Ruqun

{{Short description|Hanfu set of attire}} {{italictitle}} {{Infobox Chinese | title = ''Ruqun'' | pic = 200px | piccap = A Chinese lady wearing an ''aoqun'', a style of ''ruqun'' popular among Chinese women during the Ming dynasty. | picupright = 0.45 | s = {{lang|zh|襦裙}} | t = {{lang|zh|襦裙}} | p = rúqún | j = jyu4 kwan4 | poj = | l = Jacket and skirt | order = | pic2 = | piccap2 = | romanization =

| altname = | hangul = 유군 | rr = yugun | hanja = 襦裙 }}

'''{{tlit|zh|Ruqun}}''' ({{Lang-zh|c=襦裙}}) is a set of historical Han Chinese clothing which consists of a short jacket typically called {{zhp|c=襦|p=rú}} worn under a long Chinese skirt called {{zhp|c=裙|p=qún}}.<ref name="auto789">{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xinyi |last2=Colbert |first2=François |last3=Legoux |first3=Renaud |date=2020 |title=From Niche Interest to Fashion Trend: Hanfu Clothing as a Rising Industry in China |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/94841c5430526c8b27950e1e941835fe/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=26212 |journal=International Journal of Arts Management |language=en |volume=23 |issue=1 |access-date=1 February 2021}}</ref> It has also become a general term to describe {{tlit|zh|hanfu}} which consists of a separated upper garment and a wrap-around lower skirt, replacing the generic term {{zhp|c=衣裳|p='''yīcháng'''}}.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|last=Fang|first=Zhou|date=2019|title=On the Differences between the "Paofu" and "Ruqun" Types of Men's Costumes in the Cave Murals of Dunhuang--《Dunhuang Research》2019年05期|url=https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-DHYJ201905016.htm|access-date=2021-03-12|website=en.cnki.com.cn}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Hua |first=Mei |title=Chinese clothing |date=2011 |isbn=978-0-521-18689-6 |edition=Updated |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |oclc=781020660}}</ref>{{Rp|page=27}}<ref name=":14">{{Cite journal|last=Wang|first=Anita Xiaoming|date=2018|title=The Idealised Lives of Women: Visions of Beauty in Chinese Popular Prints of the Qing Dynasty|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26585538|journal=Arts Asiatiques|volume=73|pages=61–80|doi=10.3406/arasi.2018.1993|jstor=26585538|issn=0004-3958|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In this sense, {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} can include the {{zhp|p='''shanqun'''|c=衫裙}} and {{zhp|p='''aoqun'''|s=袄裙|t=襖裙}} in its definition.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Finnane |first=Antonia |title=Changing clothes in China : fashion, history, nation |date=2008 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-14350-9 |location=New York |oclc=84903948}}</ref>{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |title=Styling Shanghai |date=2020 |others=Christopher Breward, Juliette MacDonald |isbn=978-1-350-05116-4 |location=London |oclc=1124593626}}</ref>{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}}<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":17">{{Cite web|date=2020|title=The Most Classic Hanfu of All Time - 2021|url=https://www.newhanfu.com/525.html|access-date=2021-04-10|website=www.newhanfu.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

The {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} was worn by both men and women;<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} it was however primarily worn by women.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Birmingham Museum of Art|title=QUICK GUIDE TO HAN DYNASTY CLOTHING|url=https://www.artsbma.org/guide/stop/538/|access-date=2021-04-10|website=www.artsbma.org}}</ref> It is the traditional Chinese attire for women.<ref name=":15">{{Cite journal|last=Zeng|first=Yao|date=2011|title=Chinese influence on western women's dress in American Vogue magazine, 1960-2009|url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3735|journal=LSU Doctoral Dissertations|pages=21|doi=10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.3735 |s2cid=158262842 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The {{tlit|zh|aoqun}} and/or {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} is the most basic set of clothing of Han Chinese women in China and has been an established tradition for thousands of years.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} Various forms and style of Chinese trousers, referred broadly under the generic term {{tlit|zh|ku}}, can also be worn under the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}.

== Terminology == {{See also|Ru (upper garment)|Garment collars in Hanfu|Qun}}[[File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Ceremonial Usages - pic388 - 青衣裙.svg|thumb|279x279px|Illustration of {{zhp|p=qingyiqun|c=青衣裙}} from the {{tlit|zh|Gujin Tushu Jicheng}}, Qing dynasty.|left]] The generic term {{zhp|c=衣裳|p=yīcháng}} can be applied to any style of clothing consisting of a pair of upper and lower garments. The term {{tlit|zh|yichang}} is composed of {{zhp|p=yī|c=衣|tr=upper garment}} and {{zhp|c=裳|p=cháng|tr=lower garment}}. {{zhp|c=裳|p=Cháng}} can refer to either the skirt, {{tlit|zh|qun}}, or the trousers, {{tlit|zh|ku/kun}}.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} The character {{tlit|zh|yi}} is also a generic word for "clothing".<ref name=":23">{{Cite book |title=Legal practice in the formative stages of the Chinese empire : an annotated translation of the exemplary Qin criminal cases from the Yuelu Academy collection |date=2016 |others=Thies Staack, Ulrich Lau, Yuelu shu yuan |isbn=978-90-04-31565-5 |location=Leiden |pages=219 |oclc=940958336}}</ref> Therefore, the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}, {{tlit|zh|aoqun}}, {{tlit|zh|shanqun}}, as well as the wedding dress called {{tlit|zh|qungua}}, all belong to the category of {{tlit|zh|yichang}} as a broad term.

