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| Changshan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Above: Men wearingchangshan for Journal of Sinological Studies in 1924.Below:Lu Xun wearing changshan. | |||||||
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| Chinese | 長衫 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Long shirt | ||||||
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| Changpao | |||||||
| Chinese | 長袍 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Long robe | ||||||
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| Dagua | |||||||
| Chinese | 大褂 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Great jacket | ||||||
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Changshan (Chinese:長衫;pinyin:chángshān;lit. 'long shirt';[ʈʂʰǎŋʂán] ⓘ), also known aschangpao (Chinese:長袍;pinyin:chángpáo;lit. 'Long robe'), anddagua (Chinese:大褂;pinyin:Dàguà;lit. 'Great jacket'), is a form ofpaofu, Chinese robe, which was derived from theQing dynastyqizhuang, the traditional dress of theManchu people, which were worn by Manchu men.[1]: 129 Thechangshan was actually developed by theHan Chinese through the modification of their ownMing dynasty'sHanfu by adopting some Manchu men's clothing elements in one of theirHanfuchangshan.[1]: 129 In function, thechangshan is considered the male equivalent of the women'scheongsam (also known asqipao). Thechangshan was often worn by men with amagua, also commonly translated as "riding jacket" in English language.
The termchangshan is composed of two Chinese characters:chang《長》which can literally be translated as "long" in length andshan《衫》, which literally means "shirt". The termchangpao is also composed of the Chinese characterchang and the Chinesepao《袍》, which is literally means "robe". As general terms used in the broad sense, thechangshan andchangpao can refer to any form of long shirt and long robes respectively.
TheMandarin Chinese wordchangshan is cognate with theCantonese termCheongsam (長衫). This was then borrowed into English as "cheongsam."
Unlike the Mandarin term, however, thechèuhngsàam can refer to both male and female garments. InHong Kong the term is frequently used to refer to the female garment,cheongsam, rather than the male garmentchangshan.
Because of the long British presence inHong Kong, that local usage has become reflected in the meaning ofcheongsam in English, which refers exclusively to the female garment.
What is now known as the Chinesechangshan was developed by the Han Chinese during theQing dynasty.[1]: 129 The Qing dynasty Chinesechangshan started to be worn by the Han Chinese after the Manchu conquest.[1]: 129 The Chinesechangshan was actually a modified version of thechangshan worn in theMing dynasty (1368–1644 AD), the preceding dynasty before the Qing dynasty,[1]: 129 and was modelled after the Manchu's men'schangpao.[2]
Manchu men wore a type ofchangpao which reflected its equestrian origins,[3] which was originally designed for horseback riding, known asneitao, which was characterized by two pair of slits (one slit on each side, one slit on the back, and one slit on the front) which increased ease of movement when mounting and dismounting horses, apianjin collar (a collar which curved like the alphabet《S》), and the sleeve cuffs known asmatixiu (Chinese:马蹄袖;pinyin:mǎtíxiù;lit. 'horse hoof cuff').[1]: 27
The Han Chinese thus adopted certain Manchu elements when modifying their Ming dynastychangshan, such as by slimming theirchangshan, by adopting thepianjin collar of the Manchu, and by using buttons and loops at the neck and sides.[1]: 129 Despite the shared similarities with Manchu'sneitao, the Chinesechangshan differed structurally from the Manchu'sneitao. The Chinesechangshan only has two slits on the sides lacking the central front and back slits and lacked the presence of thematixiu cuffs; the sleeves were also longer than the ones found in theneitao.[1]: 129
The precursors of both thechangshan and theqipao were introduced to China during theQing dynasty (17th–20th centuries). TheManchus in 1636 ordered that allHan Chinese should adopt the Manchu's hairstyle as well as their attire of dress or face harsh punishment including death penalty. However, by the time of theQianlong Emperor, however, the adoption of Manchu clothing dressing code was only required to the scholar-official elites and did not apply to the entire male population.[3] The court dress of the Qing dynasty also had to follow the attire of the Manchu people;[3] however, commoner Han men and women were still allowed to wear thehanfu under some circumstances and/or if they fell under the exemptions of the Tifayifu policy. The order of wearing Manchu's hairstyle however still remained as a fundamental rule for all Chinese men.[3]
Over time, the commoner Han men adopted thechangshan while Han women continued to the wear the hanfu predominantly in the style ofaoqun. The traditional ChineseHanfu-style of clothing for men was gradually replaced. Over time, the Manchu-style of male dress gained popularity among Han men.[3]
Changshan was considered formal dress for Chinese men before Western-stylesuits were widely adopted in China. The malechangshan could be worn under a western overcoat, and topped with a fedora and scarf. This combination expressed anEast Asian modernity in the early 20th century.
The 1949Communist Revolution replaced the wearing ofchangshan and other traditional clothing with theZhongshan suit.Shanghainese emigrants and refugees carried the fashion toHong Kong, where it remained popular, but over time it was overtaken by western fashions. After the 1970s, Shanghai and elsewhere inmainland China, many people have revived wearing the Shanghainesechangshan.
Changshan are traditionally worn for formal pictures, weddings, and other formal Chinese events. A blackchangshan, along with a rounded black hat, was, and sometimes still is, the burial attire for Chinese men.Changshan are not often worn today[update] in mainland China, except during traditional Chinese celebrations but, with the revival of some traditional clothing in urban mainland China, the Shanghainese style functions as a stylish party dress (cf.Mao suit).
