Chinese painting is the art of brush and ink applied on Xuan (paper) or silk. The basic tools are those of calligraphy, which has influenced painting in both style and theory. Characteristics and Categories of Chinese Painting A distinctive basic characteristic of this painting is that ideas and motifs are presented primarily in the form of lines and dots in ink, rather than in color, proportion, and perspective. These works are conceived with the aid of brushes composed of handle and head. The handle is usually made of bamboo or wood, while the head is made of animal hair, usually sheep or wolf. The heads are soft and flexible, and suitably fit the style of Chinese painting. Usually, only black ink is used, and silk and thin paper are used for the "canvases". Chinese painting falls into three main categories: portraits, landscapes, and flowers and birds. Of the three traditions, the oldest is portraiture, dominating the scene until the late Tang dynasty. In general, landscape paintings depicted mountains and water, influenced by the Taoist tradition of seeking solitude in nature. Landscape dominated in the 11th century, becoming a favorite motif of artists. Even today, when a Chinese says a place…

Chuiwan: ancient golf In ancient China there was another sport, in which a stick was used to hit a ball. At first there were two ways to play: on horseback or on foot. The first resembles polo, a sport as popular as cuju in the Tang Dynasty. The second is like field hockey today, a highly competitive contest calculated by the number of goals. In the Song dynasty, a new method, called Chuiwan (捶丸), was invented. There were two main differences between chuiwan and the previous game: first, the ball was not hit into the goal but into a hole; second, direct confrontation was changed to indirect confrontation. The game of chuiwan consisted of two teams hitting the ball with a stick into the holes previously dug in the ground. Those who hit the ball the least number of times to get it into the holes or those who had the most goals were the winners. Chuiwan can be played individually or as a team. The distance between the batter and the holes differed from 10 to 20 meters. When one hit the ball and got it into the chosen hole in three strokes, one won a point. The sticks…

As you may know, the Ming-style Hanfu is perfect for the winter, because it's wide enough to fit a lot of warm clothes. So, what other Chinese winter clothing can you think of for winter wear besides the Ming-style? Maybe Changyi is a good choice, follow along with Hanfu Culture Society to learn more about this Hanfu style that will bring you warmth in the cold winter. [Structure and History] Changyi (氅衣, chǎng yī), also known as Hechang (鹤氅) or Dachang (大氅). Straight collar, parallel opening, large sleeves, a pair of laces on the front lapel to tie the knot, the length of the coat is up to the calf or ankle. The body is mostly light in color, but can be decorated with ornate patterns, with dark edges on the collar and sleeve edges, and usually with no slits on the sides, but can be made with slits or pleats. As one of the categories of traditional Chinese winter clothing for male, Changyi has appeared in traditional Chinese literature with high frequency since the Eastern Jin Dynasty. However, the actual form of the Changyi varies greatly from one period to another. The earliest recorded appearance of the Changyi as…

Chinese inventions are great achievements for socio-economic development and scientific and technological progress, both in China and worldwide. But China also contributed other creations, not so outstanding, but no less ingenious, which have not lost their sense of usefulness with the passage of time. Today, let's witness the wisdom and intelligence of the Chinese.   The Abacus The abacus evolved from the token calculus in Cheng Dawei, Ingenious Inventions of Ancient China. About 2,000 years ago, Chinese ancestors mastered simple calculation with counters. In the Spring and Autumn period, mathematical calculations were made using tokens of various colors and values. However, with the socio-economic progress of mankind, this type of calculator no longer met the growing demand. Thus the abacus was born. The principles for the use of this device are similar to the calculation with counters, but are more advanced, faster and easier than the former. The term for the use of the abacus is called in Chinese "Zhu Suan" (Bead Calculation). Its earliest historical record is in the book "Shushu Jiyi" (Documents on Mathematics), created by Xu Yue (?-220), a mathematician of the Eastern Han dynasty in the EL century. In the drawing "Qingming Shanghe Tu" (Scenes by…