The term {{zhp|c=襦裙|p=rúqún}} is composed of two Chinese characters: {{zhp|c=襦|p=rú|tr=jacket}} and {{zhp|c=裙|p=qún|tr=skirt}}; thus {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} can literally be translated as "jacket skirt". However, {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} is a fluid term in both original texts and in secondary sources, as different regions may use different terms to describe the same clothing.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}} When used as a broad term, {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} refers to a set of attire which consists of a separate upper garment and a {{tlit|zh|qun}} skirt as a lower garment.<ref name=":8" /> As a specific term, {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} refer to a specific style of wearing a short upper garment called {{zhp|c=襦|p=rú}} under a long skirt called {{zhp|c=裙|p=qún}}.<ref name="auto789" /> The word {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} has also sometimes been used as a synonym for other clothing items such as {{zhp|c=衫|p=shān}} and {{zhp|c=|s=袄|t=襖|p=ǎo}}.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}<ref name=":19">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Shizhen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opIFEAAAQBAJ&q=shan+%E8%A1%AB+shirt&pg=PA65 |title=Ben cao gang mu : 16th century Chinese encyclopedia of materia medica and natural history : the complete Chinese text |date=2021 |publisher=Univ of California Press, 2021 |others=Paul U. Unschuld |isbn=978-0-520-37989-3 |location=Oakland, California |pages=65 |oclc=1196241770}}</ref> The {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} can also be a short jacket with either short or long sleeves.<ref name=":23" /> In addition, the term {{zhp|p=changru|c=长襦|l=long {{tlit|zh|ru}}}} also appear in texts and has been described as the precursor of the long jacket {{tlit|zh|chang ao}} ("long jacket") by scholars.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}thumb|376x376px|Modern illustration of two traditional forms of {{zhp|c=襦裙|p=ruqun}}, a type of Han Chinese clothing worn primarily by women.|center The term {{zhp|s=袄裙|t=襖裙|p=ǎoqún}} typically refers to a specific way of wearing the {{tlit|zh|ao}} over the lower garment, {{tlit|zh|qun}}.<ref name="auto789" /> The Chinese character {{Linktext|lang=zh|襖}} appears in a Sui dynasty rime dictionary called {{tlit|zh|Qieyun}}, published in 601 AD, and can be translated as "padded coat", but it can also refer to a lined upper garment.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Michael C. |title=Textiles and clothing of Viet Nam : a history |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-4766-6332-6 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |oclc=933520702}}</ref>{{Rp|page=52|pages=}} The ''Xinhua Dictionary'' defines {{tlit|zh|ao}} as a general term referring to an "upper garment with multiple layers". As such, it is a thick piece of clothing worn mostly during cold seasons. Usually, the {{tlit|zh|ao}} is worn outside of the lower garment, which is often a skirt, especially the {{tlit|zh|mamianqun}}.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=管理员 |script-title=zh:袄裙和襦裙的区别，可不只是在于名字！ |url=https://www.youlvte.net/guzhuanghanfu/hanfufushi/51.html |access-date=2021-08-30 |website=优旅特 |publisher=汉服文化知识}}</ref> [[File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Ceremonial Usages - pic478 - 衫.png|thumb|Illustration of a {{zhp|c=衫|p=shān}} from the {{tlit|zh|Gujin Tushu Jicheng}}, Qing dynasty.|left]] The term {{zhp|c=衫裙|p=shānqún}}, sometimes literally translated as "unlined upper garment and skirt" in English,<ref name=":44">{{Cite book |title=5000 years of Chinese costumes |date=1987 |publisher=China Books & Periodicals |others=Xun Zhou, Chunming Gao, 周汛, Shanghai Shi xi qu xue xiao. Zhongguo fu zhuang shi yan jiu zu |isbn=0-8351-1822-3 |location=San Francisco, CA |pages= |oclc=19814728}}</ref>{{Rp|page=62}}<ref name=":63">{{Cite book |last1=Zhou |first1=Xun |title=Zhongguo fu shi wu qian nian |last2=Gao |first2=Chunming |last3=Zhou |first3=Zuyi |last4=Jin |first4=Baoyuan |publisher=Shang wu yin shu guan Xianggang fen guan [商務印書館香港分館學林出版社] |others=上海市戲曲學校中國服裝史硏究組編著 |location=Hongkong |language=zh |script-title=zh:中國服飾五千年 |trans-title=5000 years of Chinese costumes |oclc=973669827}}</ref>{{Rp|page=62}} is also type of clothing style where the upper garment called {{tlit|zh|shan}} is generally worn over the lower garment, {{tlit|zh|qun}}. The ''Xinhua Dictionary'' defines {{tlit|zh|shan}} as a general term referring to an "upper garment with a single layer". The Jin dynasty book {{zhp|c=古今注|p=Gujinzhu}} states that women had been wearing one-piece clothing that has the upper and lower garments connected together since the time of the Yellow Emperor, until the Qin dynasty, when {{tlit|zh|shan}} was invented.

Historically, the {{tlit|zh|shan}} comes in as varying styles, shapes and lengths, and is usually worn outside of the lower garment. However, there are also cases where the {{tlit|zh|shan}} is worn under the lower garment, as during the Jin dynasty.<ref name=":22" /> A form of {{tlit|zh|shan}} which appeared in the Han and Wei period was a new type of gown which had equal front pieces which were straight, called {{tlit|zh|duijin}}, instead of {{tlit|zh|jiaoling}} collar and was fastened with a string; it was also a form of unlined upper garment with straight sleeves and wide cuffs.<ref name=":24">{{Cite book |last=The University of California |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EyGAAAAIAAJ&q=shan |script-title=zh:中國文學 Issues 379-382 |publisher=Foreign Languages Press |year=1997 |pages=177}}</ref> This {{tlit|zh|shan}} was worn by men and women and became popular as it was more convenient for wearing.<ref name=":24" />

In addition, the term {{tlit|zh|shanqun}} is sometimes used interchangeably with {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} to refer to short upper garment worn on skirt.<ref name=":17" /> The term {{tlit|zh|shan}} can also refer to long garments.<ref name=":19" />

Of note of importance, the term {{tlit|zh|yichang}} is not only used to describe the specific types of {{tlit|zh|Hanfu}}, but also modern western clothing styles consisting of separate top and bottom garments as well.

== Cultural significance ==

=== Heaven and Earth symbolism === In traditional Chinese culture, the symbolism of two-pieces garments hold great importance as it symbolizes the greater order of Heaven and Earth.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=12}} In the {{zhp|p=Yi Jing|c=易經}}, upper garment represents Heaven ({{tlit|zh|Qian}}) while the lower garment represents the Earth ({{tlit|zh|Kun}}).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The complete I ching : the definitive translation|date=2010|publisher=Inner Traditions|others=Alfred Huang|isbn=978-1-59477-886-5|edition=10th|location=Rochester, Vt.|oclc=725228353}}</ref> It is also why the {{tlit|zh|mianfu}} (and the {{tlit|zh|yichang}} in the {{tlit|zh|Yi Jing}}) has a black upper garment and typically a red (or yellow<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Feng |first=Ge |title=Traditional Chinese rites and rituals |date=2015 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |others=Zhengming Du |isbn=978-1-4438-8783-0 |location=Newcastle upon Tyne |oclc=935642485}}</ref>{{Rp|page=15}}<ref name=":29">{{Cite book|last=Min|first=Jianshu|title=Chinese leadership wisdom from the Book of Change|date=2006|publisher=The Chinese University Press|isbn=978-988-237-791-2|location=Hong Kong|pages=97–98|oclc=646952654}}</ref>) lower garment which symbolized the order between Heaven and earth and should never be confused.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012 |title=Ancient Chinese Royal Ceremonial Wear |url=http://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/a1/a-X9YI0G23E1606134A28FD0 |access-date=2022-02-13 |website=english.visitbeijing.com.cn}}</ref> According to the {{zhp|c=五行|p=Wuxing}}, black symbolized the colour of the sky, which was dark before dawn,<ref name=":11" />{{Rp|page=15}} while the colour yellow represented the earth.<ref name=":29" />

The order between Heaven and Earth can also translate into clothing length differences between men and women. For example, in 1537, in an attempt to reverse the trend in the late Ming when women clothing was gradually getting longer, Huo Tao, a Ming dynasty Minister of Rites, expressed:<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}}

{{Blockquote|text=Men's and women's styles differ in length. A woman's upper garment is level with her waist, her lower garment meets with the top: earth supports heaven. A man's upper garment covers his lower garments: heaven embraces earth. When a woman's {{bracket|upper}} garment covers her lower garments, there is confusion between male and female.}}

==== {{tlit|zh|Shangjian xiafeng}} ==== The silhouette of {{tlit|zh|yichang}} can also be made into {{zhp|c=上俭下丰|l=top is frugal, bottom is rich|p=shàngjiǎn xiàfēng}},<ref name=":27">{{Cite journal|last1=崔晓旋|last2=玲|first2=张|date=2021|script-title=zh:金明两代"裙撑"文化考议|url=http://qk.fsdk.net.cn/ch/reader/view_abstract.aspx?file_no=20210403|script-journal=zh:服饰导刊|language=zh|volume=10|issue=4|pages=10–16}}</ref> which looks like an A-line silhouette. The {{tlit|zh|shangjian xiafeng}} was a trend in the Wei, Jin, Northern, Southern dynasties.<ref name=":30">{{Cite book|last=Yu|first=Xianrong|title=Proceedings of the 2018 International Conference on Sports, Arts, Education and Management Engineering (SAEME 2018)|date=2018|chapter=An Overview of the Development of Chinese Embroidered Clothing in the Past Dynasties|chapter-url=https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/saeme-18/25899351|language=en|publisher=Atlantis Press|pages=175–180|doi=10.2991/saeme-18.2018.32|isbn=978-94-6252-539-9}}</ref><ref name=":31">{{Cite web|script-title=zh:搜神记 : 第七卷 - Chinese Text Project|url=https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=en&chapter=749239&searchu=%E4%B8%8A%E4%BF%AD%E4%B8%8B%E4%B8%B0&remap=gb|access-date=2022-02-13|website=ctext.org|language=en}}</ref> However, during the Ming dynasty, {{tlit|zh|shangjian xiafeng}} silhouette created with the use of {{tlit|zh|maweiqun}} reflected an inversion of "Heaven and Earth order".<ref name=":27" /> The {{zhp|p=Shuyuan zaji|c=椒园杂记}} refers to the {{tlit|zh|maweiqun}} as being {{zhp|p=fuyao|c=服妖}}; the {{tlit|zh|maweiqun}} was eventually banned in the early Hongzhi era (1487–1505) according to Lu Rong.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web|script-title=zh:菽园杂记 - 中国哲学书电子化计划|url=https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&res=685220&searchu=%E6%9C%8D%E5%A6%96&remap=gb|access-date=2022-02-12|website=ctext.org|language=zh-CN}}</ref>

