Mao suit is a type of clothing. There are two pockets with lids and buttons on the left and right sides of the upper body, and the lower body is Western-style trousers, so named after Sun Yat-sen advocated it. Lao She's "Four Generations Under One Roof" 25: "He boldly put on a Mao suit!" Wang Xiyan's "Night Banquet" 3: "Probably because he was attending the banquet today, he solemnly put on a black serge Mao suit. "The Mao suit was formed based on the extensive absorption of the advantages of European and American clothing. Sun Yat-sen combined the characteristics of Western clothing and Chinese clothing and designed a four-patch garment with straight lapels and pocket flaps. He named it the Mao suit. In the following decades, , the Chinese tunic suit became very popular and became the standard clothing favored by Chinese men.
Formation and development
A men's suit named after Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of the Chinese revolution.
In 1919, Sun Yat-sen asked Shanghai Henry Clothing Store to change an army uniform into casual clothes. On the basis of retaining some styles of military uniforms, this set of casual clothes absorbs the advantages of Chinese clothing and suits, making it appear concise, simple and generous. Due to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's advocacy and his fame, this casual style quickly spread. After continuous modification, it developed into the Mao suit and became a garment commonly worn by Chinese men. There are other theories about the origin of the Chinese tunic suit. For example, some say it came out in Guangzhou in 1912, and some say it was adapted from Japanese railway uniforms.
The Huang Longsheng mentioned here was an overseas Chinese in Vietnam who owned a Western-style clothing store. In 1902, Sun Yat-sen went to Vietnam to organize the Xingzhong Association and once went shopping in Huang's store. When Huang learned that this customer was Sun Yat-sen. He immediately asked to join the Xingzhong Association and contribute to the revolution.
The Chinese tunic suit was established in 1912. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, revolutionary leaders and cadres wore the Chinese tunic suit, and the people also used this kind of clothing to express their welcome to the new era. As a result, the Chinese tunic suit became widely popular in society and became an iconic garment for Chinese men's clothing. Even on today's T-stage, fashionable clothing evolved from it can still be seen.
The origin of the Mao suit
In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Chinese men combed their hair, dressed and wore hats according to the Manchu style, which continued until the beginning of the 20th century. . Although China has entered the journey of modern history, traditional clothing still maintains a certain stability, and traditional styles such as robes, mandarin jackets, and melon-skin hats are still used. Shortly after the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu (1900), traditional clothing styles began to be influenced by foreign clothing styles, and some changes occurred. However, the basic styles remained in their original state until the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911 in 1911. There were some fundamental changes, which symbolized the complete collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the end of an era. The Revolution of 1911 not only brought about drastic changes in society, but also prompted more rapid and obvious changes in clothing. Mao suit was born during this change.
Mao suit is a major category of modern Chinese clothing. There are pockets with lids and buttons on the left and right sides of the jacket, and trousers on the lower body. This is a garment that became popular after the Revolution of 1911. It became popular in the world because it was worn by the great revolutionary forerunner Sun Yat-sen when he was the interim president, so it is called Chinese tunic suit. Chairman Mao Zedong admired the "Mao suit" very much, and he always insisted on wearing it. Therefore, foreign friends also called the Mao suit "Mao-style uniform." It has the characteristics of our nation. It is simple, comfortable and crisp to wear. When the Kuomintang Constitution was formulated in the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), it was stipulated that civil servants of a certain level should wear the Mao suit when taking the oath of office to show their compliance with the law of the gentleman.
The origin of the Chinese tunic suit is said to be that when Dr. Sun Yat-sen was serving as the Grand Marshal of the Chinese Revolutionary Government in Guangzhou, he felt that the suit style was cumbersome and inconvenient to wear, and Chinese clothing also had practical shortcomings. In the twenty-eighth year of Guangxu (1902), Sun Yat-sen went to Hanoi, Vietnam to organize the Revival of China. He happened to visit a Western-style clothing store opened by Huang Longsheng, a Cantonese in Hanoi. In order to save foreign exchange and reflect China's national conditions, he instructed Huang Longsheng to design a beautiful style. , simple and practical Chinese clothing, designed and sewn by Huang with reference to Western European and Japanese clothing styles, and combined with the "crouch collar" dress tops and student clothes that were popular among overseas Chinese in Nanyang at that time. However, there is also information that the Mao Zedong suit was originally modified from the military uniform at that time. In 1919, when Mr. Sun Yat-sen was living in Shanghai, he once took a worn army uniform to the famous Henry Clothing Store and asked a tailor to change it into "casual clothes". After being changed into "casual clothes", it still looked a bit like a military uniform. But among casual clothes, it is neither a "Tang suit" nor a "suit", so the clerk named it Mao suit. Due to Mr. Sun Yat-sen's high reputation at home and abroad, this style of clothing quickly spread across the country. At that time, the Chinese tunic suit had a seam on the back, a belt at the middle of the back, nine buttons on the front placket, and "fat pleats" on the upper and lower pockets. Later, it gradually evolved into the current style: closed figure-shaped neckline, sleeves, 5 exposed buttons in the middle of the front placket, and a seamless back. The cuffs can be slit with buttons, or they can be decorated with false buttons, or they can be left unslit and not buttoned. The open pockets are symmetrical from left to right, with lids and stud buttons. The two upper small pockets are flat patch pockets, with arc-shaped bottom corners and an arc-shaped point in the middle of the bag flap. The two lower large pockets are tiger bags (with overhanging edges). 1.5~2 cm). The trousers have three pockets (two side pockets and a rear pocket with a flap) and are rolled at the hems.
