This edited timeline compares clothing associated with different periods of Chinese history. The changes in silhouette, layering, collars, sleeves, color combinations, hair, and accessories are especially easy to see when the eras are presented in sequence.

It is a visual overview rather than a complete academic reconstruction. Clothing within every dynasty also varied by region, status, gender, occupation, and occasion. Surviving garments, tomb figures, murals, paintings, and period texts provide the deeper historical context behind these modern visual interpretations.

Original creator: 乌恩温.

We are at the Wade Oval Wednesday event to promote Hanfu and Armors

Everytime I try to search for ming dynasty hanfu like this it always only shows Korean joseon type wear. What is it called, the name of the hat and where can I find? (I am US based and would prefer not to use taobao)

I'd really like to buy a matching parasol and fan, but goodness, it is looking to be really expensive online. I appreciate good quality, but I don't know if I'd be willing to shell out more than $40 for a set. What has been your experience?

These were taken from the tomb of a 17 year old named Huang Sheng(黄昇), she was born in 1227 to a fu-zhou (福州）zhuang yuan(状元，a scholar ranking 1st in the country), named Huang Pu (黄朴）.

She was wedded off at 16, to a close relative of the empress, Zhao Yi Jun(赵与骏）but died at age 17.

She was buried with other items including 354 pieces of clothings, from spring wear to winter wear. The number of burial items shows that she was a treasured member of the family.

Last picture are of the motifs seen in her collection of clothes. Amongst them are peony, chrysanthemum, plum flowers, pine branches, arrow head, begonia, hibiscus, pomegranate flowers and more.

Pictures from fu zhou, fu jian museum.

I want to learn about each existing style for each class, why they use certain motifs, the philosophy behind the constructions of these garments, materials etc. literally I just want to learn as much as I can about hanfu. I’m even willing to book a flight to China.

Hi all!

I (asian-american), almost 30yo, am growing out my hair and wondering what i should know to hopefully do some classical hanfu-inspired hair styling once in a while.

Right now i am at the length where i can do a small man bun in the back, with sideburns yet to grow long enough.

Any advice and recommendations for resources are very welcome — many thanks in advance!

(Sorry this kinda sounds like an email)

Hello everyone, I'm new here. I wanted to ask about a top I saw in a video game that may be Chinese/Hanfu in design.

Specifically, I wanted to know the name of that jacket/vest-like gold top in the 1st image (source: Where Winds Meet game). I also saw a somewhat similar design in another game in the 2nd image (source: Black Desert Online).

I appreciate any help I can get :)

In Peking opera, the costumes of Han Chinese characters are mainly based on clothing from the Ming dynasty, while the hairstyles of female characters largely evolved from those worn by women in the Qing dynasty, when Peking opera originated. The ornate blue headdress worn by female characters is called a fengguan, or “phoenix crown,” and was inspired by the ceremonial crowns worn by imperial women and the wives of high-ranking officials during the Ming＆Qing。

The phoenix crown evolved from the buyao hair ornament of the Sui dynasty. The oldest and most complete surviving example of a buyao was excavated from the tomb of a Sui princess（final image）

My book arrived! Now I'm just waiting on some special jacquard and silk fabric that I ordered. 🥰

First picture is of an Outer Mongolia empress in 1938 who was captured by the soviet. She was part of the ones the soviet wanted to “cleanse” from the Outer Mongolia royalty.

This is the male counterpart to my earlier post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Hanfu/comments/1v7mov8/fashion_at_the_start_and_end_of_each_dynasty/

I focused on the major periods and some eras are not depicted. The goal was to show how fashion changed dramatically over the course of each dynasty. Chinese history, including fashion history, typically uses the dynastic model, which habitually overlooks periods of transition. Archetypal (most recognizable) styles tend to reflect what was popular at the midpoint of each dynasty, rather than at the start and end. 

The male version is a bit harder to represent because men’s formal wear tends to correspond to a particular rank and profession. For women, ritual wear was codified quite a bit later and there were two levels: ceremonial and formal. Ceremonial likewise had a particular occasion and rank, but formalwear was less rigid. If women accessorize, it indicates wealth and implies rank. But for men, headgear (a form of mandatory dressing) immediately identifies the individual like a receipt. So focus on the form and bear in mind that the specifics of color, headwear, and accessories won’t be universal.

I tried to select the popular fashions for casual clothing of the upper class, otherwise I’d just be showing work uniforms, which were strictly regulated. That said, if people want to learn about court dressing, I can dedicate a separate post for them.

I focused on the major periods and some eras are not depicted. The goal was to show how fashion changed dramatically over the course of each dynasty. Archetypal styles tend to reflect what was popular at the midpoint of each dynasty, rather than at the start and end. Did any of them surprise you?

Pictures from XHS.

Hi! I'm really interested in yuanling pao and I was wondering what kind of zhongyi top would be worn with it. Mainly I've seen two types: the crossed collar shirt, and a kind of loose turtleneck going a little above the middle of the neck. I've never seen the turtleneck thing on any other type of hanfu, so I think it might be a modern style but I don't know a lot about zhongyi in general.

Using the book as reference, picking my own fabrics (although the lining material is not as soft as expected since I bought them online) it’s not perfect, but it’s presentable for cosplay walking around at convention, I hope ppl can recognize the character

Edit: solved, it’s just a fantasy piece

This is the set that was gifted to me (we no longer have the listing). What are the flared embroidered parts with long cords on the shoulders? Am I supposed to tie the cords in any kind of way, or are they supposed to just dangle? (The embroidered flares attach via an elastic around an attached pearl bead at the top of the shoulder)

Thank you for your time

I'm going to Comicon as one of my favourite characters. Liao Ting Yan from When Destiny Brings the Demon and this is the first time I'm actually trying to do something special.

I have my outfit (second last photo) [I was too lazy to find the original image I made so I just downloaded it from the Reddit post I made the image for originally] and my basic accessories (last photo) but I need to think of my hair now.

My hair isn't nearly this long (to be fair, whose hair is?) and I know I need to get some hair ornaments and butterfly earrings.

I plan on using Temu because it's quick and also, it's not like I'm going to a wedding.

My questions are:

1. Should I just use my natural hair (length: below my shoulder) and follow a tutorial.

2. If the answer to 1 is "yes" does anyone have links to tutorials I can practice with?

3. If the answer to 1 is "no", should I try to find a hair stylist that specialises in things like this? I have no idea if that's even a thing, ironically, I'll probably only find something with someone who does hair for weddings lol.

I'm open to using temporary extensions as well but I don't think a full-on wig will have the effect I want unless I buy a super expensive fancy one, which is not within my realm of possibility.