{{tlit|zh|Fuyao}} is a general term with negative connotation which is employed for what is considered as being strange clothing style,<ref name=":04">{{Cite book|last=Yuan.|first=Zujie|title=Dressing the state, dressing the society : ritual, morality, and conspicuous consumption in Ming Dynasty China|date=2004|publisher=UMI Dissertation services|pages=174–175, 187|oclc=491286822}}</ref> or for deviant dressing styles,<ref name=":42">{{Cite book|last=Tian|first=Xiaofei|title=Visionary journeys : travel writings from early medieval and nineteenth-century China|date=2011|isbn=978-1-68417-062-3|location=Cambridge, Mass.|pages=185|oclc=956317841}}</ref> or for aberrance in clothing.<ref name=":42" /> Clothing which was considered ''{{tlit|zh|fuyao}}'' typically (i) violated ritual norms and clothing regulations, (ii) were extravagant and luxurious form of clothing, (iii) violated the yin and yang principle, and (iv) were strange and inauspicious form of clothing.<ref name=":04" />

== History == {{Multiple image | direction = horizontal | total_width = 400 | image1 = Yellowemperor.jpg | image2 = EmperorYao.jpg | image3 = EmperorShun.jpg | footer = From left to right: Huangdi, Emperor Yao, and Emperor Shun, all wearing a yichang, mural painting, Han dynasty. }} As a set of attired consisting of an upper garment and a skirt; the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} is the eldest type of {{tlit|zh|hanfu}}.<ref name=":20" /> According to the chapter {{tlit|zh|Xi Ci Xia}}《{{Linktext|系辞下}}》 of the {{tlit|zh|Yi Jing}}, the {{{tlit|zh|ruqun}} was worn in Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period by the legendary Yellow Emperor, Emperor Shun, and Emperor Yao who wore it in the form of the {{zhp|p=yichang|c=衣裳}}:<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Book of Changes: Xi Ci II - Chinese Text Project|url=https://ctext.org/book-of-changes/xi-ci-xia/ens|access-date=2021-03-12|website=ctext.org|language=en}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=Hence it was that these (sovereigns) were helped by Heaven; they had good fortune, and their every movement was advantageous. Huang Di, Yao, and Shun (simply) wore their {{bracket|{{zhp|p=yichang|c=衣裳}}}} (as patterns to the people), and good order was secured all under heaven.}}

=== Shang dynasty === [[File:Statuette of a Standing Dignitary, China, Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BC, nephrite - Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University - DSC00742.jpg|thumb|242x242px|A standing dignitary wearing {{tlit|zh|yichang}} with a {{tlit|zh|bixi}}, Shang dynasty.]] In Shang dynasty, the basic form of {{tlit|zh|hanfu}} was established as the combination of a separate upper and lower garment worn together;<ref name=":20">{{Cite book|last=Zhao|first=Yin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwdaAgAAQBAJ&dq=shang%20dynasty%20skirt&pg=PT158|title=Snapshots of Chinese culture|date=2014|publisher=Bridge21 Publications|others=Xinzhi Cai|isbn=978-1-62643-003-7|location=Los Angeles|oclc=912499249}}</ref><ref name=":11" />{{Rp|page=15}} which was known as {{zhp|p=yichang|c=衣裳}}.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}}<ref name=":2" /> In this period, the {{tlit|zh|yichang}} was a unisex set of attire.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Lüsted |first=Marcia Amidon |url=http://rosenlearningcenter.com/article/964/login?username=sorfacjcpl&password=sorfacjcpl |title=Ancient Chinese daily life |publisher=New York : Rosen Publishing |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4777-8889-9 |edition=1 |location=New York |pages=22 |oclc=957525459}}</ref>{{Rp|page=|pages=14–22}} The {{tlit|zh|yichang}} consisted of a narrow, ankle length skirt called {{zhp|c=裳|p=chang}} and the upper garment called {{zhp|p=yi|c=衣}}, in shape of a knee-length tunic with narrow cuffs; the {{tlit|zh|yi}} was tied with a sash<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Lawrence R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kIoTEAAAQBAJ&q=%22skirt%22+shang+dynasty&pg=PA173 |title=Historical dictionary of Chinese culture |date=2021 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |others=Nancy Liu-Sullivan |isbn=978-1-5381-4604-0 |location=Lanham, Maryland |pages=173 |oclc=1233321993}}</ref><ref name=":03" />{{Rp|page=|pages=14–22}} and could be {{tlit|zh|jiaoling youren}}.<ref name=":2" /> The {{tlit|zh|yichang}} as a set of attire featured the wearing of {{tlit|zh|yi}} over the {{tlit|zh|chang}}.<ref name=":03" />{{Rp|page=22|pages=}}

=== Zhou dynasty === The Zhou dynasty, people continued to wear the {{tlit|zh|yichang}}. The {{tlit|zh|yichang}} was similar to the one worn in the Shang dynasty period; however the Zhou-dynasty style {{tlit|zh|yichang}} was slightly looser and the sleeves could either be broad or narrow.<ref name=":16" /> The {{tlit|zh|yi}} was {{tlit|zh|jiaoling youren}} and a sash was used around the waist to tie it closed.<ref name=":16" /> The length of the {{tlit|zh|chang}}, could also vary from knee to ground length.<ref name=":16" /> In the Western Zhou dynasty, it was popular to wear {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} as a set of attire consisting of a jacket and skirt.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wang |first=Ningning |title=A history of ancient Chinese music and dance |date=2019 |others=Zhengshuan Li, Xin Wang, Yundi Gao |isbn=978-1-63181-634-5 |location=Salt Lake City. UT |oclc=1285973778}}</ref>{{Rp|page=139|pages=}}<ref name=":52">{{cite journal |last1=Lullo |first1=Sheri A. |date=September 2019 |title=Trailing Locks and Flowing Robes: Dimensions of Beauty during China's Han dynasty (206 bc – ad 220) |url=https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/cost.2019.0122 |journal=Costume |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=231–255 |doi=10.3366/cost.2019.0122 |access-date=3 February 2021 |s2cid=204710548|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==== Spring and Autumn period, and Warring States period ==== {{Multiple image | total_width = 300 | image1 = Two Tone Set-bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng (10166484333).jpg | image2 = Pair of shamans or attendants, Chu culture, Jiangling, Hubei province, China, Warring States period, 4th-3rd century BC, wood, cinnabar, black lacquer - Portland Art Museum - Portland, Oregon - DSC08570.jpg | caption1 = Man wearing shanqun (or ruqun) featured in the bronze armed warrior holding up chime bells. | caption2 = Pair of shamans or attendants, Chu culture, Warring States period, 4th-3rd century BC, Portland Art Museum, Oregon. }}

The {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} as a set of attire was also worn by men and women during the Warring States period.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Yang |first=Shaorong |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nx5JDiacrH4C&q=skirt%20liao%20dynasty&pg=PA5 |title=Traditional Chinese clothing : costumes, adornments & culture |date=2004 |publisher=Long River Press |isbn=1-59265-019-8 |edition=1 |location=San Francisco |pages= |oclc=52775158}}</ref>{{Rp|page=4|pages=}} Elites women in the Warring States period also wore a blouse or a jacket, which was fastened to the right to form a V-shaped collar and was waist-length, along with a long full skirt.<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}} The women's blouse tended to have relatively straight and narrow sleeves.<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}} During the Warring States period and the Spring and Autumn period, the clothing known as {{tlit|zh|shenyi}}, which combined the upper and lower garment into a one-piece robe was also developed.