Obviously, the formation of the Mao suit combines the traditional Chinese consciousness with the basic formation of the suit. The overall silhouette is shoulder pads and waist, balanced and symmetrical, and the dress is stable and elegant.
Since its birth in 1923, the Chinese tunic suit has been the most popular and favorite style of clothing for Chinese men. China's democratic revolutionary Mr. Sun Yat-sen is the founder of the Mao suit.
In 1923, when Dr. Sun Yat-sen was serving as the Grand Marshal of the Chinese Revolutionary Government in Guangzhou, he felt that suits were not only cumbersome in style and inconvenient to wear, but also did not meet the practical requirements of the Chinese people in life and work at that time; and China The original clothing (short-breasted jackets, long-breasted gowns, etc.) could not fully express the enterprising spirit of the times of the Chinese people at that time, and also had shortcomings similar to suits in practical terms. Therefore, it was advocated to use the "crown-collar formal wear" tops that were popular among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia at that time as a basis, and add a reverse collar to the corporate collar to replace the hard collar of the suit shirt. In this way, a top has the functions of a suit top, a shirt and a hard collar; the three hidden pockets of the "off-collar formal wear" top are changed to four open pockets, and the two lower open pockets are also tailor-made It has a "gig bag" style that expands and contracts depending on how many items are put in it. Mr. Sun Yat-sen said that he reformed the pocket in order to make it suitable for storing books, notebooks and other necessities for study and work. With a soft cover on the pocket, the items inside the pocket would not be easily lost. The trousers designed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen are: slit in the front with hidden buttons; one large hidden pocket on the left and right, and a small hidden pocket (surface pocket) on the front; one hidden pocket on the right rear hip, with a soft cover. These pants are easy to wear and suitable for carrying necessities.
The assistant who helped Dr. Sun Yat-sen create the Chinese tunic suit was named Huang Longsheng. He was from Taishan, Guangdong. He originally opened the Longsheng Western Clothing Store on Paul Batt Street in Hanoi. In December 1902, Dr. Sun Yat-sen went to Hanoi to organize the Xingzhong Association, and occasionally went to his store to shop and chat with him. Huang Longsheng was greatly impressed when he learned that the customer in front of him was Mr. Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the Revolutionary Party. I sincerely request to join the Xingzhong Meeting and contribute money and efforts to the revolution. In 1923, Huang Longsheng served in the Generalissimo's Mansion with Mr. Sun Yat-sen. When Dr. Sun Yat-sen designed the Mao suit, he asked him to help plan and sew it, and successfully made the world's first Mao suit.
When Mr. Zhongshan put on the Zhongshan suit he designed and was the first in the world, he said: "This kind of clothing is good-looking, practical, convenient and economical. Unlike a suit, in addition to a top and a shirt, You also need to wear a hard collar, and most of these things are imported (most of these things were imported from foreign countries at that time), which is troublesome and expensive.” Because of its advantages of good looks, practicality, convenience, etc., the Chinese tunic suit was welcomed by the masses once it was advocated by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
Another theory about the origin of the Mao suit
Some people heard that "the Mao suit comes from Japan". As a result, the person who left the comment was besieged by everyone and was denounced as a "little Japan" and a "traitor". If he admits it, It is so difficult for Japan to influence China, so perhaps it is best not to read Chinese modern history. Since the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Japan has been influencing China in all aspects. However, because China and Japan are at odds with each other, they are reluctant to mention the impact on Japan. Mao suits are a good example. It is obvious that it has a close relationship with Japan, but in order to avoid the important and trivial matters, it insists on insisting that it comes from Southeast Asia or China. This mentality of "admitting that learning from Japan means you are unhappy" will remain unchanged for a hundred years.
The Mao suit was designed by Sun Yat-sen to provide modern Chinese with light work and social wear. Sun Yat-sen himself only explained the reasons for promoting the Mao suit, but did not explain clearly where his main inspiration came from? The following is a brief introduction to three theories about the origin of the Mao suit.
Regarding the inspiration for the Chinese tunic suit, the most commonly heard saying is that it comes from the corporate uniforms of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. It pointed out that Sun Yat-sen started to establish the Xingzhong Hui branch in Vietnam in 1902 and entrusted Huang Longsheng, a tailor from Guangdong in Hanoi, to produce the first set of Chinese tunic suits. Sun Yat-sen replaced the hard collar of a suit with a collar that was popular among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia at that time. He also changed the three pockets of the collar to four, which can be used to store notes, pens, paper, tools and other things to facilitate study or work.
In addition, some people pointed out that the main reference for the Mao suit comes from China. The theory of origin from China can be further divided into the theory of Guangdong casual clothes and the theory of Ningbo casual clothes. Both believe that Sun Yat-sen was based on local Chinese casual clothes and added features such as the hard collar and multiple pockets of the suit. Some research points out that in 1916, Sun Yat-sen asked Ningbo (Rongchangxiang) tailor Wang Caiyun to cut the first Mao suit.
"Dictionary of Chinese Cultural Customs" eclectic Nanyang overseas Chinese theory and China theory are as follows: "Sun Yat-sen referred to the original characteristics of China's clothes and trousers, absorbed the corporate collar and suit styles of the Nanyang overseas Chinese, and adhered to the spirit of hygiene and hygiene. , a style of clothing designed by Huang Longsheng himself based on the principles of ease of movement, ease of economy, and magnificence in sight."
Neither Nanyang Overseas Chinese" nor "China" seems to deliberately mention Japan. Influence. To be honest, Nanyang business clothes, Guangdong casual clothes, Ningbo casual clothes, and even suits are not very similar to Chinese tunic suits, and the relationship between them should not be too close. The ones that most resemble Mao suits are Japanese school uniforms and Army sergeant uniforms. Sun Yat-sen and the revolutionary party have been active in Japan for a long time (many people have stayed in Japan). It is said that Sun Yat-sen commissioned Japanese overseas Chinese Zhang Fangcheng to design a sketch of the Mao suit. After returning to Shanghai, he ordered Wang Caiyun to produce it according to the drawing in 1916. It is also said that in 1919, Sun Yat-sen took the Japanese army uniform he wore to Henry Clothing Store in Shanghai and changed it into casual clothes, which became the origin of the Mao suit.
Style Characteristics
Because of Sun Yat-sen’s advocacy and because of its simplicity and practicality, the Mao suit has become popular together with suits since the Revolution of 1911. In 1912, the government of the Republic of China designated the Mao suit as a formal dress, modified its shape, and gave it a new meaning. Stand-up lapels, double placket, five buttons on the front, four patch pockets, and three buttons on the cuffs. No seams on the back panel. These shapes are actually very particular, and have meaning based on the Zhou Dynasty etiquette and other contents in the "Book of Changes".
First, the four pockets on the front represent the four dimensions of the country (propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame). The cover of the bag is an inverted pen holder, which means governing the country with culture.
Secondly, the five buttons on the placket are different from the Western separation of powers (executive, legislative, judicial, examination, supervision).
Thirdly, the three buttons on the cuffs represent the Three People's Principles (nation, civil rights, and people's livelihood).
Fourthly, the back is not broken, which represents the peaceful reunification of the country.
Fifth, the collar is set to be closed lapel, showing the concept of rigorous governance.
Design concept
The original style of tunic suit: the top has a stand-up collar, a front placket, 9 exposed buttons, 4 pressed pockets, a back yoke on the back, and a hidden pleated back seam. and half belt. In 1922, the tunic suit was changed to stand-up lapels, 7 buttons, and a tiger bag on the lower pocket. Later, it was changed to the current style: the top has stand-up lapels and style buttons; the body has three openings, the front placket has 5 exposed buttons; 4 patch pockets, each with a pocket flap and 1 exposed button, and the top is flat Bag, the bottom is a tiger bag, symmetrical from left to right; there is a pen insertion opening of about 3cm on the right side of the upper left bag cover. High-end tunic suit with 3 decorative buttons on the cuffs. The trousers that match the Chinese tunic suit are generally Western-style trousers of the same material and color.
Regarding the "Mao suit", the "Dictionary of Chinese Cultural Customs" records: "Sun Yat-sen referred to the original characteristics of China's clothes and trousers, absorbed the 'collar formal wear' and 'suit style' of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, and based on It is a clothing style tailored by Huang Longsheng who personally presided over the design based on the principle of "suitable for hygiene, convenient for movement, easy for economy, and impressive for viewing".
Because of Sun Yat-sen’s advocacy and because of its simplicity and practicality, the Mao suit has become popular along with suits since the Revolution of 1911. In 1912, the government of the Republic of China designated the Mao suit as a formal dress, modified its shape, and gave it a new meaning. Stand-up lapels, double placket, five buttons on the front, four patch pockets, and three buttons on the cuffs. No seams on the back panel. These shapes are actually very particular, and have meaning based on the Zhou Dynasty etiquette and other contents in the "Book of Changes".
Materials and workmanship
The workmanship of Chinese tunic suits is more particular. The collar corners should be in a nested shape, and the back shoulders should not be bulging. The sleeves, like suit sleeves, must be rounded in the front and raised in the back. There should be fat everywhere, the four pockets should be made flat, and the threads should be straight. In terms of craftsmanship, it can be divided into two types: fine-making and simple-making. The former has a lining and padding and is generally used as a matching dress and trousers. The latter has no lining and is suitable for daily casual wear. The Chinese tunic suit has many advantages, mainly its balanced and symmetrical shape, beautiful appearance, elegant and steady wear, convenient and free movement, warmth and body protection, and it can be used as both a dress and casual wear. Its disadvantages are tight collar and stuck neck. With its unique calm, sophisticated, steady and generous style, the Mao suit has attracted the favor of middle-aged and elderly people and overseas Chinese. In particular, intellectuals still regard the Mao suit as their daily clothing. When wearing it, you should pay attention to the connotation conveyed by the tunic suit and your attitude towards life. You should also wear the style button to bridge the gap. Some people open their collar buttons for temporary comfort, which will make them look nondescript in the eyes of others and lose elegance and harmony. serious.
The colors of Mao suits are very rich. In addition to the common blue and gray, there are also camel, black, white, gray-green, beige, etc. Generally speaking, southern regions prefer light colors, while northern regions prefer dark colors. When worn on different occasions, the color selection is also different. The color of the tunic suit for formal wear should be solemn and calm, while the color for casual wear can be brighter and livelier. There are also some differences in the selection of fabrics. The tunic fabric used for formal wear should be pure wool gabardine, camel silk brocade, Melton, navy, etc. The characteristics of these fabrics are thick texture, full hand feel, smooth surface and soft luster. They complement the style of tunic suit and make the clothing more calm and solemn. As casual wear fabrics, the choice is relatively flexible, and can be used in cotton, khaki, Gabardine, synthetic fabrics and wool blends.
Cultural Connotation
(Mr. Sun Yat-sen made an impassioned speech in the last episode of the 59-episode TV series "Toward Peace".)
I know, you Very anxious. Zhang Xun was restored, but the Congress could not be opened again.
We were originally a Republic of China, but why did feudalism and authoritarianism appear again and again? If this problem is not solved, the restoration of the dictatorship will be inevitable. The Republic of China will always be a bubble.
The concept of harmony is equality, freedom and fraternity. But in the six years since the Republic of China, what have we seen? Administrative officials at all levels regard the law as garbage, and the people - are still enslaved.
The Republic of China should be a country of freedom, but in the six years of the Republic of China, what we have seen is that only those in power have freedom. Those with great power have freedom with great power, and those with little power have freedom. . People - no power, no freedom.
The Republic of China should be a country of fraternity, but what have we seen in the past six years? It is a love that only the people fear for those in power, while those in power only have lip service to the people with hypocritical love.
The Republic of China should be a country of rule of law, but in the past six years of the Republic of China, what we have seen is administrative power, unscrupulous interference in legislation time and time again. If you disobey, I will bribe you; if you disobey, I will arrest you.
What is administration? It should be to serve the people and implement a harmonious government. But in the six years since the Republic of China, what we have seen is a "family world" under the banner of democracy and democracy. In this "family world" administration, we can't see transparent administrative procedures at all, let alone to the supervision system. How those administrative officials spend the people's hard-earned money? The people don't know how much money those administrative officials put into their own pockets. You don’t know, and neither do I. (Haha)
You all know that justice is a judgment, right? What is the principle of this judgment? It is a constitution of the Republic of China in which sovereignty lies with the people. But in the six years of the Republic of China, we have not seen it at all. Such a constitution, even the immature "Provisional Constitution", has been raped time and time again.