In the process of evolution, there are dozens or even hundreds of styles of Chinese clothes. This article mainly introduces the most classical styles of Chinese Hanfu clothes.   Women's clothing Suit Ruqun(襦裙) Ruqun is a kind of hanfu, also call: Shanqun (衫裙), short clothes worn on the upper body, call "Ru", and the dress of the lower body, call "Qun", together call "Ruqun". It is a typical "Shangyi Xiachang(top clothes and underdress) " form. Ruqun has an obvious feature: short top and long dress. The Ruqun appeared in the Warring States Period, Ruqun was worn by ordinary people(female) until the end of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Jiaoling Ruqun/ Shanqun(交领襦裙/衫裙) Jiaoling Ruqun is a kind of Ruqun, the main feature is: the top collar is cross. It is quite common in the Song Dynasty. Wearing method: First: Wear top clothes, Align the collar of the top clothes; Tie a knot in right Jin(襟, the chest part of the top); Tie a knot in left Jin. Second: tie up the dress, Put the dress in front of you, wrap the skirt behind you; Two sides of the dress overlap behind; Folding outwards the pressing on the inner layer of dress;…

In the ancient Chinese costume system, Hanfu sash and belt ornaments played a very important role, not only as a means of securing and decorating the garment, but also as a symbol of the wearer's status. In ancient times, officials wore Chaofu (朝服) when going to Shangchao (上朝). The Chaofu was the ancient official's uniform for political discussions, one of the important functions of Chaofu in ancient China was to distinguish between the ranks of superior and inferior through clothing. This distinction was mainly made through the three aspects of the Guan (冠, headwear), the color/Zhangwen (章纹) of the garment, and the belt ornaments. The belt ornaments on Chaofu, specifically the belt and the various types of pendant hanging from it, are mainly of the following types: jade pendants, Bixi (蔽膝), Yinshou (印绶), and Yufu/Yudai (鱼符/鱼袋). In ancient Chinese Chaofu, belt ornaments were a very important part, especially for men, as they were almost the only ornaments they wore and were important identity markers. The role of the belt ornament in expressing the wearer's rank was clearly and straightforwardly defined in the costume system during the Zhou dynasty, and was later enriched and refined through the ages. Hanfu Belt for…

A complete set of Hanfu includes Shoufu (首服, hanfu headdress), Tiyi (体衣, hanfu clothes), Zuyi (足衣, hanfu shoes and socks) and accessories. Let's talk about the Chinese headdress today.   Chinese headdress brief introduction The Chinese headdress is one of the important parts of ancient Chinese clothing, In ancient times, both men and women of Han nationality coiled their hair into a bun and fixed it on their heads with a hairpin. The main Chinese headdress is Guan (冠, crown, a hat that goes with a formal dress in ancient), Mao (帽, hats), Jin(巾, kerchief), etc. Mao mainly includes gauze hat (纱帽), hood (风帽)and Jin mainly has the black silk ribbon scarf (纶巾), the net kerchief (网巾) and so on. When the Yellow Emperor invented the Guan, the rite of adulthood of the Han nationality - the rite of male Guanli (冠礼) and the rite of female Jili (笄礼) - shows that Shoufu plays an important role in the national cultural psychology. Since the Qin Dynasty, there has been no separation of Yi and Guan (clothes and hats). However, due to the feudal concept, the number of women in the civilian class wearing the Guan is very small. Many years later, in…

The story of clothing and costumes is one of the most fascinating developments in human history. Traditional Chinese Dress & Clothing has a long history and cultural content, and it is an important part of Chinese excellent cultural heritage, so It has particular researching value. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaD4vS2GQxw Every nation in the world has its unique traditional clothing. The particular histories and cultures could be recognized so as for people to distinguish one citizen from another. China, as a multi-ethnic and time-honored country, has many ethnic minorities who have their indigenous culture. The mutual influences among these different cultures have contributed to the rich textures and fabrics of history and have made Chinese clothing with great variation and glory. Traditional Chinese dress & clothing has been shaped and developed alongside the interactive influences between the outside world and China’s own dynastic traditions. Every different dynastic has different scopes of territory, social values, social norms, etc. Therefore, many aesthetic standards were made according to the environments (socially, geographically, economically, politically) of certain dynastic. This is the main reason why traditional Chinese clothing has such many styles. 5 Types of  Traditional Chinese Clothing & Dress For exploring the world of traditional Chinese clothing, it is necessary…