=== Qin and Han dynasty === Even though the clothing of the Warring states period were old, they continued to be worn in Qin and Han dynasties, this included the wearing of cross-collared blouse and skirts.<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}}

The {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} as a set of attire was worn by both elite and ordinary women.<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}} Ordinary women during the Han dynasty wore the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} with the jacket being covered by the {{tlit|zh|qun}}, which came in various colours throughout the year.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=4|pages=}} Ordinary women wore plainer form of {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}; the skirts were typically plain but the sash which was worn around the waist was decorated.<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}}

During the Qin and Han dynasties, women wore skirts which was composed of four pieces cloth sewn together; a belt was often attached to the skirt, but the use of a separate belt was sometimes used by women.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Zang|first1=Yingchun|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m7Qf-bjLfA4C&q=unlined%2520+skirt%2520han%2520+dynasty&pg=PA36|title=Zhongguo chuan tong fu shi|last2=臧迎春.|date=2003|publisher=Wu zhou chuan bo chu ban she|others=李竹润., 王德华., 顾映晨.|isbn=7-5085-0279-5|edition=Di 1 ban|location=Beijing|oclc=55895164}}</ref> The popularity of the jacket and skirt combination briefly declined after the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty, but returned into fashion in the Jin and Northern Wei dynasties and continued to be worn until the Qing dynasty.<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|page=51|pages=}}

<gallery> File:Funerary Sculpture of a Noble Lady LACMA M.73.48.122.jpg|A noble lady figure, Western Han dynasty, 206 B.C.-A.D. 25. File:Ruqun han.jpg|A Han dynasty painting illustrates women wearing {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}, with blouses tucked into skirts File:Dahuting Eastern Han Tombs Mural - 8.jpg|A woman in ruqun, i.e. a black cross-collar upper garment tucked inside a red skirt, Dahuting Eastern Han Tombs Mural. </gallery>

=== Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties === {{See also|Qixiong ruqun}} During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties, both the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} and the {{tlit|zh|shanqun}} co-existed. The {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} was popular among women during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=周方|last2=服装·艺术设计学院|first2=东华大学|last3=周方|last4=卞向阳|last5=服装·艺术设计学院,上海200051|first5=东华大学|date=2018-07-02|script-title=zh:罗袿徐转红袖扬 ——关于古代袿衣的几个问题|url=https://www.airitilibrary.com/Publication/alDetailedMesh?docid=sichou201806016|journal=丝绸|issue=2018年 06|issn=1001-7003}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Dien |first=Albert E. |title=Six dynasties civilization |date=2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-07404-8 |location=New Haven, Conn. |oclc=72868060}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=312–313}} In the early Six dynasties period, women wore a style of {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} composed of a {{tlit|zh|jiaoling youren}} {{tlit|zh|ru}} and a long {{tlit|zh|qun}}. The jacket worn by commoner women was longer than commoner's men.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=312–313}} {{Multiple image | total_width = 400 | image1 = Three Kingdoms tomb brick3.JPG | image2 = Three Kingdoms tomb brick2.JPG | footer = Women wearing jiaoling ruqun, Three Kingdom period, early Six dynasties period | footer_align = center }}

Elite women in the Wei and Jin dynasty wore the combination of a wide-cuffed, V-shaped, unlined blouse, which was made of pattern fabric and was lined at the neck with a decorative strip of cloth, a long skirt which came in different styles, and apron.<ref name=":10" />{{Rp|page=52|pages=}} However, in the early Six dynasties, most ordinary men did not wear {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} anymore; men, instead wore a set of attire referred as shanku consisting of ku, trousers, under their cross-collared jacket (i.e. ).<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=321–323}} The men's jacket were either hip-length or knee-length.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=321–323}} The jackets can be tied with a belt or with other forms of closure.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=321–323}}

The {{zhp|c=上俭下丰|l=top is frugal, bottom is rich|p=shàngjiǎn xiàfēng}} (similar to A-line silhouette) style was also a trend in the Wei, Jin, Northern, Southern dynasties, where skirts large and loose giving an elegant and unrestrained effect.<ref name=":30" />''<ref name=":31" />''

{{Multiple image | total_width = 400 | image1 = 前秦紫缬襦绯碧裙.jpg | image2 = Western Jin Pottery Female Figure.jpg | footer = From left to right: a) unearthed artifacts of ruqun, Former Qin; jiaoling youren ruqun in the shangjian xiafeng-style: b) Western Jin period (266–316), c) Northern Liang, Sixteen Kingdoms and d) Northern Wei | footer_align = center | image3 = Yanju's tomb, dancer.jpg | caption1 = a | caption2 = b | image5 = | caption3 = c | caption4 = d | image4 = Northern Wei Pottery Female Figure (9930168694).jpg | direction = horizontal | align = center | caption_align = center }}

During the Wei and Jin dynasties, women also wore the {{tlit|zh|shanqun}}, which consisted of a long {{tlit|zh|qun}} and a {{tlit|zh|shan}}, an unlined upper garment.<ref name=":44" />{{Rp|page=62}}<ref name=":63" />{{Rp|page=62}} The {{tlit|zh|shanqun}} found in this period were typically large and loose; the {{tlit|zh|shan}} had a {{tlit|zh|duijin}} front and was tied at the waist.<ref name=":44" />{{Rp|page=62}}<ref name=":63" />{{Rp|page=62}} A {{zhp|s=围裳|t=圍裳|p=wéicháng}}, which looked similar to an apron, was tied between the {{tlit|zh|shan}} and {{tlit|zh|qun}} in order to fasten the waist.<ref name=":44" />{{Rp|page=62}}<ref name=":63" />{{Rp|page=62}} Styles of {{tlit|zh|shanqun}} can be found in the Dunhuang murals where they are worn by the benefactors, in the pottery figurines unearthed in Luoyang, and in the paintings of Gu Kaizhi.<ref name=":44" />{{Rp|page=62}}

{{Multiple image | image1 = Wall-Painting from the Tomb of Ts'ui Fên.jpg | footer_align = center | footer = Styles of shanqun: a) shanqun worn like a jiaoling youren yi with less overlap and worn with a weichang, Northern Qi b) shanqun with banbi, Southern dynasties, c) duijin shanqun with shan worn over qun, Southern dynasties | caption1 = a) | image2 = Southern Dynasties Brick Relief 06.jpg | caption2 = b) | image3 = 南朝滑石女俑.jpg | caption3 = c) | total_width = 400 | align = center | caption_align = center }} {{Multiple image | total_width = 350 | image1 = Northern Dynasties Pottery Female Figure (9832723304).jpg | image2 = Northern Dynasties Pottery Figure (10092052253).jpg | footer = Different styles of ruqun in the Northern and Southern dynasty period a) Qixiong ruqun-style of the Northern dynasties; b) ruqun, Northern dynasties; c) jiaolingruqun with ru under skirt, Northern Qi; d) Ruqun with ru over skirt, Northern Qi | footer_align = center | caption1 = a) | caption2 = b) | image3 = Northern Qi Pottery Figure 33.jpg | caption3 = c) | image4 = Northern Qi Pottery Female Figure (9832836333).jpg | caption4 = d) | caption_align = center }}

