The Ancient Art of Women's Underwear

Underwear had a discrete niche within ancient Chinese costumery. The ingeniously demure styles, bold colors and ornamentation of delicately crafted undergarments reflected the refined approach of ancient Chinese women towards life, beauty and love, as well as their creativity.

Underwear, unlike outer garments, which were strictly prescribed according to ritual and rank, offered women the chance to dress according to their mood. All women, regardless of social standing, hence perceived underwear as a medium of self-expression.

Ingenious Designs

Subtle designs of underwear gave altered impressions of the wearer's figure, according to her whim. The detailed ornamentation on ancient lingerie also reflected individuality as well as the trends, customs and beliefs of the time, thus imbuing undergarments with historical essence. The two main styles and structures of underwear were those of a front-piece and a front-and-back tunic. Both came in rectangular square diamond and triangular shapes, or simply fit the body in question.

Color Consciousness

Women sometimes chose bright colors that combined in striking contrast, for example, red and green or yellow and blue with black, gold or silver selvedges that emboldened the overall visual effect. Others preferred more understated shades in similar hues that gradually lightened or darkened to produce a harmonious effect.

Patterns and Ornaments

Women of old China wore underwear decorated in the artistic motifs of their time, such as landscapes, flowers, birds, clouds, myths, legends and literary characters. In addition to being decorative the designs signified specific states and were also symbolic. A magpie and plum blossoms, for example represented happiness, as it was an image reminiscent of the Chinese idiom defining a person radiant with joy. Auspicious symbolism included bats, representing good fortune, and lotus with fish, which invited wealth.

Consummate Craft

The decorative features on ancient undergarments demanded high embroidery, stitching, pasting, patching, embellishing and rolling expertise. Stitches had to be of an even tension and the slightest crease or tear in the material was out of the question.

The only underwear deemed fit to be worn was smooth, fine, light, soft and leveled off. Added features included flower designs on laced sections of the fabric in various styles of embroidery and pasted on feathers or fur for greater effect.

Underwear was considered a showcase for the wearer's taste and needlework – attributes highly valued in women of ancient China.

Varieties of Chinese Women's Underwear

1. Moxiong, a one-piece underwear garment binding breasts which first appeared in the Northern Dynasties (420AD-589AD) and was popular during the Tang (618AD-907AD) and Song Dynasties (960AD-1279AD).

2. The zhuyao ("zhu" meaning button) was a style of embroidered underwear favored by Qing Dynasty (1644AD-1911AD) court ladies.

3.The xieyi was a tunic-style undergarment first worn in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Xie in Chinese means frivolity. The term xieyi hence implies the prevailingly evasive attitude towards even the mention of underwear.

4. The dudou, also called the doudu, was either a square or diamond shaped apron-style garment, often embroidered, covering the bust and belly which fastened at the back. The dudou often incorporated a pocket in which to keep ginger, musk or other Chinese medicinal herbs believed to keep the belly warm.

Chinese Kites

The History of the Chinese Kite

The kite is widely recognized as having originated in China. For this reason, one can safely say that the origin of the Chinese kite is synonymous with the origin of the kite, period. The first kites were what we today would call prototype kites: they were made of light wood and formed in the shape of a bird. It was of course logical enough to attempt to mimic a creature designed by nature for flight, and, indeed, the first European attempts at constructing a "flying machine" involved strapping artificial "wings" onto a human's arms, though human arms proved to lack the strength necessary to flap wings large enough to support the weight of the human body.

The later development of the traditional kite as we know it today, i.e., a device with narrow ribs, or veins, made of light but strong, pliable material and with a thin material such as silk cloth stretched over the ribs, was surely inspired by observing the accidental flight of broad, thin objects such as leaves (which also have veins, between which are stretched the thin green photosynthetic material that absorbs sunlight and CO2, releasing oxygen), or broad, thin pieces of silk that were perhaps blown out of the carrier's grip – or even a hat – that ended up taking an involuntary flight for several meters if not hundreds of meters. Things rarely come to humankind via fiat; they instead have their origin in observed natural phenomena that is mimicked by man.

It requires, however, an advanced society in order to have the sufficient surplus so that some individuals in society may devote at least part of their time to such frivolity as playing around with flying objects. And ancient China did indeed have a well-developed social structure that fostered a division of labor that would not only produce famous inventions and memorable literature, but would make possible the pursuit of flight in the form of the humble kite.

