Guide & Tutorial

Like Chinese Hanfu costumes, ancient Chinese hairstyles also have a long history. The hair is placed at the head of the body, and it is the key to showing the beauty of the human body. The ancient Chinese hairstyles culture is diverse and gorgeous, a special and wonderful part of Chinese culture, and likewise, it shows the unique aesthetics of China that has rich content. This article contains female ancient Chinese hairstyles and male ancient Chinese hairstyles, and introduces the traditional hairstyle characteristics of different historical periods through the order of dynasties. We hope that you can have a new understanding of Chinese hairstyles through the article. Let's get started!   Female Ancient Chinese Hairstyles Although there are many styles of historical hair bun, depending on the person, the part of the bun is different and can be divided into two categories: one is the hanging bun located at the back of the neck, mainly in the Warring States and Qin and Han dynasties. The other is the high bun on the top of the head, popular in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wei, and Jin Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Tang and Song Dynasties, with many variations that…

Original Author: Huafeng Mozhu (华风墨逐) Hanfu Cutting & Sewing Patterns Detail Zhongyi (中衣) Aoqun (袄裙) Ruqun (襦裙) Beizi (褙子) Pan collar Aoqun (盘领袄) Quju (曲裾) Banbi (半臂) Shuhe (裋褐) Zhiduo/Zhishen/Daopao (直裰/直身/道袍) Panling Pao/Lanshan (盘领袍/襕衫) Shenyi (深衣) Yisan (曳撒) Inspired Hanfu (改良汉服) Updating   Preface Ethnic costumes are different from ordinary clothes that only play the role of warmth and decoration, but they are one of the elements of the appearance of a nation and an important carrier of its traditional culture. It is also an important carrier of the traditional culture of a nation. The cultural connotation of traditional costumes of different nationalities is different, and it can naturally show the spiritual civilization and aesthetics of the nation. Hanfu is the traditional costume of the Han people, also known as "Han Zhuang" or "Hua Fu".Since the time of the Yellow Emperor, Yao and Shun, hanfu has taken a basic form, and after the inheritance of the rituals of the Zhou Dynasty, it has formed a perfect system of clothing and crown and spread to the people in the Han Dynasty. The hanfu had been developed for thousands of years until the fall of the Ming Dynasty, when it was temporarily stopped.…

Diy crafting is a lot of fun, and not only can you be fully engaged in the process, but it's also very rewarding to finish a piece with your own hands. The same goes for making your own Hanfu, which is why we've launched this series, will continue to update the Hanfu sewing pattern and process of making different styles of Hanfu for you in the future.   Introduction to Pifeng Hanfu Pifeng(披风, cape) is a form of Chinese Hanfu clothing, mostly straight-necked, Duijin (对襟), with two long sleeves, with slits under both armpits, can be worn both indoors and outdoors. From many portraits as well as notes on the data, Pifeng used to be a popular clothing style of the Ming Dynasty.   Sewing Pattern Explained - Making Cuts Tutorial The Pifeng shape is not complicated, and those who like to make Hanfu or DIY Hanfu dress can try to make it if have the right fabric. Overall: A/B/C/D equal width, 50~60cm Cuff width 30-60cm (depending on sleeve size) Width of sleeve heel 30~40cm The collar is opened to the level of the armpit, and the width of the collar opening is twice as wide as the width of…

This section includes Zhongyi (中衣) and Zhongku (中裤). Size range: Zhongyi (155/80A to 185/104A), Zhongku (155/64A to 185/88A) Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance.   Introduction Zhongyi, also known as Liyi, is worn outside of underwear and within outerwear (the Chinese meaning of 中 is equivalent to the middle), and its role is similar to that of a shirt in modern clothing, which can be used to match and complement the role of Zhongyi. Zhongyi cannot be worn outside, and in addition to playing the role of a shirt, it can also be used as home wear and pajamas. The Zhongyi illustrated in this section is the common cross-collar arrow-sleeved Zhongyi, while the broad Zhongyi also includes Zhongdan (中单), Zhongku (中裤, pants), and Zhognqun (中裙, skirts). Zhongyi common fabric types are cotton, cotton linen, chiffon, monochrome satin, etc. In addition to the most commonly used white fabric, girls can also choose colored fabrics when they match the Ruqun, the colors of which are bright green, soft yellow, peach, purple and gray, etc. Men wearing Pan collar robe with Zhongyi can also choose red. Because Zhongyi's body and collar than the outer clothing…

The red pattern on a woman's forehead in ancient times is called "Huadian (花钿)", a special accessory for women's facial makeup.