At Luoyang during the Northern Wei dynasty, several variety of clothing styles found on female tomb figures were largely derived from the traditional {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}-style set of attire.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=321–323}} One style of {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} was the combination of short jacket (usually belted and tied at the front of the jacket) with wide sleeves which falls to the knee or below knee level with a very high waist, pleated and multicoloured long skirt.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=321–323}} Based on a female tomb figure dating from the Eastern Wei, this form of {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} is jacket worn over skirt.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=321–323}}

A popular form of {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} was the jacket worn under skirt.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=321–323}} The {{tlit|zh|qixiong ruqun}}-style also first appeared in the Northern and Southern dynasties.<ref name=":82">{{Cite web |title=An Analysis of Women's Ruqun in Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties--《Art & Design Research》2017年01期 |url=https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-SHIZ201701008.htm |access-date=2021-05-15 |website=en.cnki.com.cn}}</ref>

=== Sui and Tang dynasties === {{Main|Qixiong ruqun|Tanling ruqun}}

In the Sui dynasty, ordinary men did not wear skirts anymore.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ma|first=Boying|title=History Of Medicine In Chinese Culture, A (In 2 Volumes)|date=2020|isbn=978-981-323-799-5|location=Singapore|pages=40|oclc=1147841857}}</ref> In the late sixth century, women's skirts in the Sui dynasty were characterized with high waistline; this kind of high waistline skirt created a silhouette which looked similar to the Empire dresses of Napoleonic France; however, the construction of the assemble differed from the ones worn in Western countries as Han Chinese women assemble consisted of a separate skirt and upper garment which show low décolletage.<ref name=":33">{{Cite book |last=Steele |first=Valerie |title=China chic : East meets West |date=1999 |publisher=Yale University Press |others=John S. Major |isbn=0-300-07930-3 |location=New Haven |oclc=40135301}}</ref> This trend continued in the early decades of the Tang dynasty when women continued the tend of the Sui and would also wear long, high-waist skirts, low-cut upper garment.<ref name=":33" />

During the Sui and Tang dynasty, women wore the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} in the {{tlit|zh|qixiong ruqun}}-style, where the skirts were tied higher and higher up the waist, until they were eventually tied above the breasts and where short upper garment was worn.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=1|pages=}}<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=5|pages=}}

In addition to the classical {{tlit|zh|jiaoling}} {{tlit|zh|ru}} or {{tlit|zh|shan}} (crossed collar upper garments), {{tlit|zh|duijin}} {{tlit|zh|shan}} (parallel/straight collar upper garments) were also worn in this period, thus exposing the cleavage of the breasts. Some Tang dynasty women skirts had accordion pleats.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last1=Hua|first1=Mei|title=Zhongguo fu shi|last2=华梅|date=2004|publisher=Wu zhou chuan bo chu ban she|isbn=7-5085-0540-9|edition=Di 1 ban|location=Beijing|oclc=60568032}}</ref> Red coloured skirts were popular.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=5|pages=}} There was also a skirt called "Pomegranate skirt" for its red colour, and another skirt called "Turmeric skirt" for its yellow colour.<ref name=":4" />

By the Mid-Tang period (around the 8th century), the low cleavage upper garment fell out of fashion; the female beauty ideology changed favouring plump and voluptuous beauty.<ref name=":33" /> <gallery> File:Sui Painted Pottery Attendant 04.jpg|Woman in qixiong ruqun, Sui dynasty. File:Xian May 2007 115.jpg File:Court ladies pounding silk from a painting (捣练图) by Emperor Huizong.jpg|A Tang dynasty painting illustrates women wearing {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}, with skirts tied above the breasts and short parallel-collar blouses File:Tanghanfu.jpg|Another Tang dynasty painting illustrating {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} File:A palace concert.jpg|A Tang dynasty palace concert wearing {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} File:Gu Hongzhong's Night Revels, Detail 2.jpg File:Zhou Fang. Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses. (46x180) Liaoning Provincial Museum, Shenyang..jpg File:Zhou Fang. Court Ladies Playing Double-sixes. Freer. Detail.jpg File:韋貴妃墓壁畫1.jpg </gallery>

=== Song and Liao dynasties ===

==== Song dynasty ==== Women continued to wear the Tang dynasty's fashion of wearing the upper garment and skirts tied around their breasts until the Song dynasty.<ref name=":21">{{Cite journal|last=Yuan|first=Zujie|date=2007|title=Dressing for power: Rite, costume, and state authority in Ming Dynasty China|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11462-007-0012-x|journal=Frontiers of History in China|volume=2|issue=2|pages=181–212|doi=10.1007/s11462-007-0012-x|s2cid=195069294|issn=1673-3401|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In the Song dynasty, the women's skirts were also lowered from the breast level back to the normal waistline.<ref name=":21" /> Pleated skirts were introduced and became the main feature of the upper-class women.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=5|pages=}} Song-style {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} for women consisted of long narrow skirts and jackets which closed to the right.<ref name=":43">{{Cite journal|last=SHEA|first=Eiren L.|date=2021-12-15|title=Intentional Identities: Liao Women's Dress and Cultural and Political Power|url=https://doi.org/10.22679/AVS.2021.6.2.003|journal=Acta Via Serica|volume=6|issue=2|pages=37–60|doi=10.22679/AVS.2021.6.2.003 }}</ref> These jackets could be worn over the narrow skirts; this form of {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} existed in both the Liao dynasty and Song.<ref name=":43" /> Cross-collared jackets with narrow sleeves could also be worn under a waist-length skirt or under high-waist skirt.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Sun |first=Ming-ju |title=Chinese fashions |date=2002 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=0-486-42053-1 |location=Mineola, N.Y. |oclc=55693573}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=9,11, 14–16}}<gallery> File:Song dynasty women.jpg|Commoner women wearing ruqun, Song dynasty. File:Song dynasty sculpture of maids.JPG|Sculpture of maids wearing ruqun, Song dynasty. </gallery>

==== Liao dynasty ==== {{Main|Fashion in the Yuan dynasty}} In Liao dynasty, the Song-style and the Tang-style clothing (including the {{tlit|zh|qixiong ruqun}}) coexisted together; both Khitan women and Han Chinese women in the Liao wore the Han Chinese style Tang-Song dress.<ref name=":18">{{Cite book |last=Shea |first=Eiren L. |title=Mongol court dress, identity formation, and global exchange |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-429-34065-9 |location=New York, NY |oclc=1139920835}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=74–75}}<ref name=":43" /> Tang-Song style clothing women clothing in Liao also included a long-sleeved, outer jacket with ample sleeves which could cropped or waist-length, was tied with sash in a bow below the breasts to create an empire silhouette.<ref name=":18" />{{Rp|pages=74–75}} The outer jacket could also be worn over floor-length dress which was worn a {{tlit|zh|yaoqun}}, a short over-skirt which looked like an apron, on top.<ref name=":18" />{{Rp|pages=74–75}} In Northern Liao mural tomb depictions, women who are dressed in Han style clothing are depicted in Tang dynasty fashion whereas in the Southern Liao murals, women dressed in Han style clothing are wearing Song-style clothing.<ref name=":43" /><gallery> File:Mural in liao tomb.jpg|Women possibly wearing shanqun (upper garment over skirt) and beizi (Song-style clothing), inner chamber of the Tomb of Zhang Kuangzheng, Liao dynasty. File:Pao-Shan Tomb Wall-Painting of Liao Dynasty (寳山遼墓壁畫：寄錦圗).jpg|Khitan women wearing Tang-style clothing; Baoshan tomb No.2 wall-painting of Liao dynasty. File:KhitanMural.jpg|alt=|Khitan women wearing Song style ruqun. </gallery>

