For a century now, western culture has dominated Asia: the suit and tie, and other such “modern” forms of dress have been adopted wholesale in Asian cultures. Western pop and business culture generally has been the norm for aspirational Asians.
So. In the last decade or so, Western travellers in India, and subcontinental minority populations in the UK especially, have introduced Indian modes of dress, body adornment (nose rings and bhindis in particular) into the majority culture. Bollywood films have moved closer to the mainstream. Wonder of wonders, even the Welsh are finally accepting sushi. Only twenty years after everyone else!
So, it’s interesting to read this ATOL article about the Chinese majority group, the Han, starting to reclaim hanfu, the traditional fashions of the last period of traditional Chinese culture, the Ming dynasty. As Chinese affluence grows, I think this was inevitable; the Chinese have so much to be proud of in their history and culture.
Prediction: in ten years’ time, people in the US and UK will be wearing hanfu.
That IS good news!
I wonder if you’ve noticed, but in Singapore, it’s actually considered old-fashioned to wear traditional garb. Even on Chinese New Year, “new clothes” no longer means new hanfus, qipaos or cheongsams, but just new “western” clothes instead. They are often described as uncomfortable, fussy and garish.
Coming from a mixed-asian parentage, I wonder (and worry) if the traditional costumes of the Chinese heritage will die out in the decades to come, only to be put up for exhibitions in local museums as a “cultural enrichment campaign” or something. That would be sad.
Yes, I’ve noticed and I think it’s a pity. There’s a story I could tell you about when I first came to Singapore, and wore a qipao (that’s the men’s robe, right?) on New Year, but I’ll save that for another day.
Anyway, you might find this interesting – it’s the site of the people promoting hanfu:
http://www.hanfu.org/
Hee, that sounded like fun. How did you find it, did you think it was too hot for our tropical weather?
The Qipao is pretty much unisex, but don’t quote me on that. Or it might also be a more generic term. Primarily, ladies wear qipaos of a different cut than men, with a more feminine collar & detailing. My only assurance that qipaos are also for boys comes from the memory of running around in a brocade red and gold “boy” qipao at one New Year gathering, haha.
In a way, its like the Malay “Baju Kurung”, where the term is used for both Male and Female versions. I have a shitload of those, excuse my language, as it’s customary to pick a new color every Hari Raya.
Thanks for the link!
No, I didn’t find it hot at all, to be honest. I found it amazing: all night, in the place where I was at a party and , later, walking home via the MRT, people would approach me to wish me happy new year and shake my hand. Everyone from waiters, bar staff, hotel guests, and random people from the new year crowds in the street. It was an incredible experience, and a real welcome to Singapore.
[...] eventually lead to world fashions being set in Asia and going West for a long time, most recently here (which is still getting a lot of hits). So, I’m always interested to see other posts on the [...]