First, the patterns of ancient Chinese costumes always follow the etiquette system and develop.
China's ancient rites were formulated in the era of "Three Emperors and Five Emperors", and by the time of Yao and Shun, there had been a written "Five Rites". The earliest record about the reflection of costume patterns in the ritual system is in the chapter of Yu Shu Yi Ji: "I want to see the image of the ancients, the sun, the moon and the stars ... with colorful colors, I will serve you." It means that Zhong Yong wore totem costumes during the sacrificial ceremony, and the leaders of various ministries applied colorful colors to the costumes during the sacrificial ceremony, that is, twelve patterns were applied to the coronation costumes through painting and embroidery. This is the origin of the Twelve Chapters of the Emperor's Bitterness. In chapter 12, the order of decorative patterns is sun, moon, star, dragon, mountain, China insect, fire, Zong Yi, seaweed, rice flour, Erlang fish and Nuo, which shows that the clothing patterns at that time were already very distinctive. By the time of Yin and Shang Dynasties, there had been a hierarchy in society, but the shape of clothing had not yet been formed. By the Zhou Dynasty, the system of rites, music and costumes of the Chinese nation was gradually formed. With the establishment of various etiquette systems, everyone, from the emperor to the common people, regardless of rank, should wear corresponding costumes and regulate their lives with the spirit of "courtesy". "Rites and music are flourishing, the political system is restrained, the people are flourishing, and praise is flourishing." The Zhou Dynasty set up ceremony officials in charge of etiquette in the world, which pushed this system to a relatively complete stage.
As a cultural phenomenon, clothing was bound by "ceremony" before the traditional position of Confucianism was established in Han Dynasty. Later, Confucius put forward "self-denial and self-defense", and the Han Dynasty included "righteousness" in the Five Classics. "Etiquette" focuses on the whole social activities and complex projects, and has comprehensive and strict regulations on clothing. It is a typical reflection of the etiquette system advocated by Confucianism in clothing, which has directly influenced China people's clothing concepts and styles for thousands of years. For example, after the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, the new rulers learned the lessons of the Qin Dynasty and made very detailed regulations on the dress etiquette system, which not only strictly standardized the style and color of Guanbai costumes, but also restricted folk costumes. At that time, people could only wear real linen clothes, not other colors. In addition, detailed and complete provisions have been made on daily necessities, such as related basic needs of life, such as clothes, hats, shoes and socks, chariots and horses, daily necessities and so on. In the Han Dynasty, colors, varieties, materials and colors were strictly classified. All previous dynasties set up relevant institutions to manage the etiquette system. As a superstructure, the rulers of past dynasties took this as the code of conduct, and ruled people's thoughts through legal system, ethics, philosophy and other means, so that people followed the rules and behaved appropriately, making it a corresponding atmosphere. The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of feudal society in China, and both people's thoughts and material production reached a certain historical height. Dress decoration shows the hierarchy of feudal etiquette in the form of unique "signs". There is a record about the origin of China's official clothing supplement in Old Tang Book: "In February of the second year, the secretariat gave embroidered robes, and each robe was embroidered with eight characters on the back ... The king decorated with dragon deer, the prime minister decorated with phoenix pool, and the minister decorated with goose." It can be seen that the embroidered robes given to Guan Bai by Wu Zetian are mainly birds and animals, and the decorative parts are on the front and back. This practice is symbolic to some extent. As a tangible cultural symbol, it is directly expressed in clothing, which makes it have obvious Chinese etiquette and cultural characteristics. In the Song Dynasty, influenced by Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, people in the Song Dynasty obtained the beauty of elegance by burning gold ornaments and simple clothes, and made detailed and strict regulations on women's clothes. The clothing system in Song Dynasty is closely related to Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism. Clothing in Qing Dynasty is the peak of China's clothing development, and the decorative effect of clothing patterns at this time has also reached its peak. In the Qing Dynasty, the design of patterns inherited the patterns of the twelve chapters, and on the basis of the Eight Auspicious Patterns of the Ming Dynasty, the decorative function of the patterns was incorporated, which made it complicated. During this period, a kind of decoration called "Buzi" appeared on the clothing, with the pattern of "Buzi" representing the dignity of the official position, and the difference of the pattern of "Buzi" reflected the strict hierarchy of the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the hats in Qing Dynasty changed the styles and costumes of previous dynasties, paying attention to the decoration of wearing flower feathers on the hats, and embodying different official positions with different flower feathers. Therefore, if we analyze the differences between the clothing development in Qing Dynasty and the clothing in previous dynasties, it is mainly manifested in the complicated stacking of various clothing decorative patterns and the embodiment of hierarchy concept in the patterns. It can be said that "courtesy" is an important support of China's ancient legal right system. In this process, clothing plays a very important auxiliary role. China's clothing system has been closely linked with China's etiquette thought, which makes the patterns of ancient Chinese clothing develop according to etiquette. Secondly, the ritual system promoted the characteristic development of ancient Chinese costume patterns.