What is Hanfu? At present, the full name is widely recognized as the “traditional costume of the Han nationality”, that is, the clothes worn by the Han nationality from the Yellow Emperor’s accession to the throne to the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty. On September 30, 2019, a group of young people in Chinese costumes Hanfu came to the streets of Sydney Opera House with zither and pipa. They sang "my country and me" with music in foreign countries. According to @Ms. Tingyue, the initiator of the event, this is a Hanfu flash event in three landmarks in Sydney, aiming to promote traditional Chinese culture. What is Hanfu? At present, the full name is widely recognized as the "traditional costume of the Han nationality", that is, the clothes worn by the Han nationality from the Yellow Emperor's accession to the throne to the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty. On the Internet, the most popular styles are Qiyao-Ruqun (齐腰襦裙) in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Qixiong-Ruqun (齐胸襦裙) and large sleeved shirt (大袖衫) in the Tang Dynasty, as well as Beizi (褙子) in the Song Dynasty and Horse-face Dress (马面裙) in the Ming Dynasty. The earliest appearance of Hanfu was…

We often see in Chinese TV dramas or movies scenes of the emperor and his ministers discussing political affairs together (called Shangchao, 上朝), with the ministers standing or kneeling opposite the emperor in order of rank, dressed in tidy clothes (Chaofu). So, what is so special about the ministers' clothing? And are the different eras of Chaofu the same? What is the Chaofu? Name: Chaofu (朝服, cháo fú) Alias: Jufu (具服) Function: used at major ceremonies Succession and change: from Zhou to Ming dynasties Before the Zhou Dynasty, Chinese clothing was mainly made in one form, the upper Yi (衣) and the lower Chang (裳) system. The Book of Rites - Yuzao (礼记·玉藻, a chapter describing the ritual) recorded that "Chao Xuanduan (玄端), Xi Shenyi (深衣)", meaning that ministers were required to wear Xuanduan in the morning to attend the Shangchao, while worn Shenyi at home in the evening. The style and development of Chaofu in different dynasties The earliest Chaofu - Pibian Fu Judging from the literature, there were Chaofu as early as in the Zhou Dynasty. The first Chaofu was the Pibian Fu (皮弁服, pí biàn fú), which was made of fine white cloth, and the Yi and…

Chinese culture is one of the oldest in the world. That is why the country has many ancient cities, which are well preserved and have become places really worth seeing. Since time immemorial, China has been considered a "Celestial Empire" where divine and mortal beings live together. And Chinese culture is the only culture in the world that has a continuous recorded history of over 5,000 years. Accordingly, even today there are countless ancient cities, some of which are really very well preserved. These historical sites are now some of the most fascinating and must-see attractions in the entire country. Which of these great cities you definitely have to see once in your life, we tell you here. Daxu The small town of Daxu has located 20 km from Guilin on the Li River. Its history goes back over 2,000 years. It was once the terminus of the southern Silk Roads and flourished in the Middle Ages due to trade. Today you can still admire traditional Chinese architecture. Beautiful stone streets, marketplaces, and bridges, as well as ancient buildings that are incredibly well preserved. Pingyao The old city of Pingyao has around 40,000 inhabitants and a 2,700 year old history.…