As the old saying goes, "Men are willing to die for those who appreciate them, and women are willing to makeup for those who appreciate them". From ancient times to the present, women have always been the trendsetters in the pursuit of beauty. From Chinese traditional clothing to Hanfu makeup to various accessories, each item has passed through history and left a strong mark in the history of women's lives, becoming a classic art appreciation. Previous articles on traditional Chinese earrings have already done some telling about women's earrings and their culture from ancient times to the present, but today we're going to talk about the history of another type of ornaments - traditional Chinese hair accessories.   Derivation of the traditional Chinese hair accessories In ancient China, Confucianism was the orthodox idea of the society, emphasizing "ritual". Hair, as part of the body, is considered unclean and rude if it is disheveled. Therefore, men at the age of 15 years need to tie the hair as a bun, women at the age of 15 years need tie hair as a bun and wear Ji (笄), already a kind of "ritual" custom in ancient time. As to when the custom…

This section contains Ruqun (襦裙), which can be divided into: Jiao Ling Shang Ru (交领上襦), Dui Jin Shang Ru (对襟上襦), Zhe Qun (褶裙) type A, Zhe Qun type B, Qi Xiong Shang Ru (齐胸上襦). Size range: Jiao Ling Shang Ru, Dui Jin Shang Ru, and Qi Xiong Shang Ru (155/80A to 175/96A),  Zhe Qun (155/64A to 175/80A). Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. The Ruqun in this section should actually be called "Shan Qun (衫裙)". Ruqun is supposed to refer to the Hanfu style from the Wei and Jin dynasties, with a Yaolan (腰襕).   Introduction Ruqun (襦裙) is one of the earliest and most basic clothing forms in the history of Chinese dress. The Ruqun described here generally has a short upper Ru, reaching only to the waist or flush with the chest, while the Qun (skirt) is long and hangs down to the ground. According to the different styles of the collar, can be divided into: Jiao Ling Ruqun(交领襦裙, cross-collar); Dui Jin Ruqun(对襟襦裙, lapel). According to the height of the skirt waist, can be divided into: Zhong Yao Ruqun(中腰襦裙, mid-waist), the same as the Qi Yao Ruqun(齐腰襦裙); Gao Yao…

This section contains Aoqun (袄裙), which can be divided into: Duan Ao (短袄), Da Ao (大袄), Mamian Qun (马面裙). Size range: Duan Ao and Da Ao (155/80A to 175/96A),  Mamian Qun (155/80A to 175/80A). Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance.     Introduction In the Ming Dynasty, women's Hanfu clothing is very popular in the form of clothes cover skirt way of dress, the most common "Aoqun (袄裙)" is a Ming Dynasty women's clothing general term, that is, the upper Ao (袄, jacket) with the lower Qun (裙, skirt) with the way, and not a single piece of clothing. The "Ao" in this section refers to a cross-necked female top, and the "Qun" refers to a Mamian Qun (horse-face skirt). Early Hanfu tops were mostly called "Ru (襦)", and after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, they were also called "Ao" and "Shan (衫, shirt)". Nowadays, it is generally considered that the Aoqun is longer and covers the waist of the skirt, while the one that requires the clothes to be tucked into the waist of the skirt is the Ruqun (襦裙), but both belong to the Ruqun system. The Ming-style Aoqun…

The Tang dynasty makeup style can almost be said to be the most versatile in the entire ancient history of China, because both in terms of national power and politics, the Tang dynasty almost reached the pinnacle of history, and because of this prosperity, the makeup of the women's makeup in the people's peace of environment constantly changing refinement. With the transformation of the early Tang Dynasty, the flourishing Tang Dynasty, and the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the makeup was also making different changes, and for this reason, some special makeups were created, as we can see from the many ancient wall paintings and drawings.   Early Tang Dynasty makeup style: the beauty of simplicity In the early Tang Dynasty, influenced by the short-lived Sui Dynasty (581-617), the royal family did not pursue luxury and advocated simplicity. Therefore, the overall makeup of the women's more subtle and graceful, to lightly coated with lead white makeup and lightly coated with rouge red makeup mainly.  | White Makeup | Since ancient times, people have advocated the beauty of white, so women have the custom of powder, only to the Tang Dynasty, women's powder and style more diverse and prevalent. During the…

