Chinese Han Dynasty: Comparing to the Japanese Culture

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Object Comparison
Comparison to the Japanese culture
Contemporary Chinese Artwork: Comparison
Buddhist Cave: Cultural and Religious Interactions
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The art of the Han Dynasty is unique compared to other types of artworks in Chinese culture. When remaining the unique characteristics of the Han Dynasty art, one will realize that, unlike the rest of the artworks, which were quite festive, the Han Dynasty art showed the elements of daily life (Chan 12). The described shift in the tendency to portray luxurious items to the analysis of routine life signified the era of new artistic endeavors in the Chinese culture. Changing the focus to that one of the daily lives of ordinary citizens, the art of the Chinese culture during the Han Dynasty era allowed introducing a significant amount of diversity into the artistic realm.

Main body

The observed change allows understanding the connection between form and function of art pieces in the Chinese culture in much greater detail. While the previous artistic influences also offered the specified opportunity, they seemed to fail to address the opportunity of artistic diversity. In turn, the Han Dynasty art, which was created under the influence of a gigantic technological, economic, and educational breakthrough in the Chinese Empire (“Traditional Chinese Clothing”). Therefore, Han Dynasty art incorporates the elements of different cultures and ideas, embracing the full extent of options in which artistic expression could be achieved.

Object Comparison

The Hanfu dress of the Han Dynasty is quite a unique item of clothing that has very few parallels in other dynasties and eras of the Chinese Empire. Therefore, there are not quite many articles of women’s clothing in the Chinese culture to which the Haifu of the Han Dynasty could be compared. However, Haifu has experienced several minor changes across Chinese dynasties, gaining new elements and altering its shape slightly. Specifically, one may need to consider the changes between the Haifu of the Han Dynasty and the one of the Zhou Dynasty. According to Chan, at the latter time period, Haifu became significantly looser, which could be seen as the reflection of the changes in the social environment of China (p. 41). Namely, the social boundaries for women became slightly less rigid, which could be observed at the level of fashion in the Chinese cultural setting. The Zhou Dynasty Haifu was also characterized by wider sleeves and broader sashes (“Traditional Chinese Clothing”). Thus, the fashion within the Chinese social setting changed, reflecting societal alterations.

Comparison to the Japanese culture

In this essay, Hanfu as an inseparable part of the Han Dynasty art will be compared to a Japanese kimono as an object with a similar purpose and amount of artistic expression. The described art piece is quite similar to kimono, yet there are significant distinctions between the two, mostly concerning the stylistic choices made during the design of each dress. Unlike kimono, which has a very sturdy neckline, Hanfu contains numerous curves that allow emphasizing the airy aesthetics of the dress. The described difference exemplifies how each culture approaches the concept of femininity, with the Japanese philosophy being more inclined toward stressing the rigid social boundaries for women (“Traditional Chinese Clothing”). In addition, the propensity toward the appreciation of luxury is clearly seen in the Chinese Hanfu compared to the simplistic style of the Japanese kimono.

However, both articles of clothing also share several important characteristics. Both types of clothing can be described as linked to the Confucian philosophy since they outline the role and functions of a woman within the Japanese and Chinese society (“Traditional Chinese Clothing”). In addition, both types of clothing are supposed to represent the essence of femininity and delineate gender roles within respective societies. Therefore, Haifu and kimono are quite similar in the ideas that they represent.

Contemporary Chinese Artwork: Comparison

Despite the presence of rigid traditions, the range of clothes that women can wear in China nowadays has been stretched to include a wide variety of items. As a result, Haifu is no longer an item of everyday clothing and, instead, represents a remnant of Chinese history. Nonetheless, there is a distinct correlation between form and function in the art of clothing in modern China nowadays. Unlike Haifu, which was a rather fashionable yet barely practical garment, modern dresses that young Chinese women prefer to wear casual clothes that do not resemble Haifu in the slightest. Specifically, with the expansion of the Chinese economy into the global environment, Western dresses, including T-shirts, jeans, and other items that no longer resemble the prudent garments of the Han era have become ca common choice of clothing among Chinese women (“Traditional Chinese Clothing”). If diving deeper into the specific movements within the modern Chinese society, one may find out that the influence of the hanfu movement has affected the selection of clothes by the women that support it, encouraging them to wear Hanfu dresses that resemble the Haifu ones to a considerable degree (“Traditional Chinese Clothing”). However, the general trend seems to represent a stark contrast to the Haifu dresses.

Buddhist Cave: Cultural and Religious Interactions

The importance of Haifu as one of the items of clothing that delineated the gender roles within Chinese society is still visible in some of the artworks. For example, after visiting Bezeklik Caves, which are typically seen as some of the most notable Buddhist caves, one will notice the depiction of people dressed in Kasayas, which can be seen as the male equivalent of Haifu. Representing clear outlines and at the same time containing the elements that can be linked to luxury and the feeling of airiness, Kasayas depicted on the walls of the Bezeklik caves can be seen as the indication of the increasing importance that Haifu gained in Chinese society not only as an item of clothing but also as the representation o the Chinese philosophy.

Conclusion

With the Chinese culture having retained a significant number of traditions and principles of social interactions from its previous stages of social development, a range of its art pieces reflect the social dynamics between Chinese citizens. Clothes as both an important part of people’s bare necessities and as a unique art form in the Chinese culture remain the proof o the specified social boundaries and reflect the changes in their rigidity. Haifu as one of the classical examples of the Chinese representation of gender roles allows embracing the aesthetics of the Chinese culture, at the same time outlining the key roles that women played in Chinese society. With its airy aesthetics, the dress can be seen as the symbol of femininity in the Chinese interpretation thereof. However, the presence of long and wide sleeves is opposed to a much more restraining style of the Japanese kimono. Therefore, as a type of national clothing, Haifu can be considered an important remnant of the Han Dynasty era.

References

Chan, Jessica Ka Yee. Chinese Revolutionary Cinema: Propaganda, Aesthetics and Internationalism 1949–1966. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.
“Traditional Chinese Clothing.” Cchatty.com, 2018. Web.

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