The Early History of the Kite

The earliest kites, which date from the Warring States (BCE 475-221) Period of the Eastern Zhou (BCE 770-221) Dynasty, were made of wood, and were called mu yuan (wooden kite). Mention of this prototype kite – the "wooden bird" referred to above – stems from an ancient Mozi text (Mozi (BCE 470-391 circa) was a philosopher who lived a century later than Confucius (BCE 551-479) and who opposed the teachings of both Confucianism and Taoism/Daoism... Mohism, or the teaching of Mozi, seems to have been a belief system before its time, for it strikes one as being a thoroughly modern philosophy today) that was documented by another Chinese philosopher – and man of many parts – who was also a contemporary of Mozi, Lu Ban.

Another source indicates that a paper kite, the zhi yuan, was used as an emergency warning device a millenium later, when the kite was flown in order to appeal for help when the city-state of Nanjing was under seige by Hou Jing (CE ???-552), a Northern and Southern (CE 386-588) Dynasties general who served the Northern Wei (CE 386-533), the Eastern Wei (CE 534-549) and the Liang (CE 502-556) Dynasties, and who was mostly renowned for his exceeding cruelty (he was eventually murdered by his own men during a retreat, who perhaps performed the deed in the hope of being shown leniency by the pursuing enemy).

It was not until the Tang (CE 618-907) Dynasty that lighter kites made of first silk and then paper (bamboo was a common material used for the ribs) made their appearance. It was at this time that the kite came to transcend its humble military, or functional, origins, becoming a toy, or an instrument of pleasure. It was not long before artisans began to compete in creating the most artistic, the most acrobatic, etc., kites. During the Ming (CE 1368-1644) and Qing (CE 1644-1911) Dynasties, kite making and flying had become an art form, being the object of elaborate and colorful decorations in the form of birds, flowers, blossoms, and of course, calligraphic characters. The Chinese kite, not unlike the case of the Chinese lantern and the Chinese umbrella, became a vehicle of artistic expression – oftentimes with literary overtones.

Kite Construction

Kite construction consists of three parts: framing, or the preparation and binding together of the bamboo ribs that will constitute the kite's frame, gluing and decoration. Regarding framing, sometimes movement is incorporated into a kite by means of a hinged arrangement of sections of the frame, suggesting wing or tail movement, etc. As indicated, thin strips of bamboo are generally used for the ribs, as these are both light, exceptionally strong, and pliable. Many frame shapes are popular, including traditional representations of birds, butterflies and dragonflies, as well as non-winged insects such as centipedes or mythical animals like dragons, though modern kite artisans go beyond the traditional, producing kites that conform only to the creator's imagination. However, symmetry is key, otherwise the kite will not fly well.

Both silk and paper are used for the kite's "sail" material. Silk is very beautiful but also more expensive and more fragile. Paper sail material is both cheaper and more practical to work with, and it lends itself admirably to decoration. The paper type used for kites is very thin but fibrous, which both reduces weight and ensures strength. It is often treated with a with a thin layer of glutinous tung oil (aka Chinawood oil, which stems from the euphorbiaceous tree, Aleurites fordii, found throughout central Asia). Once the kite's sail material is glued to the bamboo frame, the kite is then decorated. This might take the form of painting representational images, geometric figures or even calligraphic characters. In addition, tassels and sometimes hollow reeds are attached to the kite in order to give it movement or produce sound.

Overall kite construction types can be divided into two categories: rigid (thicker, less pliant ribs) and soft. The former makes for a kite that can fly as high as the eye can see, while the latter makes for a kite that, though it may not attain great heights, is capable of delicate, fluttering movements.

The Weifang Kite Tradition

The city of Weifang, Shandong Peninsula, has a special relationship to the kite. The city is namely home to the International Kite Association, and holds the Weifang International Kite Festival from April 20th to the 25th each year. Kite enthusiasts in the thousands, and from the four corners of the globe, descend upon the city of Weifang at this time each year to participate in the kite competitions, or to just watch this majestic and colorful spectacle. The climax of the festival is the crowning of the annual "Kite King". Weifang quite naturally also has a museum dedicated to the history of the kite.

It was in the city of Weifang that Marco Polo, in 1282, supposedly witnessed the flying of a manned kite. According to Marco Polo's travel diary, there existed a tradition in Weihai at the time for testing the wind with a kite in order to determine if an imminent voyage would be a good one or not. This was done by binding a sailor to a large kite from the stern of a ship that was freely anchored, such that the ship "rode with the wind", then casting kite and sailor off the ship's stern and into the breeze. If the kite and its passenger flew high and straight, it was a sign that the voyage would be a good one, otherwise not.