The history of Chinese women's make-up is very long. After the rotation of dynasties, the traditional Chinese makeup has changed with the development of the times, reflecting the changes in customs and thoughts in each era. We will prepare a series of articles to introduce traditional Chinese makeup.   Ancient traditional Chinese makeup Throughout the ages, women have different ways and methods to make themselves more beautiful. Compared with the modern, ancient women are more conservative and implicit, but they also have their own set of "secret weapons". As early as in the cultural relics unearthed in the Warring States period, it can be seen from them that at that time, women had the habit of thrushing and use rouge. That is to say, more than 2000 years ago in China, cosmetics had appeared. Of course, ancient China was an agricultural society, always in a state of self-sufficiency, and cosmetics were no exception. At that time, cosmetics were mainly made of pure natural plant and animal oils, and some natural spices were added. The general production process includes boiling, fermentation, filtration, etc. compared with the modern cosmetics production process, it is still relatively simple. Therefore, compared with modern women, ancient…

Chinese Traditional earrings are of various types, both decorative and ceremonial, and have been an indispensable part of people's decorations since ancient times.   The popularity of Chinese Traditional Earrings The first appearance of earrings can be traced back to the Neolithic period. At that time, people's craftsmanship was limited to a certain extent, so earrings were usually in the shape of simple rings with notches and were called "Jue (玦)", mostly made of jade, but also bone, stone, agate, and ivory. Later, with the development of dynasties and civilizations, earrings became richer in style, with different styles such as earrings, earrings pendants, and so on. However, earrings have not always been a symbol of beauty in a long history. In ancient China, women's status was far inferior to men's, so people came up with the idea of piercing holes in women's ears and hanging earrings to remind them to act cautiously, in order to restrain their behavior. In the olden days, until a girl was 10 years old, her mother or other elders would repeatedly be grinding with rice grains over the girl's earlobe to numb it, then pierce it with the tip of a needle, and then wear a piece…

Time passes, in the millennium of Chinese history, each dynasty has evolved a unique style of women's makeup. As the saying goes, light makeup is always appropriate, nowadays we, and then see these exquisite ancient Chinese makeup style, will also be very amazed. The simple elegance of the Han dynasty, the ebullience of the Six dynasties period, gorgeous opulence of the Tang dynasty, each dynasty has its own representative style and unique aesthetic, today for you to take stock of the beauty of the ancient Chinese makeup style of each dynasty.   Han Dynasty Han Dynasty women advocated "white powder and black Dai (黛, Greenish-black pigment used to paint eyebrows.)", but due to the constraints, they often used natural "cosmetics" to decorate their faces, such as finely ground rice grains to put on the face, this foundation is more healthy, but the effect of whitening is not obvious; many women even chose lead powder to put on the face, this mineral powder is toxic, but it has a strong whitening effect. With a white face, the next most important thing is to draw eyebrows. The common tool used by the ancients to draw eyebrows was "Dai", which was need dissolved…

This section contains Beizi (褙子), which can be divided into: Xie Duijin Beizi(斜对襟褙子), Zhi Duijin Beizi (直对襟褙子). Size range:  155/80A to 175/96A. Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance.   Introduction Beizi is a kind of top with a pair of lapels, which relies on two ties in front of the chest to hold it in place, so it must be worn over other clothes, and is knee-length with slits on both sides. In the Ming Dynasty, it was also called "Pifeng". Beizi can be worn by both men and women, with men mostly using them as Bianfu (便服) and women using them as Lifu (礼服, formal dresses). There are two types of Beizi painted in this section: Xie Duijin (diagonal lapels) Beizi and Zhi Duijin (straight lapels) Beizi, mainly women's wide-sleeved Beizi, with a Ma Mian Qun or pleated skirt underneath. In addition, for the Zhi Duijin Beizi, you can make men's Beizi by enlarging the size and making slight alterations, or you can make women's narrow-sleeved Beizi by reducing the size of the sleeves.   Size chart   Xie Duijin Beizi(斜对襟褙子)    Zhi Duijin Beizi (直对襟褙子)   More Hanfu Style…

So the Mamianqun, or 馬面裙, or horse-faced skirt, has been blowing up lately especially because of the Dior controversy—here's an in-depth dive into the history, construction, and features of the famous horse-face skirt.   A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAMIANQUN The mamianqun or horse-faced skirt is a skirt that first originated somewhere close to the Song dynasty worn by high-class courtesans (who were like celebrities and fashion icons tbh) in the form of colorful pleated silk. It’s named this way because of its resemblance to the mamian fortress, which has stairs on either side (like the pleats) and a door in the front and back (like the skirt doors). The ‘doors’ sides of the fortress were known as the *horse faces* or mamian/馬面 because these were the faces of the fortress where the horses would pass through. It became extremely popular in the following Ming dynasty and stayed popular through the Qing dynasty through Manchurian rule—it’s been around for a long, long time! Mamianqun are more convenient for movement and offer a regal, classy aesthetic as well as a very recognizable and unique silhouette. Even Princess Diana wore one once! BASIC CONSTRUCTION OF A MAMIANQUN The Skirt Doors From the…

Have you ever struggled with tying your hanfu skirts, or gotten used to the old ways of tying them? Look no further for a collection of tutorials on how to tie hanfu skirts in various styles!

