In the ancient cdrama The Lychee Road, Li Shande was sent to Lingnan to transport litchis for the emperor. Attentive netizens noticed that in this drama, Lingnan was extremely hot, with almost everyone sweating. However, except for Governor He, almost everyone wore long sleeves. Weren't they hot?
Let's start with the conclusion. During most of the Tang Dynasty, the temperature in Lingnan was actually a bit higher than our current summers. Some scholars pointed out that the temperature at that time was about 1 - 2℃ higher than it is now. People wore long sleeves mainly because of the basic etiquette for formal occasions. Another reason is that although the clothes were long - sleeved, they were made of natural fabrics, which weren't as stuffy as chemical fibers. Moreover, long - sleeved shirts and long trousers could effectively prevent mosquito bites.
As we've popularized before, the short - sleeved clothes worn by Governor He were generally used as an inner layer with a round - collared robe. For someone like Governor He to appear directly in short - sleeved clothes alone, such occasions were basically at home or other informal settings. Also, some laborers or working people who needed to carry heavy loads and sweat easily, or some people who rode horses and shot arrows, in order to avoid the sleeves getting in the way or being worn out, would roll up their sleeves, half - bare their chests, or simply wear sleeveless or short - sleeved clothes.
Why did people still insist on wearing long sleeves even though they knew it was so hot? Besides the need for formal - occasion etiquette, Lingnan had a long - summer climate. The damp and heat were most likely to cause miasma. Severe miasma could lead to malaria, a common epidemic. Lingwai Daida Volume Four 'Zhang' records: 'In the south, all diseases are called miasma.' Malaria was commonly spread by mosquitoes, so wearing long - sleeved shirts and long trousers could effectively prevent it. Also, long - sleeved shirts and long trousers could effectively protect against the sun, just like our sun - protection clothing. Although they were long - sleeved, the perceived temperature wasn't as hot as we thought.
For example, ramie. We might think it's a very common material, but in fact, it could be used by both the nobility and the common people. After being transformed by the ancients' craftsmanship, ordinary fabrics could look as good as new. There were good and bad qualities of ramie, and good ramie was the nobility among the ramies. Jin Baizhu Wu Geshi records: 'It's as light as a cloud and as white as silver. Whom should I give it to? A beautiful lady. Make it into a robe and the rest into a scarf. The robe adorns the body and the scarf wipes the dust.' It's not an over - exaggeration to describe this fabric as 'light as a cicada's wing and thin as rice paper'.
Ge yarn is also a kind of'summer - cooling' fabric. At the age of 39, Du Fu was waiting for a government position assignment in the Jixian Academy. On the Dragon Boat Festival, he received a robe made of ge yarn from the emperor. This kind of robe made of ge yarn was much more breathable and comfortable than our current chemical - fiber yarns, and it could also keep you cool when worn. So he specially wrote a poem Clothes Bestowed on the Dragon Boat Festival: 'The imperial clothes are well - known. On the Dragon Boat Festival, I'm honored by the emperor's grace. The fine ge fabric is soft in the wind, and the fragrant silk is as light as piled snow. Written by the emperor, it seems wet. Worn in summer, it's refreshing. It fits well in length. I'll be grateful to the emperor all my life.'
So even in public, when people needed to wear long - sleeved clothes in layers, they could choose light and comfortable fabrics. In fact, it didn't feel as thick as we modern people imagine. Even women could wear a semi - transparent front - opening outer robe, with their skin faintly visible. And long - sleeved clothes could also protect important joints from the invasion of dampness. We can only sigh: we underestimated the ancient people's wisdom in dressing.
After reading all this, do you still doubt that the people in Lingnan during the Tang Dynasty would feel hot wearing long - sleeved clothes? Well, although it's hot, to some extent, it's also 'cool' and beneficial to health. The ancients' clothing choices were a combination of practicality and comfort, which is truly remarkable.