Have you've ever wondered what an ancient Chinese scholarly person's costume looked like? In this issue, let's follow Hanfu Culture Society and take a look at one of the Chinese traditional costumes, Lanshan (襕衫, lán shān), a Hanfu costume made especially for scholars. [Structure and History] In the history of ancient Chinese traditional costume, there is a kind of long garment that is cut in one piece at the top and bottom (Tongcai, 通裁) and has a Hanglan (横襕, a seam at the Lanshan's knee) at the hem, which is called "Lanshan". Lanshan is based on the ancient Shenyi Zhi (深衣制), with the Shenyi waistline moved down to the hem, and Henglan added near the knee. The system of the upper Yi and lower Chang was followed in ancient times, and the ritual system was made to symbolize the ancient people's respect for the world and the construction of order. Lanshan began to appear in the Northern dynasty and developed and became more standardized in the Tang dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, it absorbed the northern dynasty costume system and changed the collar shape from cross collar to round collar and the sleeve style from big sleeves to narrow sleeves.…

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…

The spread of culture is never an overnight process. As a traditional Chinese dress,  traditional Hanfu carries the spiritual pursuit and value orientation of the Chinese people. The appearance of traditional Hanfu in China Fashion Week is a major breakthrough in the culture of Hanfu, representing not only the attention of the Chinese audience, but also the hope to show the beauty of Hanfu to the world. At this year's China Fashion Week, Chu He Ting Xiang (楚和听香) has brought their brand-new product series, which combined the elements of Chinese Hanfu clothing with ancient light and shadow effects, handsome men and elegant women dressed in different styles and colors of Hanfu passed by on the stage, with the graceful Chinese gauze sleeves and skirts shimmering like water waves, looked fairy-like in the mix of lights. The show not only showed the beauty of the Hanfu itself, but also the harmonious atmosphere that is created between the multiple sets of Hanfu. Two main styles were on display: the traditional court Hanfu style, and the Han elements combined with Western-style. 1. Traditional court Hanfu style In the courtly style, the hanfu is mainly presented in solid colors. The wide sleeves and placket of…

Pibo (披帛, pī bó), traditional Hanfu shawl, made from light fabric silk, although now the Hanfu enthusiasts accustomed to call it Pibo, but the name "Pibo" actually appeared later, about the late Tang Dynasty, more often it is called Pei (帔, pèi). In earlier Chinese dramas, Pei was once the symbol of "Chinese ancient costume" with its elegant and beautiful features. In the wardrobe of ancient women, Pei has always been very distinctive and not to be ignored part, wrapped between the arms or draped over the shoulders and neck. Also in Chinese wedding customs, there is "Fengguan Xiapei (凤冠霞帔)", different eras of Pei also have different styles. So how has Pei changed over its long history, and what role has it played? Follow along with Dongfang Zhuangdao to find out more. Traditional Hanfu Shawl Pei before the Song Dynasty Pei, a long silk shawl worn by women in ancient times, is thought to have originated during the Qin and Han dynasties, the more accepted theory is that it was influenced by Buddhism and Metaphysics and originated from the Dajin (搭巾) worn by figures in statues. Since the beginning of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, in the context of ethnic…

On November 14, the 8th Chinese Li Yue Conference (中华礼乐大会) was held in Hengdian Film and TV City, China. More than a thousand Hanfu enthusiasts dressed in gorgeous Hanfu gathered at the magnificent "Royal Palace" to share the beauty of Chinese Hanfu costumes and the culture of Chinese Rituals. https://youtu.be/SMexBixCqOg The Chinese Li Yue Conference is a traditional Chinese cultural event initiated and organized by Fujian Hanfu Tianxia (福建汉服天下). The Chinese Li Yue Conference has been held in November every year since 2013, in order to inherit and develop the Chinese Li & Yue civilization and promote Chinese traditional culture. Li & Yue (礼乐) form content includes ritual, music. Chinese culture attaches great importance to Li and Yue. Li refers to the various forms of etiquette, while Yue includes music and dance. Li and Yue have had a significant and far-reaching impact on the development of Chinese civilization over thousands of years. The Chinese Li Yue Conference takes the Chinese Li & Yue civilization as the main content of the exhibition, combining various traditional exhibitions, activities focusing on culture in each city, showing the local history and cultural connotation. The number of participants at the Chinese Li Yue Conference has…

