What are the Characteristics of Xia Dynasty Costume? The Formation Period of Chinese Costume!

The Xia Dynasty was the formation period of the Chinese costume system, with the formation of the core concept of Chinese culture. The institutional framework of costumes was gradually formed, which was gradually improved in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Hello, I'm Li Yun, an independent costume designer. I've been an independent designer for three years, and I've been a sweet-and-sour girl, and I've been a British showgirl. Today, let's go back to the Xia Dynasty period, and feel the relationship between costumes and culture. Let's see how costumes evolved slowly in people's lives Today, let's take a look at the characteristics of Xia Dynasty costumes and how to connect with modern design. We still focus on the material, craftsmanship and decoration of costumes. The overall characteristics of the costumes of that era Finally, think about how to achieve modern performance. The Xia Dynasty was the first dynasty in China. It was a period of hard-working society. At this time, etiquette appeared, so costumes also began to inject the connotation of etiquette. The costume system that appeared at that time was the earliest costume system in China, with the difference between civilian costumes and aristocratic costumes. At that time, the main material of costumes was cotton and silk. Among them, the aristocrats used cotton and silk to make costumes, while the civilian costumes were mostly made of coarse silk. There was even a choice of dry yellow plant essence. Because the leather technology was still at the level of the prehistoric period, the Xia Dynasty reduced the wearing frequency of leather clothes. Until the Shang Dynasty, Bigan invented the leather ball, leather was widely accepted by everyone again. Speaking of silk, in fact, the emperor had already invented silkworm silk. Silkworm silk is the process of pulling out single silk from multiple silkworms and winding them into silk threads. It was invented by the emperor's wife, Lei Zu. When it came to the Xia Dynasty, silk products began to become popular, so China became the first country to produce silk. It's like a tongue twister. Because of the origin of silk threads, silkworms are more magical. They need to go through the process of silkworms, soil silk, knotting, forming silkworms, and finally breaking the silkworms into threads. This process reminds ancient people of the meaning of getting immortality and becoming immortal. Therefore, silk products at that time were often used to raise and die, to test the ghost god and test the god's great power. In terms of dyeing, the dyeing of ancient times also experienced a transition from mineral to plant. The original society dyed with iron ore powder. Then the Xia Dynasty began to use cinnabar to dye fabrics. The Zhou Dynasty began to dye plants. Like the root of the qiancao, there is also qiansu. It can be dyed into a beautiful red color. The development of dyeing also led to the development of decoration. At the beginning of the Xia Dynasty, people started to apply red paint on their lips. This is the earliest lipstick. Then people also began to meet and wear accessories. The style of necklace was started by the Xia Dynasty. And in the early days of the Xia Dynasty, there were already bracelets and jade rings. In 2022, the jade ring of our big fire appeared in the early days of the Xia Dynasty. The overall appearance of the Xia Dynasty's clothing is the shape of a belt. Among them, the plain clothing is mainly the right collar of the upper garment. It is narrow-sleeved and convenient for labor. The front part of the Xia Dynasty is too thin. The back part is the back part. It goes to the foot. Then there is a long pants inside. The bottom of the shoes is slightly exposed. This is the front part and the back part that we often talk about. The clothing of the nobles is different from that of the common people. They are more of a wide-sleeved culture. The overall clothing is relaxed. Because the production rate at that time was relatively low, there was less demand for labor. It is more focused on harmonious interaction with nature. The upper body of the nobles is replaced by a small robe. The small robe is longer than the upper garment of the common people. The upper garment of the common people is longer than the upper garment of the common people. The sleeves are more loose. The upper garment of the common people also wears a wide belt and wide pants. Speaking of the color of the clothing, the Xia Dynasty took Mude and became the world. At that time, the clothing was mostly black and yellow. The upper garment is the sky and the sky is not yet clear. Therefore, the upper garment is mostly black and dark. The lower garment is the earth and the earth is yellow. The lower garment is also mostly yellow. The upper garment generally has a primitive style. The belt also has patterns. Among them, there are many patterns, such as thunder patterns, writing patterns, and pottery patterns. At that time, there were clothes specially designed for sacrifice. This is also the beginning of professional clothing. The cotton clothes are also more of a right-handed collar. The color will be different. Generally, it is black on top and red on the bottom. On the primitive fabric, twelve patterns are embroidered to show the servants' reverence for heaven and earth. The details of the twelve patterns will be introduced to you in detail later. The general content is to take some natural things to express its meaning. It is the twelve patterns that are embroidered on the emperor or senior officials' clothes. It is a symbol of the clothing class of the imperial era at that time. As can be seen from here, the lower garment has begun to be included in the connotation of the class system. It is divided due to the gap between the rich and the poor and the social class. At that time, it was completely possible to distinguish a person's level of equipment by wearing and dressing alone. At the same time, a complete system of clothing was established, which was based on the emperor's costume and the costume center. The connotation of clothing and etiquette has been fixed from the Xia Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty. There is a way of inheritance in the entire Eastern clothing history. What elements of Xia Dynasty clothing are preserved in modern clothing? For example, the upper garment is embroidered with a right-handed collar. It can still be seen on the modern cheongsam. And the cheongsam is also a way of wearing a right-handed collar. For example, the way the nobles wear the upper garment and the lower garment is in line with the modern way of wearing the upper garment and the lower garment. Especially in the summer of 2024, you can see more dresses and pants with matching clothes. Natural raw materials such as cotton and silk are still popular and popular. In 2024, the new Chinese New Year's Eve will see a large-scale appearance of natural raw materials in front of people. This is undoubtedly another awakening of Chinese culture. In every era, our Chinese children are expressing their love and respect for their nation in their own way. They are also writing the story of ethnic clothing in their own way. With the development of the feudal system, what kind of changes will happen to the form of expression and content of clothing? Let's look forward to the next explanation of the clothing style of the Shang Dynasty.