=== Yuan dynasty === {{Main|Fashion in the Yuan dynasty}}

In the Yuan dynasty, the Mongols never imposed Mongol customs on the ethnic Han,<ref name=":45">{{Citation|last=Bulag|first=Uradyn E.|title=East Asia |chapter=Wearing Ethnic Identity: Power of Dress|chapter-url=https://www.bloomsburyfashioncentral.com/products/berg-fashion-library/encyclopedia/berg-encyclopedia-of-world-dress-and-fashion-east-asia/wearing-ethnic-identity-power-of-dress|volume=6|pages=75–80|year=2010|publisher=Oxford: Berg Publishers|doi=10.2752/bewdf/edch6014|isbn=9781847888556|access-date=2021-02-28}}</ref> and they did not force the Han Chinese to wear Mongol clothing.<ref name=":18" />{{Rp|pages=84–86}} Many Han Chinese and other ethnicity readily adopted Mongol clothing in Northern China to show their allegiance to the Yuan rulers; however, in Southern China, Mongol clothing was rarely seen as both men and women continued to dress in Song-style garments.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Watt |first=James C. Y. |title=The world of Khubilai Khan : Chinese art in the Yuan Dynasty |date=2010 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |others=Maxwell K. Hearn, Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-402-6 |location=New York |oclc=606786260}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=82–83}}<ref name=":18" />{{Rp|pages=84–86}} Tang-Song style clothing also continued to be worn in multiple layers by families who showed that they were resisting the rule of the Mongols.<ref name=":18" />{{Rp|pages=84–86}} The Song style dress also continued to persist among the southern elites of the Yuan dynasty and evidence of Song-style clothing was also found in the unearthed tombs in southern China.<ref name=":18" />{{Rp|pages=84–86}}

The casual clothing for men mainly followed the dress code of the Han people and they wore {{tlit|zh|banbi}} as a casual clothing item while ordinary women clothing consisted of {{tlit|zh|banbi}} and {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}.<ref name=":210">{{Cite web|title=Costume in the Yuan Dynasty---ASEAN---China Center|url=http://www.asean-china-center.org/english/2010-05/26/c_13316039.htm|access-date=2021-07-18|website=www.asean-china-center.org}}</ref>

Chinese women also wore cross-collar upper garment which had elbow length sleeves (i.e. cross-collar {{tlit|zh|banbi}}) over a long-sleeved blouse under a skirt; the abbreviated wrap skirts were also popular in Yuan.<ref name=":13" />{{Rp|pages=19–20}} Women jackets closing to the right and closing to the left coexisted in the Yuan dynasty. It was also common for Chinese women in the Yuan dynasty to close their clothing to the left side (instead of the right side).<ref name=":25">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rUvrAAAAMAAJ&q=damao&pg=PA208 |title=The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities Bulletin No.70 |publisher=Östasiatiska museet |year=1998 |pages=208}}</ref>

The way of wearing short-length cross-collar upper garment over long narrow skirt was also a Song-style fashion.<ref name=":43" /> Long cross-collar upper garment (about the knee-length) over a long skirt could also be worn by Chinese elite women.<ref name=":13" />{{Rp|pages=19–20}} The {{tlit|zh|aoqun}} consisting of {{zhp|p=jia ao|c=夹袄}}, a lined jacket, and a long-length {{tlit|zh|qun}} was worn by the Han Chinese women as winter clothing; typically the {{tlit|zh|jia ao}} would be worn over the skirt.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Luozhi Jia ao |script-title=zh:罗质夹袄 |url=http://www.gansumuseum.com/dc/show-439.html |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=www.gansumuseum.com}}</ref> <gallery> File:Figure of a Woman Jin-Yuan dynasty China 13th-14th century stoneware (1349972905).jpg|Figure of a Woman Jin-Yuan dynasty China 13th-14th century. File:Figurines, China, Cizhou ware, Yuan dynasty, 1280-1368 AD, stoneware - Östasiatiska museet, Stockholm - DSC09466.JPG|Ruqun and banbi, Yuan dynasty. The jacket is closing to the left which is a common style for Chinese women in the Yuan dynasty. File:太平風會圖08.jpg|Woman wearing shanqun, Yuan dynasty. File:Fresco in the Hall of King Ming-ying, Hung-t'ung County.jpg|Women depicted in the Fresco in the Hall of King Mingying. Han women wore elbow-length sleeves, cross-collar upper garment over a long-sleeved blouse; the abbreviated skirts were popular in Yuan.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sun|first=Ming-ju|title=Chinese fashions|date=2002|publisher=Dover Publications|isbn=0-486-42053-1|location=Mineola, N.Y.|pages=19|oclc=55693573}}</ref> File:太平風會圖05.jpg|Women wearing Song-style ruqun (jacket over skirt) in the Yuan dynasty, from the painting {{zhi|tr=Street Scenes in Times of Peace|c=太平風會圖}}, Yuan dynasty 14th century. </gallery>

=== Ming dynasty === thumb|347x347px|A woman wearing a jacket (ao) which closes on the left, an atypical feature, Ming dynasty portrait. In terms of appearance, the Ming dynasty {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} (i.e. the short jacket and skirt) was similar to the Song dynasty's {{tlit|zh|ruqun}}.<ref name=":4" /> Compared to the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} worn in the Tang dynasty, the Ming dynasty {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} was more gentle and elegant in style; it was also less lavish and yet less rigid and strict as the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} worn in the Song dynasty.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=|page=42}} One difference from the Song dynasty {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} is the addition of a small short waist skirt which was worn by young maidservants; it is assumed that it was worn as an apron to protect the long skirt under it.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=|page=42}} The short overskirt was called {{tlit|zh|yaoqun}}.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}} Moreover, following the Yuan dynasty, the style of closing the jacket to the left in women's clothing persisted in some geographical areas of the Ming dynasty, or for at least Chinese women who lived in the province of Shanxi.<ref name=":25" /> Ming dynasty portrait paintings showing Chinese women dressing in left lapel jackets appeared to be characteristic of ancestral portraits from the province of Shanxi and most likely in the areas neighbouring the province.<ref name=":25" />

By the Ming dynasty, the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} became the most common form of attire for women. The sleeves of the blouse were mostly curved with a narrow sleeve cuff in a style known as {{zhp|p=pipaxiu|c=琵琶袖|l=pipa sleeve}}. The collar was of the same colour as the clothing. Often, there was an optional detachable protective {{zhp|p=huling|c=護領|l=protect collar}} sewn to the collar. The {{tlit|zh|huling}} can be white or any dark colour, and is used to protect the collar from being rotten by sweat, therefore to extend the life of the clothing. Towards the start of the Qing dynasty, the skirt was mostly {{zhp|p=baizhequn|c=百摺裙|l=hundred pleat skirt}} or mamianqun.{{Dubious|date=May 2009}}