When he returned to Italy, Marco Polo brought with him a Chinese kite, and soon, thanks to the Silk Road, the Chinese kite became known throughout Europe, and from Europe, it would of course travel to the New World, the Americas. In the History of Flight pavilion at the National Aeronautics and Space Museum in Washington D.C. hangs a plaque on which is inscribed the following homage to the humble Chinese kite: "The earliest aircraft made by man were the kites and missiles of ancient China."

Chinese Lanterns

Lanterns, the traditional folk craftwork, are still popular all over the country. And the art of lanterns, as the precious traditional culture of Chinese, is also inherited and continues among folks. We can say that lanterns play an important and irreplaceable role in Chinese long history and symbolize the brilliant culture of China.

The craftwork of lantern is still widely used in current society which can be seen in some happy days such as the Lantern Festival, wedding and celebration ceremonies. Besides, lanterns have some other functions in daily life. For example, at ancient time, when there was no electricity, lanterns were used as a tool of illumination, which brought great convenience to everyday life. At that time, people of all classes admired the specific culture of lanterns. As verified by historians, Chinese lantern was the earliest invented portable illumination instrument in the world. However, Chinese lantern was not just used to illuminate. It was also historic. The elaborate pattern of lantern was the intelligence gathering of ancient laboring people. Ancient lanterns were on the greatest artistic level. What's more, the lanterns used in royal families and palaces were the most valuable, which had elaborately engraved decorative design, smooth lines, and plump patterns. All these designs fiercely impact on eyes. Besides, some lanterns not only have elegant lines and engraved designs, but also were decorated with Chinese characters, portraits of historic figures, pictures of the divinities of some legends, and the landscape of China, which perfectly blend the nature with the humanistic ideas and thus vividly reflect the high level of civilization of the society at that time.

Chinese lanterns not only played an important role in Chinese history, but also made great contribution to the development of international civilization. Some western countries got the skills of designing and making Chinese lanterns by means of missionaries and foreign trading, which greatly fasten their social development. While some oriental countries, especially those Asian countries, taking the advantage of the geographical position, learned the traditional culture of Chinese lanterns directly by means of the commercial communication, which means that even their current lantern designs have the trace of Chinese culture. So we can say that the brilliant Chinese culture has greatly impacted the whole world, among which the traditional lantern culture is an important part.

Nowadays, people usually use other instruments to illuminate instead of lanterns. However, lanterns still play a special role in certain occasions, especially the festivals and some wedding ceremonies. What's more, recently great changes have taken place in the skills of making lanterns so that lanterns work better in decoration. Nowadays, lanterns are more and more used in advertisements.

At present, people have changed their taste for lanterns. As a result, traditional lanterns become the collections of some lantern lovers. Artists at home and abroad all have great passion for traditional Chinese lanterns owing to their elegant molding and convincingly exquisite craftsmanship.

Chinese Seals

History

There are four traditional arts in China: seal carving, calligraphy, painting, and poetry writing.
Historically, seals (also called zhang or yin zhang) were symbols of power. In 221 BC, after emperor Qin Shi Huang conquered the six Warring States and unified China, he ordered his national seal to be carved using the famous "He Shi Bi" white jade. He further stipulated that this would also serve as his personal seal. His officials also had seals and these were called zhang and yin. Zhang seals were given to officials who received more than 2,000-dan (dan is a unit of dry measure for 100 liters of grains) grains as salary. Yin seals were given to officials who received salaries from 200-dan to 1000-dan grains. The rest of the seals were personal seals. The official seals were about a cubic inch, while personal seals were smaller.

Seal Carving

Seals can have a variety of shapes and sizes. They are usually made from stone but wood, bamboo, bone or ceramics can also be used. There are four parts to a seal: grip or handle, body or platform, sides and face. Carvings may be done on the grip portion of the seal or may cover the entire seal. Common motifs are landscapes, figures, birds or flowers. Engravings on the seal face can follow several calligraphy styles and the arrangement of characters should fit the space appropriately. During Han Dynasty, seal carving became a highly refined art form. Seals from this era, together with Tang poetry, Song ci (lyrics/prose), and Yuan qu (another ancient Chinese literary form), are national treasures.

