In recent years, with the revival of traditional culture, China's traditional clothing has gradually attracted the attention of the public. In many costume film and television works, we can also see the protagonist wearing a gorgeous robe with the hem mopping the floor. However, will such clothing cause inconvenience to life? Today, let's take a look at how the ancients solved this problem.
First of all, the design of the long hem often shows the dignity and distinctiveness of the status. The history of human clothing can be traced back to the Neolithic period. Initially, people covered their bodies with animal fur to keep them warm, but with the agricultural revolution and advances in production technology, humans began to use plant fibers to make clothing.
The earliest clothes may have been woven from natural plant fibers such as hemp, cattail, and grass. With the increase in productivity, the production of clothes gradually changed from simple wrapping to clothing with specific functions and decorations. In the process, civilization gradually took shape, and the emergence of the concept of kingship and class gave all consumables a meaning other than use.
The ancient clothing culture was influenced by the idea of etiquette and religious beliefs. For example, during the Zhou Dynasty, a "deep clothing system" was developed, and the long clothes represented more respect for traditional culture and etiquette. In ancient societies, people chose different lengths of clothes depending on the occasion and status. The kafti is seen as a cultural symbol and spiritual sustenance, representing a reverence for traditional values and historical inheritance.
In the case of the Son of Heaven, they wore dragon robes to show their supremacy. In order to highlight the particularity of the emperor, a unique set of systems and standards was adopted in all aspects such as food, clothing, use, and transportation. This reflects the embodiment of the etiquette hierarchy in clothing. In addition, aesthetics is also an important reason why the ancients liked long clothes.
In the traditional aesthetics of ancient China, the mopping design of the robe was considered to be an elegant, subtle and elegant embodiment, which was in line with the elegant beauty and solemn style of Hanfu culture. Wearing a long robe can make the body appear more slender and shapely, which is in line with the ideal realm of gentlemanly elegance pursued by Chinese scholars. Therefore, the design of ancient robes is to a large extent a kind of inheritance and embodiment of aesthetic feelings.
However, wouldn't wearing clothes that were dragged to the ground be contaminated by the dust on the ground? The wisdom of the ancients provides us with the answer. They invented a clothing accessory that could be used to "protect the feet", which were made of fine velvet that exposed the toes and covered the soles and long hems of the shoes. The appearance of foot guards effectively protects the hem of the long garment from contact with a large area of the ground, and at the same time adds to the beauty of the garment to a certain extent. The ancients skillfully used this method to solve the problem of long clothes being easy to get dirty.
In addition, the ancients also invented a small tool in their daily life to deal with the situation of dirt on the hem of long clothes. This tool is made of a thin wooden stick with a sharp end that can easily pick out the debris from the hem of a long garment; On the other end, there is a soft cloth that is used to gently wipe and carefully protect the texture of the long hem. This gadget became the right-hand man of the ancients when walking.
In addition, in order to avoid wear and tear of the long hem, the ancients would also use some wear-resistant materials or metal threads at the end of the hem for sewing. This can not only reduce the damage to the hem caused by the friction generated by the clothes during walking, but also increase the texture and gorgeousness of the clothes.
Of course, in order to solve the problem at the root, the ancients also tried to keep the ground clean. In the mansion, the master and the subordinate went through their own doors. Whenever the ground is easy to be dirty on a rainy day, the owner has to move a step, and the next person quickly kneels in front of him and scrapes the ground clean with a rice board. However, this method is generally only suitable for indoor use. In ancient times, due to the lack of road flatness and the underdeveloped drainage and sewage system, it was easy for the ground to accumulate water and silt and even pile up excrement. Therefore, the robe has become more of the exclusive property of the powerful.
In fact, only powerful people such as emperors and nobles were able to wear clothes that were long enough to drag the ground. Robes are usually made of precious materials such as silk, and the process of making them is exquisite. Therefore, it takes a considerable amount of financial strength to be able to afford it. This also made the robe a symbol of status and wealth. Therefore, the term "show off" came into being, and it is used to show off the extra length of your clothes.
In contrast, the clothes of ordinary civilians in ancient times were much more plain. The fabrics they use are mainly cotton, linen and coarse cloth, which are relatively cheap and suitable for daily wear. In terms of style, the clothes of the commoners are also relatively simple, mainly based on short shirts, gowns, etc., and the cutting is certainly not as exquisite as that of the aristocracy.
In a society where "men plough and women weave", women often have the skills to make clothes, so most of the common people make their own clothes rather than buy ready-to-wear garments. In addition, the colors of the clothes of the commoners are also very monotonous, mostly plain natural colors. This was in stark contrast to the flamboyant costumes of the aristocracy.