By the late Ming dynasty, the {{tlit|zh|aoqun}} (jacket over skirt) became more prevalent than the {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} (short jacket under skirt); and the ao became longer in length.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}} By the late Ming dynasty, jackets with high collars started to appear.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=93–94}} The stand-up collar were closed with interlocking buttons made of gold and silver,<ref name=":022">{{Cite book|last1=Hao|first1=Xiao’ang|last2=Yin|first2=Zhihong|title=Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Art Studies: Science, Experience, Education (ICASSEE 2020) |chapter=Research on Design Aesthetics and Cultural Connotation of Gold and Silver Interlocking Buckle in the Ming Dynasty |date=2020|chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200907.030|location=Paris, France|publisher=Atlantis Press|doi=10.2991/assehr.k.200907.030|isbn=978-94-6239-051-5|s2cid=221756137}}</ref> called {{zhp|p=zimukou|s=子母扣}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zimu Kou - Exquisite Ming Style Hanfu Button - 2021|url=https://www.newhanfu.com/15961.html|access-date=2021-12-12|website=www.newhanfu.com|date=25 May 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> The appearance of interlocking buckle promoted the emergence and the popularity of the stand-up collar and the Chinese jacket with buttons at the front, and laid the foundation of the use of Chinese knot buckles.<ref name=":022" /> In women garments of the Ming dynasty, the stand-up collar with gold and silver interlocking buckles became one of the most distinctive and popular form of clothing structure; it became commonly used in women's clothing reflecting the conservative concept of Ming women's chastity by keeping their bodies covered and due to the climate changes during the Ming dynasty (i.e. the average temperature was low in China).<ref name=":022" />

<gallery> File:Mingrenwu63.jpg|A painting by Ming dynasty painter Tang Yin illustrating women in {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} File:Tangyin7big.jpg|A painting by Ming dynasty painter Tang Yin illustrating women in {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} File:Mingrenwu65b.jpg|A painting by Ming dynasty painter Tang Yin illustrating women in {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} File:Chujutu.jpg|Illustration of Ming dynasty {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} File:Hanfu ming.jpg|A woman (left) wearing an aoqun (i.e. top over skirt), Ming dynasty. File:Minggirl.jpg|Aoqun, Ming dynasty. File:明憲宗元宵行樂圖4.jpg|Group of women wearing aoqun, Ming dynasty File:Ming noble woman.jpg|A ming dynasty woman wearing a chang ao over a skirt (possibly a mamian skirt). A blue pifeng is worn over the outfit. The ao jacket is long and has a high stand-up collar. </gallery>

=== Qing dynasty === {{See also|Qizhuang}} During the Qing dynasty, the aoqun was the most prominent clothing of Han Chinese women.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Bonds|first=Alexandra B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GY4BEAAAQBAJ&dq=aoqun&pg=PA168|title=Beijing opera costumes : the visual communication of character and culture|date=2008|publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press|isbn=978-1-4356-6584-2|location=Honolulu|pages=168|oclc=256864936}}</ref> The ruqun (i.e. short jacket under skirt) continued to be worn in early Qing dynasty,<ref name=":14" /> but the later Qing dynasty depictions of ruqun in arts were mostly based on earlier paintings rather than the lived clothing worn by women in this period.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}

In the late Qing, women wore the long jacket ''ao'' with the skirt.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Baghdiantz McCabe|first=Ina|title=A history of global consumption : 1500-1800|date=2015|isbn=978-1-317-65265-6|location=New York|pages=178|oclc=889676602}}</ref> It was fashionable to wear the {{zhp|p=ao|c=袄}} with the {{zhp|p=baizhequn|c=百摺裙}} and the mamianqun.<ref name=":14" /> The ao in the Qing dynasty has a front centre closure and then curves crossover to the right before secured with frog buttons.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}} The front closing, collar, hem, and sleeves cuff have edging of contrasting pipings and side slits.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}} The skirts have a flat front and back panels with knife-pleated sides.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}} In Qing, the high collar continued to be used but it was not a common feature in clothing before the 20th century.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=93–94}} In the late Qing, the high collar become more popular and was integrated to the jacket and robe of the Chinese and the Manchu becoming a regular garment feature instead of an occasional feature.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=93–94}} The high collar remained a defining feature of their jacket even in the first few years of the republic.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=93–94}}

For the Han Chinese women, the stand-up collar became a defining feature of their long jacket; this long jacket with high collar could be worn over their trousers (shanku) but also over their skirts.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=93–94}} In ''The Chinese and Japanese repository'' published in 1863 by James Summers, Summers described Chinese women wearing a knee-length upper garment which fits closely at the neck; they wore it together with loose trousers with border around the ankles under a skirt, which opens at the front and has large plaits over the hips. Summers also observed that the sleeves of the women's garment are generally long enough to conceal the hands in cold weather; the sleeves were sometimes very wide and were decorated beautifully with embroidered satin lining which would be turned back to form a border.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Summers |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZlJAAAAYAAJ&dq=wrap%20skirt%20chinese&pg=PA40 |title=The Chinese and Japanese repository of Facts and Ebents in Science, History, and Art, relating to Easter Asia |publisher=Princeton University |year=1863 |volume=I}}</ref>{{Rp|page=40}} In ''Mesny's Chinese Miscellany'' written in 1897 by William Mesny, it was observed that skirts were worn by Chinese women over their trousers in some regions of China, but that in most areas, skirts were only used when women would go out for paying visits.<ref name=":26">{{Cite book |last=Mesny |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AjdBAQAAMAAJ&dq=skirt%20chinese&pg=PA371 |title=Mesny's Chinese Miscellany. |date=1897 |publisher=China Gazette Office |oclc=810192986}}</ref>{{Rp|page=371}} He also observed that the wearing of trousers was a national custom for Chinese women and that trousers were worn in their homes when they would do house chores.<ref name=":26" />{{Rp|page=371}} Mesny also observed that men (especially farmers, working men and soldiers) around Shanghai also wore skirts in winter.<ref name=":26" />{{Rp|page=371}} Another form of ruqun worn in that period is called {{zhp|p=qungua|c=裙褂}}, which is composed of {{zhp|p=gua|c=褂|tr=a jacket with central button closure}} worn with a {{zhp|p=qun|c=裙}} skirt.<ref name=":62">{{Cite journal|last1=Qiao|first1=Nan|last2=Tan|first2=Yan-rong|date=2017|title=Talk About the Chinese Wedding Dress of Modern Women|url=https://www.dpi-proceedings.com/index.php/dtssehs/article/view/18048/17554|journal=2017 3rd International Conference on Social, Education and Management Engineering (SEME 2017)|issue=seme|pages=299–301}}</ref> The {{tlit|zh|gua}} jacket was a popular form of jacket in Qing and was worn as a summer jacket instead of the {{tlit|zh|ao}} which was usually worn in winter.<ref name=":14" /> The {{tlit|zh|qungua}} also referred to one style of Qing dynasty wedding dress.<ref name=":62" /><gallery> File:Jiao Bingzhen - Paintings of Ladies - Leaf 2.jpg|Illustration of {{tlit|zh|ruqun}} and {{tlit|zh|pifeng}} during Qing dynasty File:Dinastia qing, stampa del nuovo anno con una donna e un bambino in un giardino, xix sec.JPG|Qing dynasty aoqun, the blue ao (jacket) has a slanted/curved opening. File:Han women during the Manchu Qing dynasty.jpg|Qing dynasty Han Chinese women wearing Manchu-influenced ''aoqun'' and ''qungua''. File:Cantonese Han noble lady with her servants in 1900s.png|Cantonese Han noble lady with her servants in 1900s wears Manchu-influenced aoqun. File:Woman's wedding costume from China, Honolulu Museum of Art 10128.1.JPG|Woman's wedding costume from China, an aoqun. c. 1900. File:A BRIDE.jpg|A bride wearing aoqun, </gallery>