  Vocabulary Velvet Flower - 绒花 (rónghuā) - a realistically made flower made artificially from silk threads and copper wire. Palace Flower - 宫花 (gōng huā) - another way to call ronghua with the rise in popularities of ronghua to females in the palace. Untwisted Silks - 无捻蚕丝 (wú niǎn cánsī) - when it comes to silk threads, depending on the type and material of the threads, one single thread can be made up of thinner threads twisted together. Untwisted silk thread means there are no smaller twisted threads. You can directly skip to the brushing steps in ronghua making process. Hunan Embroidery Thread - 湘绣线 (xiāngxiù xiàn) - another type of thread used in ronghua making. Suzhou Embroidery Thread - 苏绣线 (sūxiù xiàn) - another type of thread used in ronghua making.   History 绒花, rónghuā, an artificial handcraft head accessories made from materials such as silks and coppers. It existed since the Qin Dynasty. There are many known “brands” of ronghuas, such as Nanjing Ronghua. In the Tang era, Wu Zetian listed Nanjing Ronghua as a royal tribute to the Yangzhou area becoming a luxury only princes and princesses can use. Eventually, Nanjing Ronghua became something that represents Nanjing but also…

This section contains Zhiduo (直裰), Zhishen (直身), Daopao (道袍). Size range: 165/88A to 185/104A. Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance.   Introduction Zhiduo is a kind of costume from the Song Dynasty, the initial is mostly worn by monks, a few literati also wear, Song Zhiduo is generally not slit. By the Ming Dynasty, Zhiduo had become widely popular among literati and scholars, and the basic features of Ming Zhiduo were the cross collar, knee-length garment, slit on both sides without Bai (摆), generally with a collar guard on the collar, and mostly with pipa sleeves. The cutting and sewing patterns in this chapter are based on Ming Zhiduo. Zhishen was also an important costume of the Ming Dynasty, as well as Zhiduo and Daopao, the basic features of Zhishen are the same as Zhiduo, with a cross collar, more collar protection, pipa sleeves, and knee-length, but the difference is that there is outside Bai on both sides in Zhishen. Daopao is one of the traditional costumes of Taoism, but it was also the main style of casual wear and dress for scholars in the Ming Dynasty, so Daopao was not…

Traditional Chinese nail guards (Zhi Jia Tao, 指甲套), also known as "Hu Zhi (护指, finger protection)". The ancient palace noblewomen used gold and silver to make nail guards to protect their nails and show their status, were extremely fine and gorgeous, with a wide variety. If you have watched the wonderful historical TV drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, you may have noticed that the concubines in the drama have long nails on their slender hands and wear nail guards on their end fingers, showing their nobility and elegance. Such luxurious Chinese nail guards, in addition to showing the identity status characteristics, what is its role, today let's explore it!   History of keeping long fingernails Everyone has a love of beauty. Since ancient times, it has been every woman's wish to have a pair of delicate hands, and the ancient Chinese had three main aesthetic standards for women's fingers: pointed, long, and white. The direct purpose of keeping long nails for women in ancient times was to make the nails extend the fingers, making the hand shape look sharp and long. And in ancient times, both men and women pursued long nails for beauty, many noble families and literati,…

Today, we're sharing how to make a Hanfu clothing: Song Dynasty shirt. Let's DIY your own Hanfu. A Video explanation is available at the bottom of the article Sketch The characteristics of the Song-shirt are long sleeves and front opening. When wearing, the front can be folded. The length from the back center to the shoulder is 1/4 of the full length. For overlapping, 1/4BL(bustline)=25CM, armhole depth 23cm. Sleeves can be straight or narrow. Neckline width is 9cm, draw a vertical line in the direction of the hem at the shoulder neck points, i.e. the front. The front is almost straight. There's only a little radian around the corner of the neckline, you can make your front part bigger if you have enough fabric. Cut Prepare a piece of fabric firs. First, fold out the length of a garment along the direction of the weft line. Draw on the fabric at 1:1 size according to the layout you just drew. Cut the neckline, Be careful that the collar is a single layer, so don't cut the bottom layer off. Half of the body will be ready. Cut off the other half of the body symmetrically. Cut out two parts with…

