains unchanged is ethics and hierarchy. Even peasant uprisings from the lower classes are no exception. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's "storing hair and changing clothes" maintained the hierarchical difference between the upper and lower levels from the clothes, which was no different from that of the Qing government. The Revolution of 1911 overthrew the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China for nearly 300 years, and ended the feudal monarchy in China that lasted for more than 2,000 years. As a feudal rule, the ritual system also collapsed. The Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China clearly stipulates: "The people of the Republic of China are equal regardless of race, class or religion." Clothing rule, which was used to maintain the feudal hierarchy, was also banned because of its inequality. The "Clothing System" promulgated in the early years of the Republic of China stipulated that all officials, regardless of their rank, should take suits or tuxedos as big dresses and trousers as trousers. Uniforms can be in suits or robes, and black armbands are worn at funerals. Women's dress, with double-breasted shirt above and skirt below. This service system broke the hierarchical system, regardless of hierarchy, so although it was the uniform of officials, it played an exemplary role in the equality of the right to life. Even the elderly and young people in court must abide by the principle of equality in the service system. It is recorded that "the official uniforms of the former dynasties were placed on the shelves inside and outside the court." (14) It is the four principles of clothing production put forward by Sun Yat-sen that really put an end to the politicization of clothing ethics. In his reply to China Domestic Products Maintenance Association, he asked for the formulation of clothing styles, pointing out: "The main points of these clothing styles are suitable for hygiene and easy to move." Hey? The scale explains it! ? 15) This makes everyone have to keep clothes, get rid of the interference of hierarchy and political ethics, and promote the complete disintegration of China's dress code, which has lasted for thousands of years, and make and choose clothes with the concepts of hygiene, practicality, economy and beauty, so as to make them conform to modern civilization. This is a major change in the history of China's clothing.
Fourth, a window to show individual freedom.
The success of the Revolution of 1911 ended thousands of years of feudal rule, and the democratic thought with the equality of civil rights as the core replaced the feudal thought, occupying a dominant position in China's social life. The establishment of this guiding ideology declared the end of the feudal cultural model, the disintegration of the hierarchical sequence structure, the integration of ethics and lifestyle, and the clothing consumption was no longer restricted by identity ethics, but also returned to people's freedom of life choice. Although people can't really choose freely because of different wealth, replacing the dominant position of power with money and entering the commodity market for equal exchange is the widest equal right that people can get rid of the bondage of status, which provides a broad world for the display of personal freedom in the field of clothing. Therefore, the rapid spread and implementation of clothing civilization prevailing in the western world in China is the result of social changes, and the surging impact of foreign cloth, foreign clothes and foreign goods after the opening of the country has aroused repercussions in China.
Yong Zhengdi, the first man in China to wear a suit, still has his portrait in the Forbidden City. Just like appreciating clocks and watches, this is the ruler's psychology of pursuing novelty and sex, which has no social significance. During the Ganjia period, dresses began to appear in China. People kept it a secret and no one imitated it. After the Opium War, foreign goods were dumped in China. At first, foreign dresses appeared in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, which opened ports. Women wear European shoes and Manchester headscarves. Some comprador also wear dresses, but they are unique among literati. At the end of 19, if someone advocates "easy clothes", it is tantamount to changing the world into summer, which is unacceptable to the world. Song Shuli tried to create an atmosphere of learning from the west in terms of dress, and thought that the reform "must start with changing the order of examinations". He regarded foreign service as a more bureaucratic system, changed the trial order and set up the front embankment of the House of Representatives, which was a shocking theory at that time. He said, "It is still natural to talk to people three times; When I first started speaking (by pressing Yi Fu), I would walk away without covering my ears and glare, thinking it was extremely ridiculous and famous for teaching sinners. " (16) The earliest young children in China who went to study in the United States cut their braids and changed their clothes because they were laughed at by American children. 188 1 year ordered to leave China, and wearing a suit became a major crime. Guo Songtao, ambassador to Britain, was impeached for wearing a foreign coat to keep out the cold.
However, neither prohibition nor impeachment can stop the changes that are taking place. During the Jiaqing period, the word "the color of gauze robe is rice water, and the foreign felt on the coat is better than mink". Some foreign fabrics produced by foreign machines, such as carpets and crepes, are thick and delicate, while others are light and soft, which are superior to home-made home textiles, and have excellent texture. Because they do not involve the modeling of clothing, they have long attracted the interest of Chinese people. /kloc-in the middle of the 9th century, according to the British Blue Book, in Fuzhou, "almost every three people, 1 person wears some of our textiles. This assertion is considered to be exaggerated by the research of economic historians in China (17). However, it is undeniable that the west has seen the vast market of China, set off a dumping frenzy through various means, and occupied the China market with the advantage of good quality and low price. The most dumped foreign goods are foreign yarn, foreign cloth, foreign matches and foreign oil. Are all necessities related to food, clothing, housing, transportation and energy. Only clothing materials include foreign cloth, foreign silk, foreign satin, foreign woolen cloth, foreign feather, foreign velvet, foreign feather thread, foreign quilt, foreign carpet, foreign lace, foreign towel and so on. (18), dazzling. Take Shanghai as an example. 187 1 year imported foreign fabrics130,000, 1899 increased to170,000. " In the big trading ports and urban and rural areas in the mainland, 23 out of 10 people wear big clothes, and 78 out of 10 people wear foreign clothes. "(19) A large number of commodities have changed people's consumption habits, and fine and shiny foreign fabrics have become fashionable materials for people to enter thousands of households.
The change of fabric texture has also promoted the change of clothing style, and the light and fit dress has gradually won the favor of Chinese people. /kloc-at the end of 0/9, wearing a dress is still a very bold thing. By the beginning of 1903, Hu, the head teacher of Wuzhou Middle School in Guangxi, allowed students to wear foreign clothes to welcome Confucius and Mencius on the first day of the New Year. (20) But it is still rare. What really has a great impact on society is the military clothing reform. Students studying in Japan who came back from 1904 suggested that the army cut off their braids from actual combat, and some soldiers responded. Newspapers and periodicals have publicized and encouraged them. During 1905, Duan Fang went abroad for an inspection tour, and half of his entourage, including Hanlin, Dawu, teachers and soldiers, cut off their braids. 1906, the new army took the lead in taking off the braid in order to wear the military cap conveniently. At one time, "countless people have lost their braids in the military field" (2 1). The training department dare not openly change the ancestral system. Dragging the braid to training is a great burden, so we have to take a compromise and order the braid to be placed in the military cap. "It is not allowed to cut without authorization." (22) There are many students in the new army studying in Japan, and they didn't notice this order. The continued haircut has a great impact on society. 1906 Tianjin police was influenced by the new army and was cut by one third. (23) From the army to the society, it is irresistible to urge each other to cut braids and wear dresses.
The change of ideas and the mode of thinking of either one or the other contributed to the popularity of dresses. Originally, the spread of democratic ideas inspired people's yearning for western civilization. People are obsessed with the ideals of natural human rights, freedom and equality, and think that the lifestyle established by this ideal represents the direction of social progress. Whoever accepts western customs is civilized and reformed, otherwise it is conservative and stubborn. Clothing has become a symbol of western civilization and is highly respected by people. An article in Hubei student circle preaches that the spirit of suit lies in vigorous fighting, with an independent atmosphere and no slave roots. Wearing it can inspire artisans' spirit, be good at diplomacy, and make Qiang Bing strong, thus exaggerating the mentality of dressing casually, reflecting that worshipping foreign things and obsessing foreign things has become a turbulent social trend of thought.