=== Modern ===

==== Republic of China ====

===== Wenming xinzhuang ===== In the early 1910s and 1920s, young women wore {{tlit|zh|aoqun}} called {{zhp|p='''Wenming xinzhuang'''|c=文明新裝}}, also known as the "civilized costume" or "civilized attire".<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bloomsbury Collections - Styling Shanghai|url=https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/styling-shanghai/ch3-wenming-xinzhuang-civilized-costume|access-date=2021-04-05|website=www.bloomsburycollections.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title="Qipao" of different eras on display at Museum of History (with photos)|url=https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201006/22/P201006220160_photo_1017999.htm|access-date=2021-04-05|website=www.info.gov.hk}}</ref><ref>[https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201006/22/P201006220160_photo_1017999.htm Wenming xinzhuang ({{lang|zh|文明新裝}}]</ref> It originated from the traditional {{zhp|p=yishang|c=衣裳}} and the basic style of this clothing is clearly inherited from ancient Han Chinese clothing although the details have changed over time.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} The {{tlit|zh|Wenming xinzhuang}} continued the unbroken tradition of Han Chinese women's matching a jacket with a skirt which has been established for thousand of years.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}}

The {{tlit|zh|ao}} of the {{tlit|zh|Wenming xinzhuang}} was typically cyan and blue in colour while the long skirt was dark in colour, mostly in black; the {{tlit|zh|ao}} had no complex ornaments as bindings and embroidery was rejected in this period.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} There was a narrow trim which would bind the hem and the side vents were rectangular in shape.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} The {{tlit|zh|ao}} typically had a standing collar and long in shape with its hemline typically reaching below hip height and sometimes even at knee-height.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} The sleeves were short and left the wrist exposed.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} The skirt was derived from the {{zhp|p=baizhequn|c=百摺裙}} and became a dark long skirt with larger pleats.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} With time, the skirt length eventually shortened to the point where the calves of the wearer was exposed, and the {{tlit|zh|ao}} had a lower collar and an arc shaped vents started to appear on both sides.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} This style of clothing eventually faded in the early 1930s.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}}<gallery> File:Wei shiyi.jpg|Aoqun, 1920. File:Woman in Hakka shirt in Toen 1930s.jpg|Aoqun, 1930s </gallery>

==== 21st century: Modern hanfu ==== In the 21st century, several forms of ruqun, whose design are often based on the previous dynasties traditional ruqun but with modern aesthetics, gained popularity following the Hanfu movement.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Zhang|first=Tianwei|date=2020-11-25|title=Putting China's Traditional Hanfu on the World Stage|url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/china-traditional-hanfu-style-fashion-1234638369/|access-date=2021-06-09|website=WWD|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=YEEN|first=OH ING|title=Laudable aim to revive tradition|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2019/01/26/laudable-aim-to-revive-tradition|access-date=2021-06-09|website=The Star|language=en}}</ref><gallery> File:People wearing Hanfu at IDO32 (20200118144419).jpg|Men and women wearing different style of modern ruqun. File:HANFU in Clothing store 2018.jpg|Ruqun sold in clothing store, 2018. File:Woman wearing modern qixiong ruqun (a type of Hanfu) at IDO32 (20200118144012).jpg|Modern qixiong ruqun. </gallery>

== Construction and design == As a set of garments, the ruqun consists of an upper and lower garment.

The ruqun can be categorized into types based on the waist height of the skirt:

* Mid-rise ({{zhi|c=齊腰|p=qíyāo}}), * High-rise ({{zhi|c=高腰|p=gāoyāo}}) and * Qixiong ruqun ({{zhi|c=齐胸襦裙|p=qíxiōngrúqún}}).

The ruqun can also be categorized based on the collar style. The collar style of the upper garment can be divided into:

* crossed collar ({{zhi|c=交領|p=jiāolǐng}}), * parallel collar ({{zhi|c=對襟|p=duìjīn}}), also known as straight collar ({{zhi|c=直领|p=Zhiling}}). {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" |+Summary of garments !Component !Romanization !Hanzi !Definition |- | rowspan="7" |'''Upper garment''' |{{tlit|zh|Yi}} |{{lang|zh|衣}} |Open cross-collar upper garment, or refers to any form upper garment.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Han|first=Jiantang|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7juuJ02w1cC&q=%22skirt%22+shang+dynasty&pg=PA132|title=Chinese characters|date=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-18660-5|location=Cambridge|pages=132|oclc=761380349}}</ref> It is unisex.<ref name=":15" /> |- |{{tlit|zh|Ru}} |{{lang|zh|襦}} |Open cross-collar upper garment,<ref name=":16">{{Cite journal|last1=Ho|first1=Wei|last2=Lee|first2=Eun-young|date=2009|title=Modern Meaning of Han Chinese Clothing|url=https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO200916263468106.pdf|journal=Journal of the Korea Fashion & Costume Design Association|volume=11|issue=1|pages=99–109}}</ref> only worn by women. It typically refers to a short jacket.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=27|pages=}}

It is usually waist-length, but longer forms of {{tlit|zh|ru}} can also be found.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}}

The {{tlit|zh|ru}} can be single-layered or multi-layered (i.e. double layered or padded).<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|date=2020|title=3 Types of Traditional Chinese Top - 2021|url=https://www.newhanfu.com/4740.html|access-date=2021-03-17|website=newhanfu.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=27|pages=}} |- |{{tlit|zh|Changru}} |{{lang|zh|长襦}} |A long {{tlit|zh|ru}} jacket; the precursor of the long {{tlit|zh|ao}}.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=|pages=48–50}} |- |{{tlit|zh|Ao}} |{{lang|zh|袄}} |Multi-layer open cross-collar shirt or jacket.<ref name=":2" /> It was mainly worn as winter clothing.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":14" /> |- |{{tlit|zh|Shan}} |{{lang|zh|衫}} |Lit. translated as "shirt".<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|page=325|pages=}} Single-layer open cross-collar shirt or jacket.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":16" /> It can also be worn over the {{zhp|p=yi|c=衣}}.<ref name=":16" /> |- |{{tlit|zh|Changao}} |{{lang|zh|長襖}} |A longer version of the ao |- |{{tlit|zh|Gua}} |{{lang|zh|褂}} |A jacket with a central closure which closes with buttons.<ref name=":62" /> They appeared to be made of thinner fabric than the {{tlit|zh|ao}} and was worn in summer.<ref name=":14" /> It was worn as a female wedding jacket.<ref name=":62" /> |- | rowspan="2" |'''Lower garment''' |{{tlit|zh|Chang/shang}} |{{lang|zh|裳}} |Skirt for men,<ref name=":16" /> or may refers to any form of lower garment including skirts and trousers.<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|page=|pages=47–50, 54}} In the Shang dynasty, the chang could also refer to an ankle-length skirt which was a unisex garment. |- |{{tlit|zh|Qun}} |{{lang|zh|裙}} |Skirt for women.<ref name=":16" /> |}

=== Women's skirts === {{See also|List of Hanfu}}Throughout history, Han Chinese women wore many kind of skirts which came in variety of styles; some of which had their own specific names.

== Types of ruqun ==

*Mianfu *Qixiong ruqun *Qungua ({{lang|zh|裙褂}}): a type of ruqun worn as a traditional Chinese wedding dress in Qing and in modern era. *Tanling ruqun: a type of ruqun with a U-shaped upper garment *Xiuhefu ({{lang|zh|秀禾服}}): a type of aoqun worn as a traditional Chinese wedding dress in Qing and in modern era. *Xuanduan ({{lang|zh|玄端}}): a very formal dark {{Transliteration|zh|ruqun}} with accessories; equivalent to the Western white tie.

== See also == * Hanfu * List of Hanfu * Shanku

== References == {{Reflist}}

Category:Chinese traditional clothing Category:Jackets Category:Skirts