Shenyi

The shenyi was the dominant form of Chinese dress worn from the Zhou dynasty to the Han dynasty.[4][5] The shenyi is a one-piece style which was first developed during the Warring States Period (in Eastern Zhou)[10] and was further developed into the Han Dynasty robe.[1] It is the combination of the upper garment (衣 yi) and a skirt (裳 chang) sewn together.[11] Prior to the introduction of the shenyi, people prominently wore the combination of short jacket and long skirt (衣裳 yichang or 襦裙 ruqun) in the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties.[10][12]

At that period, the style of clothing was deeply rooted in the traditional Chinese ethics and morals which forbid close contacts between males and females.[1] In the Book of Rites (also known as Liji), there is a special chapter which details the making of the shenyi,[1][13] which stipulates that the shenyi is "one long robe; that it have broad sleeve openings; that its circumference at the waist be three times that of the sleeve-opening and that of its hem be even larger; that it have a youren opening".[14] The shenyi is also tied right below the waist with a silk ribbon, called dadai or shendai, on which a decorative piece can be attached to.[1] Twelve robes excavated from a Mashan tomb belonging to an anonymous lady who died sometime between 340 and 278 B.C. were all cut in the approximate style of shenyi whether they were padded with silk floss (mianpao), single in layer (danyi) or lined (jiayi).[14]

• 
  A tomb figurine representing an attentant, wearing a shenyi of its period, Warring States Period (475–221 BC), Shanghai Museum.

The shenyi grew in popularity during the transition from the Warring States period to the Former Han dynasty and its shape deviated further from its earlier description.[14] In the Han dynasty, the shenyi had wide sleeves and evolved into two types of robe: the qujupao (Chinese: 曲裾袍; also known as "curved gown") and the zhijupao (Chinese: 直裾袍, also known as chan or yu or chanyu (Chinese: 襜褕), "straight gown" in English).[1] These two robes differed from each other based on their front opening and the way the lapels overlapped: qujupao would curve and wraps the dress to the back[14] while the font opening of the Zhijupao would fall straight down.[14]

Although the Zhijupao was popular in the Han dynasty, it was not allowed to be worn as a ceremonial wear, for wearing outside of the house or for receiving guests at home.[1] When trousers with crotches started to be worn, replacing the trousers without crotches, the shorter-version of Zhijupao (which is long enough to see trousers without seeing the crotch area; e.g. knee-length) replaced the qujupao.[15] Examples of shenyi worn in the Han dynasty can be seen in the archeological artefacts excavated from Mawangdui tomb in museums.[4][16][5][17]

Of note, there have been gradual changes but clear distinctions in the form of the shenyi between the early and late period of the Western Han dynasty.[10] For example, in the early Western Han, women wore body-hugging shenyi which was floor length with wide and long sleeves, long enough to cover the hands, the quju-style shenyi became nearly obsolete by the middle of the Western Han dynasty; and by the late Western Han dynasty, the garments were straight rather than spiralled.[10] In the Eastern Han dynasty, very few people wore shenyi.[18] The shenyi lost popularity in the later dynasties until it was revived again the Song dynasty.[17][19]

• Images of Shenyi (Qujupao and Zhijupao) from Zhou to Han dynasties.
• 
  Terracotta army statue, Qin dynasty
• 
  Fresco of two Men from a Han Dynasty Tomb in Sian, Shensi
• 
  Men and women dressing the Han dynasty shenyi, mural from late Western Han dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD) or Xin dynasty era (9–25 AD) in Dongoing County.
• 
  A lady in Zhijupao, Western Han. The layers of clothing are designed to show the multiple layers of garments worn.
• 
  Mawangdui Han Gown
• 
  Mawangdui Han Gown
• 
  Maid figurine wearing qujupao, Mawangdui Han Tombs, Changsha, Hunan.
• 
  Eastern Han dynasty wearing shorter-version of zhijupao (knee-length) and trousers with crotches under the robe.[20]

In the Song dynasty, Neo-Confucian philosophies determined the conduct code of the scholars.[21] The Neo-Confucians re-constructed the meaning of the shenyi, restored, and re-invented it as the attire of the Neo-Confucian scholars in order to distinguish themselves from other scholars who came from school of thoughts.[17] Some Song dynasty scholars, such as Sima Guang and Zhu Xi, made their own version of the scholar gown based on The book of Rites, while other scholars such as Jin Lüxiang promoted it among his peers.[19] However, the shenyi used as a scholar gown was not popular in the Song dynasty and was even considered as "strange garment" despite some scholar-officials appreciated it.[17][19]

• 
  Song Confucian scholar Su Shi

In the Ming dynasty, in line with the attempt of the Hongwu Emperor to replace all the foreign clothing used by the Mongols of Yuan, and the support of the Chinese elites, the shenyi rose in popularity.[17] It became a symbol of status and Han ethnicity (as it was devoid of all foreign influence); the shenyi also denoted Chinese intellectual pride and superiority.[17] In Ming, it was widely worn by scholars and officials.[17]

• 
  Ming man wearing shenyi
• 
  Ming man wearing shenyi.
• 
  Ming dynasty man wearing shenyi
• 
  Ming dynasty Shenyi.

The qujupao was a cross-collared long robe, long enough to cover the ankles; its right front piece was cut as a triangular front piece that crossed in front of the body and has rounded under hem.[1][10][15] The qujupao's collar was deliberately made low so that layers of the undergarments could be exposed.[15] The qujupao would curve and wraps the dress to the back[14] and the contrasting or decorative edging of the robe would create a spiralling effect when encircling the body.[10]

The front opening of the Zhijupao would fall straight down instead of having a curving front,[14] which differed from the qujupao.