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The tunic suit has dominated Chinese fashion for many
years and is known to Westerners as the “Mao tunic” or “Mao suit”. It is a
mistake, however, to associate the style with Mao Zedong.
For it is called by the Chinese themselves “Zhongshan Zhuang” or “Zhongshan
suit” as it was a uniform that Dr. Sun Yat-sen (better known among the
Chinese as Sun Zhongshan) liked to wear and recommended to the people of the
country.
It was customary in ancient times to change the styles of the people’s
clothes whenever a new dynasty replaced an old one. The 1911 Revolution led
by Dr. Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty and founded the Republic of
China. Members of his Nationalist Party proposed to change the national
costume. During the discussions, Dr. Sun favored the casual dress prevalent
in Guangdong Province but proposed certain modifications. A designer worked
on his ideas and produced the tunic with four pockets and a turned-down
collar, closed all down the middle with five buttons. It looked simple and
tasteful and gave an air of sedateness. From then on Dr. Sun set a personal
example by wearing the tunic suit on various occasions. It did not take long
before the style became fashionable all over the country. |
