Chinese Women's Fashion: Traditional Ethnic Costumes 56 Ethnic Groups China has 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, the largest--the Han majority--comprises 91.9 percent of China's more than 1.3 billion people. Naturally, the differences among them--such as language, livelihood, religious beliefs, and cultural practices as well as the terrain and climate where they live--have been reflected in their costumes and fashion. The Shanghai Museum's Chinese Ethnic Minorities Arts and Crafts Gallery shows the variety of costumes worn in different dynastic eras and into the 20th Century in a representative sample from the various ethnic groups. Many of the costumes incorporate worked metal, lacquer, and even pottery. Fashion and costumes worn by those from colder areas were naturally heavier and darker colored. Similarly those in warmer areas were of lighter colors and textures. Ethnic influence in fashion Different techniques of weaving, dyeing, and embroidery were used in different parts of the country by distinct ethnic groups. The popular curved front over-flap fastening on the right shoulder (see photo, right) with loops and toggles in the Manchu tradition, was generally adopted for Han Chinese clothing by the 19th century. Similarly, the use of contrasting borders on all Manchu garments after the mid-18th century was a distinctly Chinese fashion, as was the use of wide sleeves ending with turned-back inner facings. Both were preferred in Manchu women's garments in the 19th century and both were adaptations based on Han Chinese styles. Defining Ethnic Groups After the communist revolution in China, social scientists were appointed by the new government to classify the various ethnics groups in the country. Influenced by the Soviet Union's thinking that ethnic groups could be identified based on common language and history, 56 groups were defined without reference to other criteria. However, the results were somewhat artificial, especially in more remote areas where ethnic identity varied from village to village and from valley to valley across the wide express of China, especially in hilly, less populated regions. Villages who considered themselves of very different identities with different cultural practices and histories were lumped under the same ethnic name. The Zhuang ethnic group--the second largest group with 18 million population--is one such example; the ethnic group largely served as a catch-all collection of various hill villages in Guangxi province.
Chinese Women's Fashion: Traditional Ethnic Costumes...
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