This section contains improved Hanfu (改良汉服). Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. Introduction Wearing hanfu is not just for the sake of retro and vintage, but also to show classical beauty and promote the traditional culture of the nation. However, many people have misconceptions about hanfu, believing that the process of wearing hanfu is tedious and that it is not convenient to move around after wearing it. In fact, hanfu is not necessarily a wide robe with big sleeves. The hanfu system itself contains short and slim tops, as well as short-sleeved and narrow-sleeved types of clothing. The hanfu tops can be matched with modern skirts and pants with a little improvement of the form, as long as the shape and color match. The "improvement" referred to here is not to develop to Western-style three-dimensional cutting, but to make certain modifications to the hanfu pattern, such as reducing the sleeve length and cuff width, and making slight modifications to the shape to make it more suitable for matching with modern clothing, combining tradition with fashion, while maintaining the basic shape and flat cutting method of hanfu. It is hoped that this improved…

This section contains Shuhe (裋褐). Size range: 165/88A to 185/104A). Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. Introduction Shuhe (裋褐), also known as "Duan Da (短打)", originally meant a coarse cloth upper garment woven with coarse hemp or animal hair, was a simple cross-collar upper garment worn by commoners in ancient China, usually with looser pants underneath, mostly used for casual wear or work clothes. The basic features of the Shuhe are Jiao Ling You Ren (交领右衽, cross collar and wrapping the right side before the left), the shortest sleeve length over the wrist, the longest slightly beyond the fingertips, mostly straight sleeves or arrow sleeves, narrower cuffs, the length of the garment to below the waist, the longest above the knee, and the two sides need to be divided into slits. Shuhe can not simply be equated with the cloth worn by the poor, although this garment can not do the formal occasions worn by the dress, but its use is very wide, and the use of Shuhe is determined by its characteristics, because wearing Shuhe more convenient for action, so it has become a daily work, farming, long-distance travel necessary…

This section contains Quju (曲裾). Size range: 155/80A to 175/96A. Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance.   Introduction The basic style of the Quju is the Jiao Ling You Ren, the back lapel is lengthened to form a triangle, which passes down the back and around to the front lapel, and then a Dadai (大带) is tied around the waist to cover the end of the triangle, with a pleated skirt underneath. The Quju was popular from the pre-Qin to Han dynasties, before the invention of the Ku (袴), and could be worn by both men and women, with the hemline of the men's Quju being wider and the hemline of some women's Quju taking on a unique "trumpet flower" style. Later, men's Quju gradually disappeared, and for a long time, Quju remained in the mainstream of women's clothing. However, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Ruqun, which was easier to wear and more convenient for walking, became widely popular, while the Quju began to disappear, and in the long history that followed, the most popular women's clothing was the Ruqun style. Although the Quju disappeared early in history, it…

Chinese incense culture has a long history. As an important part of incense culture - Chinese traditional scented sachet culture, it also carries a large amount of cultural information, reflecting the aesthetic concepts and social customs of people in different periods, as well as the achievements of Chinese textiles and fine manufacturing. Nowadays, due to the emergence and use of aromatherapy, perfume, and other items, incense sachets have rarely been used except on specific festivals and occasions, but they have left a strong mark in the history of incense used in China.   The History of the Traditional Sachet Scented sachet (香囊, Xiangnang) is a folk embroidered craft created by ancient women, originally developed from Peinang (佩囊), a small cloth pocket used by the ancients to hold small objects. There were no pockets on the clothes of the ancients, so some portable necessities, such as seals, hand towels, coins, etc., were stored in this kind of pouch, and when they went out, they put it on their waist, so it was called "Peinang". Scented sachet belongs to a kind of Peinang, which is named after the spices stored in the sac. According to the literature, the history of wearing scented…

This section contains Banbi (半臂). Size range: Jiao Ling Banbi  (155/80A to 185/104A), Zhi Dui Jin Banbi and Xie Dui Jin Banbi (155/64A to 175/96A). Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. Introduction Banbi (半臂), also known as "half-sleeve", is a short tunic developed from the upper Ru (襦) since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and can be roughly divided into two collar types: Jiao Ling (交领, cross-collar) and Dui Jin (对襟, lapel). Compared with long-sleeved tops, the difference is that the sleeve length can reach the elbow. In the Tang Dynasty, the Banbi was already a popular garment worn by both men and women. In the long years, its wearing method is also basically limited to the set of other long-sleeved clothes, because in formal occasions, the ancient people will never wear Banbi alone and show the arm. But with modern aesthetics, today's Jiao Ling Banbi (交领半臂) can be worn alone in summer, which is somewhat similar to the short-sleeved T-shirts worn by modern people, and because of its shorter sleeve length, it does not hurt to pair it with a modern skirt, and men can also wear a Banbi with…