Hanfu wedding, which is wearing traditional Chinese clothing: Hanfu, and taking the traditional Chinese wedding system as the prototype. Modern people restore the traditional Chinese wedding, they roughly sum it up as follows The Zhou Hanfu wedding (周制婚礼), represented by the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties. Tang Hanfu wedding (唐制婚礼) represented by Wei, Jin, and Tang Dynasties. Ming Hanfu wedding (明制婚礼) represented by song and Ming Dynasties. The traditional Chinese Hanfu wedding ceremony is generally divided into three parts: pre-wedding ceremony, formal wedding ceremony, and post-wedding ceremony. As we all know, culture is the life of a nation, and etiquette is one of the main signs of all civilized nations and an important window of national culture. As the Chinese nation with a long civilization of 5000 years, attach great importance to marriage. The book of Zhouyi said: Only when there are heaven and earth can there be everything. Only when there is everything can there be men and women. Only when there are men and women can there be couples. Only when there are couples can there be fathers and sons. Only when there are fathers and sons can there be princes and ministers. Only when there are princes and…

Iron is a common small appliance in modern homes, and almost every home has one, but did you know that irons have been in use since 2000 years ago, or even earlier? How did the ancients iron Hanfu?   The Origin of the Ancient Iron The origin of the name "Yundou (熨斗, iron)" is that its image is similar to that of "Big Dipper", and secondly, the shape of the Yundou is like the China ancient cooking utensil "Dou (斗)". In ancient China, the Yundou, also known as "fire Dou", "gold Dou (an iron made of gilding technology, it is not a general folk good)", "Gumu (钴鉧)", its main function is to iron Hanfu clothes, the effect is two: one is to iron out any wrinkled areas of clothing, another effect is to iron the pleats, at where need to be visibly pleated. The first iron was made of stones, pottery, or copper, roasting on the fire, and then pressed on the clothes to iron them. It is said that iron was invented before the end of the Shang Dynasty. King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty was inspired by the fact that irons burned people's hands when they were used,…

Ordinary Tang dynasty women's clothing we are all familiar with, a short blouse, a long skirt, and then shawls, which is often referred to as "Tang Ru", "high-waisted Ruqun" or "shawls Ruqun". And so on with this set of clothing. But what exactly were these garments called in ancient times, and what were the specific wearing sequence? Let's take a look. The basic equipment of daily women's clothing in the Tang Dynasty is: shirt, skirt, and shawls. In addition, depending on the situation, they also included a Beizi, Mofu (陌腹, underwear), shoes and socks, etc. The following is a description of the types of Tang Dynasty women's clothing for daily and the way to match in the four seasons.   Shanzi (衫子, shān zi, shirt) · Ru (襦,rú) Women in the Tang dynasty wore long-sleeved blouses with narrow sleeves and short bodies, now generally called "Ru (襦)", but according to Tang custom it should be called "Shanzi". Various Tang dynasty documents, unearthed clothing records and poetry novels in the costume vocabulary, mention of daily women's clothing, from the early to mid-to-late Tang dynasty, almost all the tops are "Shanzi". Shanzi were very short in length, mostly less than the waist, and…

1. Chinese Sculpture Chinese sculpture is an art form that has been closely linked to Chinese funerary rites since ancient times. Throughout history, the symbolic protection of important tombs or imperial pantheons by means of life-size or large statues can be seen. In addition, small sculptures of objects, characters and productive activities were also buried in the tombs to accompany the deceased in the afterlife. The introduction of Buddhism meant an enrichment of styles and volumes and the appearance of the first religious and monumental sculptures. The most famous funerary statues are the life-size terracotta warriors of Xi'an, guardians of the tomb of the First Emperor. Then there are the large stone statues of the "Spirit Way" leading to the Ming tombs in Beijing, In all these cases (like the Han and Tang tombs of Xi'an and the Ming tombs of Nanjing) there are representations of real or fantastic animals, guardians or solicitous officials. As for the grave goods, the Neolithic finds have shown the oldest Chinese sculpture known to date: small zoomorphic or anthropomorphic bone and wood objects, jade pieces (discs or human and animal figurines). From the Shang onwards, the latter were found in the tombs of princes…