Preview

Cultural Significance of Chinese and Russian Clothing

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2340 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cultural Significance of Chinese and Russian Clothing
Cultural Significance of Chinese Clothing

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Overview of changes in Chinese fashion over time * Ancient Chinese clothing * Fashion during Mao’s era * Fashion of PRC today 3. Compare and contrast of Russian fashion during the same period * Soviet Union fashion * Fashion after Soviet Union era * Comparisons 4. Influences and inspirations of ancient China’s clothing style on today’s style * Effect on the designs of clothing 5. Conclusion 6. Sources

* Introduction:

Since the very beginning of time, when people lived in huts and stone houses, the idea of fashion started to emerge in the form of garments made out of beast skins and leaves. Back then, ones who had the ability to hunt more beasts produced better garments and had a relatively higher status among the rest. That was the original idea of defining a man’s social status by his clothing style. In ancient China, the same story applied.

Chinese people first developed the idea of Hanfu (Chinese traditional clothing) during the Shang dynasty. Back then one person’s appearance can already tell what social status he held. The outfit was unisex and the colors of the Hanfu’s were merely basic primary colors like red, yellow, and blue. Later in history these Hanfu developed into more sophisticated style clothings like Shenyi around Zhou dynasty, and gender specification came to be. Men and women wore different clothings. However, during Mao’s era, everyone wore unisex tunic uniforms again, it was seen as a political implication. Soon after the social reform, and China’s open policy towards other countries, the clothing style changed dramatically. Dresses were introduced from western countries and they greatly influenced the fashion of Chinese people until this day.

Historically, Russia also experienced similar changes China went through; correspondingly, their fashion also went through a rollercoaster

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Imagine living in a society where your social and economic rank determined the type of clothing you could wear. Quite frankly, I would not have survived in a society that dictated what I can or cannot wear. I would feel suppressed, as if someone was taking away my freedom. I strongly believe that what we wear defines us more than we think. In other words, fashion is an expression of who we are as an individual. However, this was not the case during the medieval period. The clothing in medieval Europe was dictated by the Pyramid of Power or a feudal system. Fashion during the medieval period was not just only about clothing, rather it dealt with economic…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chinese Art Influence

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    During the Qin and Han dynasties, Confucian and Daoist was very popular which enormous influence effect the diversity of styles and image of the matters. The grotesque style was contrast…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1970s Fads and Fashion

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Men’s designs weren’t much different than the women’s. They wore mainly pink, purple and green fabrics and had their shirts unbuttoned. Hair was always…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of the many rules that members of a social group had to follow, clothing played an important part in displaying one’s social status. The King and high-ranking nobility used bright colors and fancy decorations with precious stones, while common soldiers were allowed to wear plain mantles.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Using fashion to differentiate between femininity and masculinity is as basic a function as its purpose of coverage or protection. Hustvedt’s example of the wardrobe and lack of hair of the Buddhist monks and nuns, prove how important fashion is in defining gender. “Had they all stripped naked and stood together, the difference between them would have been ridiculously small, would have been no more nor less than what the difference truly is – genital variation and a few secondary sexual characteristics in the chest and hips” (Hustvedt 446). A corset is a great article of clothing to use as an example of how fashion accentuates gender. It creates an hour glass figure which emphasizes a women’s bust and hips. “The corset helped to create a notion of femininity, and the lines it produced have gone in and out of fashion ever since” (Hustvedt 448).…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    It has gone through many economic shifts, but for the sake of this essay, we will be focusing on the more recent ones. Ever since the dawn of the twenty-first century, Russia has maintained a rather close economic relationship with China. It’s not necessarily surprising when you factor in the lengthy border between the two, but that wasn't the only reason for this agreement to be arranged. China has been a highly promising market with their high economic growth rates and the country has been needing more fossil fuels to support their high energy rates. Fortunately Russia has an abundance of those.…