Use of Seal

In ancient China, it was customary for an artist to use both his signature and personal seal on finished paintings, poetry, calligraphy, documents and letters. Seals were often stylized carvings of the artists' names.
Before using, the seal is dipped in red ink paste made of vermilion (a mercury compound). High quality ink paste must possess a bright color and not fade over time. The containers for the paste are made of porcelain. The ink paste should be stirred often to prevent it from hardening. When not in use, ink paste containers are placed inside wood or silk boxes for safekeeping.

Even today, the seals of many famous calligraphers and painters such as Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, and Emperor Hui of the Song Dynasty, are still visible on their works.

Chinese Traditional Art List

    *  Chinese Seals
    * Chinese Lanterns
    * Chinese Kites
    * Cloisonne
    * Wax Printing
    * Chinese Knot
    * Acrobatics
    * Paper Cut
    * Paper Umbrella
    * Traditional Painting
    * Chinese Calligraphy
    * Embroidery
    * Chinese Dance
    * Beijing Opera

Chinese Art

China's traditional arts command a great part of the country's rich heritage. Since ancient time, Chinese society has cherished excellence in its arts. Over centuries, Chinese arts have developed its own unique styles and forms. Singing, sculpture, calligraphy, painting, carving and others are the timeworn forms of expression in Chinese arts.

Design a China tour to fully explore China's traditional arts. China Highlights offers tailor-made service, free inquiry, quick response and suit just your own pace.

Chime-bell

The chime-bell, cast with bronze, is a member of the percussion instrument family in ancient China. It consists of oval bells in different sizes arranged to the order of the pitch, which are hung on a huge bell cot. Different tones can be produced when beating the bells with a wood hammer and a long stick, and beautiful music can be performed when beating to the tune.
 
The chime-bells of King Yi of the Zeng State are a complete set of percussion instrument excavated from the tomb of King Yi of the Zeng State in the Warring States Period (433 B.C.). It reflects the luxurious life of the aristocrats in that period, as well as the proficiency in bronze casting in ancient China.

In 1978, Chinese archeologists found in the tomb of King Yi of the Zeng State a huge underground music palace, located at Leigu Mound of Sui County, Hubei Province. There unearthed a large amount of valuable musical instruments in the Warring States Period, including chime bells, chime stones, Jian drum, Chi (bamboo wind instrument), Pai Xiao (the circular bamboo Pipe), Sheng (the reed Pipe), hand drum and Se (the horizontal lute).
 
Among the excavations, there are 64 articles of bronze chime bells preserved in good condition, which can be divided into eight groups according to size and tone order and hung on the three-tiered bronze-wooden bell cot. This is the famous chime-bells of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State, the largest and most intact set of chime bells that exists today in China. The largest bell is of a person's height, weighing over 200 kg.

Inscriptions in Zhuan script inlaid with gold are engraved on the body of each bell. Its total volume range covers five octaves, slightly less than modern pianos. The set of bells is beautiful and mellow in tone color, featuring a whole set of high, medium and low voice parts, while inflexion is allowed for some modes of ancient Chinese music. It can virtually play all of the 12 semitones, as well as melodies from pentatonic to diatonic scale.

The excavation of the chime-bells astounded the world's archeological society, since it's extremely rare in the world cultural history to find such exquisite musical instruments and magnificent band existed over 2000 years ago. It is the embodiment of our great achievement in bronze casting, our proficiency in music science and the wisdom of our people in ancient China. It's a real pride of our nation.

The chime-bells of King Yi of the Zeng State are now preserved in Hubei Provincial Museum.

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Historical Hair Ornaments and Their Social Connotations

Hair ornaments worn by women of wealth also took the form of gold flowers encrusted with jewels depicting flowers or animals.

Among popular decorative patterns were auspicious birds and beasts, such as the dragon, phoenix, crane, deer and the 12 animals of the Chinese "zodiac." The deer was considered a propitious animal because its pronunciation in Chinese is the same as that for six, which denotes success. Hairpins in the design of a mandarin duck denoted married bliss. Patterns of flowers and fruit-bearing trees featured the peony, lotus flower, plum, guava and asphodel. The five petals on a plum represent blessings, high-salary, longevity, luck and wealth.

Designs depicting auspicious objects included musical instruments, chess pieces, calligraphic characters, and the "four treasures of the scholar's studio" comprising the calligraphy brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper.

But to the women of ancient China the ji was far more than just a hair ornament. The ji ceremony, which bestowed a hairpin upon a young woman when she reached the age of 15, was a rite of passage signifying that she had reached marriageable age.

A hairpin also functioned as a love token. When Chinese lovers of ancient times were forced to part they would often split a hairpin, both keeping a half with them at all times until they were reunited.