1. Expressed from the content of the pattern theme.
Clothing, as a cultural form, runs through the ancient history of China. From the evolution of clothing, we can see the historical changes, economic development and the evolution of China's cultural aesthetic consciousness. The universality of clothing patterns can be used by the ruling class to impose a ruling system, which has been fully demonstrated in the content of patterns. For example, as mentioned above, ancient clothes have a system of "twelve chapters", and the twelve patterns are sun, moon, star, Chen, mountain, dragon, Han worm (that is, pheasant), algae (water grass) and so on. Each of the twelve patterns has a specific symbolic meaning, such as the sun, the moon and the stars, which are taken from the light as the brilliance of the three lights; The dragon is a symbol of the gods, but at the same time it is unpredictable, taking its meaning to adapt; The mountain symbolizes the majesty of the king; Hua chong (pheasant), taking its literary color, means that the king has the virtue of literature; Zong Yi said that there is a profound knowledge and a strong virtue; Seaweed, a symbol of purity and cleanliness; Fire, pick it up; Powder rice represents rich food; Horseshoe crab is an axe, symbolizing decision; The two works are opposite to each other, symbolizing the distinction between good and evil. Different modes, different grades. The clothes of the son of heaven are all used in Chapter 12. Governors can only use eight kinds of dragons and six kinds of algae, doctors use four patterns of algae, rice and pink rice, and scholars use two patterns of algae and fire. The boundaries are clear and insurmountable. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the decorative patterns of complementary colors used to indicate the rank of official uniforms were the product of the spirit of etiquette and one of the symbols of feudal monarchy.
2. From the pattern color performance
China's traditional dress has a strict color hierarchy, and its color application has distinct specificity, which has become a symbol and symbol of the ruling class's power and grade difference. From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, different dynasties, from rulers to officials, had different clothing patterns and colors. For example, "Zhou Li" stipulates: "The Yellow Emperor is crowned, and the twelve chapters are dressed in black (black) and red (red) dresses. From the duke's point of view, the emperor's clothes will be used first. " The colors of the twelve chapters recorded in Shangshu are: "The mountain dragon is pure green, the Chinese worm is pure yellow, the Zong Yi is pure black, the algae is pure white, and the fire is pure red." In addition, the rulers should wear blue when offering sacrifices to heaven, mystery when offering sacrifices to ancestors, and green when offering sacrifices to mulberry. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the change of dress color has made only the court choose the color, while the dress color in Shu Ren is strictly prohibited. Civilians can only wear cloth, white clothes and soap clothes, so they are called "Ding Bai" and "Thousand Hands". After the middle period of feudal society, the regulations became more and more clear and detailed. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, officials were distinguished by the color of their official uniforms. Except that the emperor can wear yellow clothes, "scholars should not wear red and yellow clothes." In the four years of Zhenguan, two or more products were purple, and five or more products were princesses. Song Yu Fu Zhi stipulates the color of the clothing of officials of civil and military affairs: "Officials of civil and military affairs wear three or more purple colors, four purple colors and five pale colors." Since the Sui Dynasty, yellow has gradually become the special color of the emperor and a symbol of kingship. According to the draft of the history of Qing dynasty, "the robes are bright yellow. The collar and sleeves are blue and gold-edged. Embroidered golden dragon nine. There are twelve chapters, with five-color clouds in between. " This shows that the Qing dynasty was very strict about the shape, production technology, decorative patterns and colors of clothes.
3. From the decorative form.
The pattern decoration of traditional clothing in China is still restricted by customization and stylization to a great extent, and the position of decoration should be based on the requirements or modeling of ancient clothing.
In order to meet the needs of composition, the patterns should be "seated". For example, the Ming Dynasty's "Yu Fu Zhi" records: "From Huang and Yu, Yuan Nong was divided into twelve chapters. Sun, Moon, Stars, Mountains, Dragons and China Insects are in the order of six chapters from top to bottom. Zong Yi, algae, fire, glutinous rice, flounder and glutinous rice are six chapters from bottom to top. " In the third year of Yongle, it was decided that "Yuan Yi has eight chapters, with the sun, the moon and the dragon on the shoulder, the star mountain on the back, fire, insects and Zong Yi on the sleeve ..." The decorative positions of general clothing patterns are mostly centered, symmetrical, echoing and landing. Confucianism said: "Virtue is greater than harmony, and Tao is in the middle." All patterns with specific meanings or symbolic functions are centered, such as the dragon robe in Ming and Qing Dynasties, where the dragon is centered and is orthomorphic. Selected Notes on the History of the Old Five Dynasties: "Be your own master." Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, the tonic was double-breasted, so it is best to divide the tonic into two parts, and not to move the position and left and right, so as to show the social concept and philosophical thought of "moderation" and "founder". Even numbers and corresponding patterns often adopt symmetrical patterns, such as the "water foot" pattern on the hem of dragon robes and embroidered robes in Qing Dynasty. Using symmetrical patterns can produce a stable and correct feeling visually. If the decorative patterns are different, but the contents are interrelated, most of them adopt echo type. For example, the correspondence between the sun and the moon and the correspondence between dragons and phoenixes, which are common in traditional clothing patterns, are interrelated and cooperate with each other in decorative position. This decorative form is common in the application of folk costumes. Ground patterns are widely used in women's clothing decoration, including realistic flowers, geometric skeletons extending in all directions, ground patterns arranged on the ground and so on. , with rich imagination and free arrangement.
To sum up, in ancient China, "ceremony" has transcended the boundaries of spiritual civilization and become an important support of the legal system. In this development process, clothing embodies a very important auxiliary role and has a strong color symbol of "ceremony". Only by deeply exploring and sorting out the traditional costume culture system of our nation can we show the national characteristics and the characteristics of the times in the development of China's costume industry and let the world know and understand China's costume culture further.