The Fashion Culture of China

The Fashion Culture of China
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Fashion is a transnational form of modernity and is continuously recreated to suit societal agendas and establish cultural values. Fashion from time immemorial has shaped the appearance of humanity from antiquity to modernity. For instance, Chinese cultures provide identity by placing iconic forms representing their perceptions and ways of living. Most of these cultures resulted in modern fashion development, which continually changes due to replicating various communities' ideas. According to Roland Barthes, fashion does not evolve; it merely changes. The lexicon of fashion is new each year, which always keeps the same system as that of a language but suddenly changes the currency of its words (Barthes 1990, p.215). The paper explores transnationality regarding the Chinese Han cloth to prove that there are different ways of understanding and practicing fashion across the world.
Presently, fashion has become a fundamental tool for sharing new ideologies within society. For instance, in the United Kingdom, the Nova magazine published fashionable femininity to reconcile feminist ideologies with stylish appearance (Bartlett, Cole, Rocamora 2013, p.2). Mass media influence in the West and Europe has contributed to the perception that fashion originates from these regions. However, Margaret Maynard suggests that clothes represent a human requirement for warmth and privacy (Maynard and Maynard 1994, p.9). According to her, fashion exists among every social and political system due to necessity. However, perception of fashion as art is subject to discussion since it depends on how art is defined. Representation of fashion in paintings and portraits incorporates props, drapery, and allegorical references, which raises questions on its authenticity (Bartlett, Cole, Rocamora 2013, p.3).
Moreover, the author illustrates how clothes were an essential part of Australian cultural development. By regulating dressing habits by introducing uniforms for various groups of people, the government was able to shape the fashion among its people. According to the author, the dress played a significant role in defining a given community(Maynard and Maynard 1994,p.9). From Maynard's perspective, it is evident that there exists more than one fashion system.
This essay focuses on the Chinese culture of fashion, specifically the Han clothes. Furthermore, we will also analyze how the Han clothes have influenced fashion using various examples from the twentieth century to the present world. Several nations have unique traditional cultures that represent the most dominant accepted values of communities. In trying to gain full insights into Han fashion's idea, it is essential to explore the concepts of imagined communities, transnationalism, nationalism, globalization, and westernization. Fashion also contributed to the erosion of cultures through the influence of western perceptions. For instance, specific clothing among communities had religious significance, yet they have been interpreted differently and developed as fashionable. However, these perceptions do not represent the values of the communities associated with the clothing. The Chinese culture has had a significant influence on modern fashion since China's ancient clothing inspires most collections.
The Han cloth, also referred to as Hanfu, is a traditional attire originally worn by the Han community from emperors and sovereigns' reign to the Ming dynasty. The attire's primary features include a Y shaped collar, no button, and a belt fastening to achieve its simple and elegant style. Furthermore, it is believed that the origin of the Hanfu is the Shang dynasty, which was adopted from the Yi and the Shang styles. Hanfu clothing could be presented as a cultural tool that promotes unity, self-confidence, and pride. However, with westernization, most of these elements of Chinese Hanfu fashion have been eroded. During the nineteenth century, the Chinese were subjected to Western imperial expansion. Some of their luxury items were sold to British shoppers. The main aim of colonialism was to impose western civilization on several nations globally (Cheang 2007, p.3). During this period, westernization predominantly defined modernity through the use of economic power.
Moreover, the items bought from China were given new meanings and interpretations, which led to establishing terms such as exotism and orientalism. Moreover, through the influence of westernization, fashion has led to several adverse effects. Niessen (2020) suggests that most people have lost their jobs due to the adoption of fashionable clothes worldwide. Furthermore, traditional skills perceived as non-fashionable are abandoned when modern designs are predominantly consumed globally. According to the author, globalization, transnationality, and westernization have detrimental effects on several communities globally.
Anderson (2006) defines the community as imagined since there is a perception of people who feel connected irrespective of identifying people in the nation and society's disparities. Moreover, the author presents nationalism as an imaginary aspect of our society, which results in imagined communities (Anderson 2006, p.9). The idea of imagined communities promotes optimism and a sense of post-national globalization and cosmopolitanism. Furthermore, through Anderson's ideologies, he acknowledges the essence of culture in the representation of nations. Culture serves as a mirror to reflect the beliefs and traditions of a given community. The cultural significance of the Han is presented in the rules that belonged to the Hanfu style.
Moreover, the cloth was categorized into formal wear and informal wear. Also, the cloth was associated with specific hairstyles in the community. Boys and girls of Han nationality wore coiled hair clamped with hairpin after the coming-of-age ceremony. On the other hand, men wore coronets, scarves, and caps while women styled their hair and incorporated several ornaments. Similarly, Stuart Hall argues that culture is fundamental in the construction of meanings. The author reflects on the representations of identities through the mass media. Establishing the essence of representations forms part of Hall's primary goals in cultural studies.
Furthermore, Hall perceives representation as a way of reconstruction rather than reflection, and hence if cultures are taken for granted, they lose meaning. From Hall's ideologies, identities are transformational in time and space. Moreover, the author argues that culture is a significant avenue for social action and intervention (Hall 1996, p.181).
Transnationality can be defined as social relations and associations that extend beyond the boundaries. Moreover, the idea of transnationality is connected to the concepts of nationalism within imagined communities. The ideology of homogenous societies is the fundamental principle guiding the unrealistic social development in the modern age. The idea of transnationality could be employed in constructing the meaning of modernization in fashion. Moreover, this concept provides evidence that there are various ways of understanding and practicing fashion globally. The influence of this characteristic of the Han fashion is evident in the Japanese fashion culture, which borrows several aspects from the Chinese culture. Through interactions with several Chinese Kingdoms, most communities wanted to associate with the Chinese civilization. The transnationalism characteristic of the Hanfu among the Chinese people was influenced by globalization. As evidence of the influence of transnationalism on fashion, Hanfu also influenced Korean and Japanese clothing during the ancient period. Korea and China developed cultural ties that influenced the aristocratic class and rulers to adopt Chinese clothes' traditional style. Furthermore, the Kimonos were also influenced by traditional Han Chinese clothing.
Globalization and nationalism are perceived to be the primary defining elements of modernity. Globalization has facilitated the growth of fashion through interactions among people and groups. Pre-existing ideas are borrowed from one community and developed by others in a cycle that enhances creative innovations. The existence of Chinese elements in the modern age informs our knowledge of globalization. Most fashion designers have adopted Chinese clothing features in creating contemporary feminine designs (Peng 2016, p.628). According to Han fashion's western perception, it is a form of Chinese culture's charm to define fashion. Modern skirts are a representation of the "Shang" derived from Hanfu basic styles.
Moreover, through these designs, it is possible to establish a connection between Hanfu and modern fashion concepts (Hu 2014, p.90). However, globalization has contributed to the effects of exoticism and orientalism. These elements of cultural erosion have contributed to the new definition of fashion, which overlooks its origin.
Firstly, the combination of Chinese and western modern aesthetic through colors and patterns shows transnationalism in fashion. The perspective of transnationality is depicted through social and cultural exchanges beyond legal boundaries.
Figure 1: Vera Wang 2013 Spring summer wedding dress (Hu, 2014)
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