    • 1686 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Each language shapes its own culture within a country by allowing people to create an unique identity. Migration from other places, from history, has contributed to the richness in diversity of cultures, ethnicities and most importantly, languages, in developed countries. Prominently in Russia, the native people acquire descent from numerous ethnicities around the world such as Turks, Iranians, early Mongols, Turks, Jews, and Samoyeds (Central Intelligence Agency). Due to the vast cultural influences that impact Russian culture, distinct languages and cultures were bound to emerge from these outside influences from history. Currently, there are over 180 minority languages developed in Russia (BBC). While there is evident language diversity…

    • 1467 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    9. Classical China was a civilization based entirely off of social class and hierarchy. Women, like in all agricultural civilizations, played the submissive role to men. In China, not only was family life mainly patriarchal, but so was their government. Social status had much value to the Chinese and often had influence over every aspect of their lives. The emperor, obviously, held the most power, with government officials below him, then peasants and…

    • 4055 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the 1920s fashion clothing became more widely available as clothing by designers like Chanel was copied by RTW. Clothing that once had only been for the wealthy suddenly became available to the woman on the street. This was a dramatic change for ordinary people who had previously only has every day and ‘best’ clothes that had to last for years. Of course, designer clothing was still unaffordable for most people, but its very exclusivity increased its desirability. The production and distribution of affordable RTW fashion was an important turning point in the democratisation of fashion. The very styling of the clothes themselves, together with lower prices meant that social class was not immediately discernible through what you…

    • 119 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both China and Russia had political reforms and shifts in central power after the Mongols invaded. They came into their societies and destroyed all of the large cities and areas of high population in both societies. This is because of the consistent conquering strategy of the Mongols. The Mongols adapted to China by giving themselves the Chinese name “The Yaun.” They adapted a lot of Chinese culture, as did the Mongols with Russia. While the Russians retained the Orthodox Church after the Mongols invaded, the Chinese retained classical Confucian principles as part of their lives.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For the puritans (a group of people who wanted to “purify” the church of england from its catholic practices) there was a list of clothing they needed depending on what their gender and what their role in a household was, Women’s clothing had lots of layers. Under the layers was a shift (a loose fitting undergarment), worn over this was petticoats, then a skirt and jacket or a gown. Other accessories were worn over…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Nubians defined social status according to wealth and power. Those with great wealth became a higher social class. In early China, marked social status was given to the wise and knowledgeable. The rulers of China had connections with the religious aspects of the Chinese culture. In both cultures, the wise and powerful were given great social status, and were able to control the ways of the people.…

    • 514 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    301 TAQA

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    An initial assessment is vital to identify the learner’s needs and learning intentions from the start. This process enables the centre or assessors to see what level of understanding or previous knowledge the learner is at and also if there are any areas of concern to be aware of. This in turn helps meet the learner’s needs. Identifying these needs ensures that each learner on a designated and selected educational path can achieve realistic, achievable and measurable targets set by the assessment benchmark. This demonstrates in itself why it is vital to ensure that the learner is on the right course, in the right environment with the correct support for their individual needs. As this will give them maximum chance to flourish and achieve, knowing that it is at the correct level for them.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The clothing of the Egyptian men also differed from social class to social class, but it would differ even more so with the men than the women. The men in the working class wore clothing that allowed them to move with ease while the men who were part of the nobility would wear more restricted clothing.26 The men in the working class naturally spent most of their time laboring in their various occupations, so they wore a simple loincloth while at their professions.27 The men in the nobility, however, would wear linen kilts that contained a stiff…

    • 1789 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Clothing in East-West is a failure of forced assimilation. Clothes serve a purpose to discriminate between foreign and domestic. When Marie arrives in Russia, she wears colorful western clothes, making it noticeable that she is a foreigner. To integrate herself into Soviet society, Marie leaves behind her Western style of clothing and adopts the Soviet style. The Soviets tend to wear dark and dull colors, which differs from her colorful French clothing. Marie has not truly assimilated to Soviet culture. Although she may dress like the rest of society, culture and linguistics impede her from fully assimilating. This scene shows the moment before Marie escapes to the French embassy. Marie wears French shoes and Soviet stockings that grabs the…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics