Chinese Mandarin - Our fashion designers need support

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Opinion / Li Xing

Our fashion designers need support

By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-06 06:30

A well-known designer in Shanghai last Saturday showed off her new
creation, Chinese men's wear for formal occasions.

This is formal attire with a multi-ethnic Chinese legacy, Wen Hong, the
designer, said.

As soon as the press conference was over, such headlines as "Formal
Chinese men's suits emerge" and "Shanghai garment sector promotes
'Chinese suits' to compete with Western suits" appeared on the Internet.

Yesterday morning, we were told that some celebrities, such as history
professor Yi Zhongtian, television host Cui Yongyuan and Peking opera
star Shang Changrong, had placed orders for the tailor-made Chinese suits.

But there were other voices, with the loudest doubting whether the new
Chinese suits could really "beat" Western suits, since the suits were
created out of set concepts while still borrowing elements from Western
attire.

Although everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, I believe the media
should be tolerant and open-minded about new fashions in general. That is
to say, the media should not make hasty conclusions about this style of
clothing or other new creations, even for the sake of argument.

I have read carefully Wen's explanation of the new suit. It is elaborate
and filled with so many modifiers and ideals that it could confuse laymen
unfamiliar with her history as well as a tailor's terminology. People
could even argue some of the concepts were a bit far-fetched. For
instance, the front inside lining pattern is said to resemble the Chinese
character zhong, which not only means center, but also honesty or
fairness.

However, I can sense the eagerness and aspiration of Wen and her
colleagues.

"I believe it is imperative to come up with such recognized and proper
suits for us Chinese to go with the rise of China," said Wen, who
established her fame years ago for her tangzhuang.

I still remember the long queue of theater-goers one September evening
1998, as they were checking into the Taimiao, once the ancestral temple
of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties in the southeast
corner of the Forbidden City.

It was the opening night of Turandot in the Forbidden City, conducted by
Maestro Zubin Mehta and directed by Zhang Yimou.

The most striking of all the attire worn was the dark silky tangzhuang
with auspicious patterns. But it still took some years before the
tangzhuang became a sensation, when APEC leaders wore it in various
colors.

Historians say the tangzhuang had borrowed more elements from the
Manchurian dress code in the Qing Dynasty than the more ancient Tang
Dynasty (AD 618-907). But despite the arguments, the tangzhuang is
regarded as the traditional Chinese outfit today, best for festive
occasions.

It is only natural that Wen and her colleagues should now come up with
more formal attire to enrich the contemporary Chinese wardrobe with
designs for more formal events.

I have attended and seen formal occasions in Japan, India, Thailand,
Vietnam and many other Asian countries. All have their own formal attire.
Why should not we Chinese have our own?

Wen and her colleagues are not alone in the search for a distinctive
expression of Chineseness in clothing.

Some Chinese have dug further and have been promoting hanfu, the robes of
our ancestors living in the Han Dynasty (221 BC-AD 220). These young
women and men say the robes are most suitable for ceremonial occasions.

All these endeavors are worthy of our congratulations, instead of doubts
and discouragement.

E-mail: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/06/2007 page9)

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