Women: The Abolition Of Imperial China In 1912
Dressing can be used not only to symbolize power, expression of personality, identity, but it can also be used as a tool of oppression as well as liberation during Republican Era. The way of dressing was meant to be Chinese’s liberation movement from 1912 to 1949, because of it against ancient feudalism and supported gender equality. The abolition of imperial China in 1912 had an immediate effect on dresses and styles of Chinese people. This time was the golden age of changing, ended of feudal society and opened a new chapter in China. During this time, Chinese people, women particularly led several movements against the Neo-Confucian gender segregation. They gave a ban of bound feet, foot-binding for women, instead they wore high-heel. They
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cut off their long hair which was conventionally symbolized as women’s oriental beauty, or braided their hair, one on each side of the head, or perm their hair into loose waves. However, the most important and success when they designed and encouraged women to wear men’s one-piece clothing, known as qipao and cheongsam in Western. Qipao was a body-hugging one-piece straight skirt, high neck, strain on the waist, coiled buttons with a high slit on one or both sides and the traditional dudou underbodice was largely abandoned in favor of Western-style corsets and bras. Wearing Qipao carried the symbol and promoted gender equality. Qipao was a revolution when it displayed all women’s modesty, softness, and beauty, and women had the right to show their female figure well.
Since the 1930s, qipao was popularized from young wealthy female students to all women in China regardless of their ages and social status, more and more female from the different classes such as workers, celebrities, or wealthy ladies all put on qipao. However, the quality and the fabric still depended on their ability. Rich people often chose silk qipao while poor people could only afford normal qipao made from raw cloth. In 1929, the qipao was chosen by the National Republic of China to be one of the national dresses, and it is the most popular Chinese attire in the world today. While Chinese female had a transformation for their right, Chinese men also had their own revolution. They could cut their queues off and started to wear Sun Yat-sen Suit or known as Zhongshan Suit in China, which popularized a new style of men’s wear. Sun Yat-sen who is considered by both the Communists and Nationalists as the founding father of modern China, was personally involved, providing inputs based on his life experience in Japan and without adopting the Western style, that designed Sun Yat-sen
Suit. Sun Yat-sen Suit is an attire with a loose tunic buttoned to a high collar, baggy trousers, rounded collar, four outside pockets to adhere to Chinese concepts of balance and symmetry, an inside pocket, and seven buttons. Both qipao and Sun Yat-sen Suit was called civilized attire at the time when it emerged as an important fashion for young revolutionaries in the Republican period, which the movement of innovation and variation when they stood up and caught up the movement for their rights after a long time ruled by feudalism. It even reformed and more education for women. Chinese people during this period have become increasingly reliant on their dressing to be a unique way to change their personal image and influence others’ opinion of them.
cut off their long hair which was conventionally symbolized as women’s oriental beauty, or braided their hair, one on each side of the head, or perm their hair into loose waves. However, the most important and success when they designed and encouraged women to wear men’s one-piece clothing, known as qipao and cheongsam in Western. Qipao was a body-hugging one-piece straight skirt, high neck, strain on the waist, coiled buttons with a high slit on one or both sides and the traditional dudou underbodice was largely abandoned in favor of Western-style corsets and bras. Wearing Qipao carried the symbol and promoted gender equality. Qipao was a revolution when it displayed all women’s modesty, softness, and beauty, and women had the right to show their female figure well.
Since the 1930s, qipao was popularized from young wealthy female students to all women in China regardless of their ages and social status, more and more female from the different classes such as workers, celebrities, or wealthy ladies all put on qipao. However, the quality and the fabric still depended on their ability. Rich people often chose silk qipao while poor people could only afford normal qipao made from raw cloth. In 1929, the qipao was chosen by the National Republic of China to be one of the national dresses, and it is the most popular Chinese attire in the world today. While Chinese female had a transformation for their right, Chinese men also had their own revolution. They could cut their queues off and started to wear Sun Yat-sen Suit or known as Zhongshan Suit in China, which popularized a new style of men’s wear. Sun Yat-sen who is considered by both the Communists and Nationalists as the founding father of modern China, was personally involved, providing inputs based on his life experience in Japan and without adopting the Western style, that designed Sun Yat-sen
Suit. Sun Yat-sen Suit is an attire with a loose tunic buttoned to a high collar, baggy trousers, rounded collar, four outside pockets to adhere to Chinese concepts of balance and symmetry, an inside pocket, and seven buttons. Both qipao and Sun Yat-sen Suit was called civilized attire at the time when it emerged as an important fashion for young revolutionaries in the Republican period, which the movement of innovation and variation when they stood up and caught up the movement for their rights after a long time ruled by feudalism. It even reformed and more education for women. Chinese people during this period have become increasingly reliant on their dressing to be a unique way to change their personal image and influence others’ opinion of them.