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Historical Hair Ornaments and Their Social Connotations

Hairpins and hair clasps were everyday embellishments in old China. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911), women's hair ornaments expressed traditional Chinese thought and culture in exquisite, sophisticated techniques.

Heigouding Village, Ledu County in the west of Qinghai province is a place where many people of the Tu minority have lived for centuries. As the little village is comparatively closed to the outside world, a custom called "Four Tigers" was created 200 years ago to protect its inhabitants from sickness and bad luck.

Every year the ritual is held on the eve of January 15th according to the Chinese lunar calendar to frighten off ghosts and evil souls, and to pray for peace.

Normally four local villagers are selected to be the "tigers" in the ceremony.

At first, they gathered with village elders at the mountain-god temple to offer sacrifices of wine, food and incense, and to ask the god to help the tigers.

Fashioned in materials that included jade, gold, silver, ivory, bronze and carved wood, the style, materials and craftsmanship of these hair ornaments reflected both social status and Chinese ethnic culture.

The patterns, craftsmanship, materials and number of hair ornaments a woman wore signified her social rank. Feudal etiquette defined the style of hair ornaments women wore on formal occasions, such as weddings or court ceremonies.

The elaborate buyao hairpin was an exquisite hair ornament denoting noble status. Often encrusted with jewels and featuring carved designs, the main feature of a buyao was its pendants that flatteringly framed the wearer's face and "danced" as she moved, hence the name buyao, which literally means "shake as you go". This ornament was generally made of of gold in the shape of a dragon or phoenix and adorned with pearls and jade.

The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West.

The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month. It is a national carnival to welcome the spring after a long and gloomy winter, and to celebrate the past year's harvest with good food, festivities,dragon dancing and firecrackers.

Many customs accompany the Spring Festival. Some are still followed today, but others have weakened. On the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, many families make laba porridge, a delicious kind of porridge made with glutinous rice, millet, seeds of Job's tears, jujube berries, lotus seeds, beans, longan and gingko. People attach great importance to Spring Festival Eve. At that time, all family members eat dinner together.The meal is more luxurious than usual. Dishes such as chicken, fish and bean curd cannot be excluded, for in Chinese, their pronunciations, respectively "ji", "yu" and "doufu," mean auspiciousness, abundance and richness.


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Seal Engraving:Cornerstone of Chinese Fine Arts

The art of seal engraving is a cornerstone of Chinese fine arts. The seal was originally used as a signature or sign of authority, but it came to be used by all social classes and in much of Asia. The Seal Engravers' Society of Xiling in Zhejiang Province, central China, which was founded a century ago, preserves the art of seal engraving along with approximately a hundred other specialized institutions.

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

Founded in 1977, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is a large-scale professional orchestra with 85 musicians. Its performance and repertoire covers Chinese folk music, large-scale contemporary works and commissioned works in various styles. Apart from over 100 regular concerts, the Orchestra also organized music festivals like Hong Kong Huqin Festival, Hong Kong Drum Music Festival and Hong Kong Guzheng Festival.

The Orchestra was often invited to perform at internationally renowned music halls or for international festivals in Oceania, America, Europe or Asia. To cultivating new musicians and developing new spectators, the Orchestra also established the Hong Kong Children Chinese Orchestra and Hong Kong Junior Chinese Orchestra.

The Orchestra won a number of prizes, including The Most Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Contemporary Chinese Music awarded by the International Society for Contemporary Music, Most Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Asian Contemporary Music awarded by the Asian Composers League, and the two awards in the Instrumental Music – Album category and the Instrumental Music – Performance category at the 6th China Gold Record Awards. The Orchestra also set a record when it organized most performers to play erhu and bamboo flute together.

The design is first sketched on paper, and then engraved on stone, in reverse, with a knife. In addition to mastery of traditional calligraphy, the art of engraving requires a high degree of virtuosity, since the artist works on a tiny surface area where every curve, every thickness of line counts. The very diverse motifs are the fruit of the artist's imagination and culture.

The overwhelmingly large variety mainly comes from the emperors hosting a banquet of 100 dishes each meal[9]. A countless number of imperial kitchen staff and concubines were involved in the food preparation process. Over time, many dishes became part of the everyday-citizen culture. Some of the highest quality restaurants with recipes close to the dynastic periods include Fangshan restaurant in Beihai Park Beijing and the Oriole Pavilion[9]. Arguably all branches of Hong Kong eastern style or even American Chinese food are in some ways rooted from the original dynastic cuisines.

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