Oh, by the way, the clothes I’m wearing today are a bit weird, aren’t they? Even the tailor said it was strange. I want to say, this is ***和, this is ***和's clothes:
(raises right hand) Here, I designed three buttons, the concept of ***和, is : Equality, liberty, fraternity.
(Raising his left hand) There are also three buttons here: nation, civil rights, and people's livelihood.
What about the Constitution? I invented a new word called the five-power constitution:
(Pointing to the upper left pocket of the Mao suit) Here is the legislative power;
(Pointing to the upper right pocket of the Mao suit) Here It contains administrative power;
(Pointing to the lower left pocket of the Mao suit) It contains judicial power;
You are all familiar with these three powers, which are called indirect civil rights. My soft spot is – direct civil rights. It is necessary to allow ordinary people to have the right to directly participate in and discuss politics.
One is the right of examination. We must return the right of examination to the people. From now on, all administrative personnel must pass the examination, no matter who they are.
Another one is the power of impeachment, (pats his clothes), there is no place to store it, no hurry, no hurry, (opens his jacket, fingers the inner pocket) It is here, why should we hide the power of impeachment? What about inside? Because it is the trump card of the people, it may suddenly appear at any time and impeach you.
I, Sun Wen, have no other hope in this life, only one hope, and that is - let ***he be not only a noun, an empty word, or a form, but let it become our reality. Let it become our unbreakable belief in our lifestyle.
The rise and fall
Under the initiative of Mr. Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionaries at that time were proud to wear the "Mao suit". It was precisely because revolutionary leaders and revolutionary cadres all wore the Mao suit that New China After its establishment, people across the country used this kind of clothing to express their love for the new era. As a result, the Chinese tunic suit became an iconic garment of New China, and was even once recognized by the world as the "national costume" of the Republic of China.
Wearing Mao suits, the people once regained their self-confidence that had been lost for a century. However, the establishment of this self-confidence actually comes from a deified leader. When the veil of deification was lifted one day, the Chinese people's faith began to be in a vacuum. After the reform and opening up, the open door allowed the Chinese to see the prosperity of the West and the sorrow of being imprisoned for 30 years.
Today, when China's clothing industry is booming and all kinds of clothing are adding luster, the Chinese tunic suit has withdrawn from the historical stage of formal dress early. Occasionally, there are news in the media about national leaders wearing Mao suits to attend important international meetings, and a Chinese-American wearing Mao suits to attend international award ceremonies, etc. From these rare reports on the Mao suit, we feel the last bit of persistence and reluctance as a Chinese to give up the Mao suit, and then we understand that the Mao suit has already been deeply imprinted in the inheritance of our own cultural heritage.
As a formal dress once highly respected by the Chinese, the Chinese tunic suit also carries a kind of culture, a kind of etiquette, and a sense of national self-respect and pride. The Korean hanbok, the Japanese kimono, the Scottish Highland men’s pleated skirts, and the Malay sarong and batik in Southeast Asia all carry these elements to a greater or lesser extent. Nowadays, most countries in the world mainly wear suits, but during festivals or major celebrations, people of all ethnic groups must wear their own national costumes. However, when Vajpayee came to the world in a white Indian robe and Junichiro Koizumi walked to the world in a wide kimono, we, as the most populous nation in the world, claim to have five thousand years of glorious civilization. History, but there is no way to own a piece of clothing belonging to one's own nation.
No wonder many people have questioned Chinese civilization.
However, unexpectedly, when the Chinese were unscrupulously destroying their own traditional civilization, the great British writer George Bernard Shaw said: "You have five thousand years of culture, and you now seem to think that everything in the West is good... One day, you will Western things are thrown away like broken shoes. "Nearly a century has passed. The Chinese want to catch up with the United States and the United States, stand among the nations of the world, and think about the ideal cause of communism, but they never seem to want to recover it. This rootless wandering state of our own national spirit is reflected in the fact that on the one hand we are seeking for the strength and prosperity of the nation, on the other hand we are despising our own traditional civilization and giving up on ourselves. This contradictory state actually stems from the lack of national self-confidence. Its most direct consequence is that we are destined to lose more in the pursuit of national progress. Among them, he lost his "national uniform" - Mao suit.
"The Han family's Pegasus grows out of the cattails, and alfalfa and pomegranates bloom all over the suburbs." When we unravel the national self-tragedy created by the fog of history and look at the Mao suit that has left a deep imprint on the Chinese people from the perspective of the integration of the entire Chinese nation's culture, we will find that the Mao suit is a bit far away from our lives. , but its cultural codes have been preserved in the spiritual life of modern Chinese people, such as the idea of ??human rights, revolutionary spirit or national rejuvenation spirit. It is actually the most practical and effective way to awaken collective cultural memory.