Zhongnanhai Leaders' Costumes

He is the chief costume designer of the leaders of the Republic of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping.

The Mao style tunic, which he pioneered, has milestone significance in the history of Chinese business casual wear.

So how did Tian Atong enter Zhongnanhai? What unforgettable memories did he have in the career of tailor for more than half a century?

Mao Zedong -- "visual observation" tailoring

In 1925, Tian ATUN was born in a peasant family in Sha Jia Bang, Changshu, Jiangsu.

At the age of 13, he was introduced by a relative to a Fenghua master in Shanghai, where he studied tailors.

3 years later, Tian ATUN applied for a garment company in Nanjing East Road, Shanghai.

Here, he not only made suits, made leather, made cheongsam, but also made all kinds of fashionable ladies' dresses.

With his intelligence and diligence, Tian Tong became the top seamstress in Shanghai.

Not long after, he owned his own "Tian Tong Tong clothing store" on the road to Nanjing, a famous commercial street in Shanghai.

After the liberation of Shanghai, Tian Tong was hired as a senior technician in a clothing company in Shanghai.

One day in 1956, Tian ATO notified him to attend the meeting of Shanghai Light Industry Bureau.

The conference was chaired by a retired serviceman who participated in the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea.

To Tian Tung's surprise, there was only one topic for the conference: to make a Chinese tunic suit for the ex serviceman.

Actually, the retired soldier was a tailor appointed by the higher authorities to dress for the central leaders.

Making clothes for him is actually a special examination.

Tien Tung noticed that the shoulder of the retired soldier was different from that of the ordinary person. He was about to be injured. It was rather difficult to make a fitting jacket.

A few days later, when the experts compared the works they had handed in, they did not have any trouble.

The small cloth striped to the garment on the top is clearly written in the three words "Tian Tong".

Perhaps the clothes made by Tian Tong are very well fitted. The ex serviceman simply commissioned Tian Atong to pick 11 fashion designers in Shanghai to enter Beijing and enter the red capital fashion company, which was specially established to make official duties and life clothes for the leaders of the country.

Tian Tung began his career of making costumes for leaders of the country for more than half a century.

The central office has repeatedly told Tian An to do a good job of keeping secrets.

Mao Zedong liked to wear Chinese tunic suits from Jinggangshan, and the clothes made by Tian ATUN were naturally not the Zhongshan costume.

As the saying goes, "tailoring", it is necessary to measure the size of the human body.

However, Tian Ya Tong made an exception for Mao Zedong this time.

For safety reasons, tailors who make clothes for Mao Zedong can not get close to him. Naturally, they can not talk about "tailoring". They can only solve the problem by "visual inspection".

This is undoubtedly a great test for tailors.

When Tian Tong was led by the staff to Mao Zedong's study in Zhongnanhai, it was already 12 o'clock in the evening.

Although Tian Ya Tong has never made clothes through "visual inspection", but with decades of experience, he stood 5 meters away from Mao Zedong, a "visual observation" success.

The size is measured, and the next step is how to do it.

At that time, the staff gave Tian An Tong two pieces of Mao Zedong's old clothes, but Tian did not have a picture of gourd.

For the first time, he made clothes for Mao Zedong, and Tian Tong personally selected the fabrics and colors. According to the characteristics of Mao Zedong's broad forehead, big face and big build, the traditional Chinese tunic style was modified.

Ordinary Chinese tunic suits have higher collar and smaller collar.

In order to make Mao Zedong feel comfortable and not lose the style of greatness, Tian Tong has designed a new type of collar, which is about to turn the small collar into a long and long new type of collar, and increase the neckline to 46 centimeters according to the characteristics of Mao Zedong's neck.

In order to make Mao Zedong's sturdy figure more outstanding, he also made the coat wider and the back slightly wider, the rear piece was slightly longer than the front piece, while the shoulder part was slightly narrower than the conventional one, the middle waist slightly depressed, and the cuff cage was also raised a little bit more than the conventional one.

In order to maintain a high level of clothing, Tian Tung has paid special attention to manual operation in making clothes.

After a day and a half of work, a set of Mao Zedong's "big tip Zhongshan suit", which was made of atmosphere and noble and unique oriental culture, was announced.

When Mao Zedong put on this suit, the original body was more upright and more attractive.

The staff at the scene saw the applause.

Mao Zedong was also very satisfied with the clothes made by Tian Tong, and specially wore this Zhongshan suit as a standard of half body.

This standard, which was later hung on the Tiananmen City, became a standard picture of a great man who is known all over the world.

Liu Shaoji, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De also appreciate the suit made by Tian Tong for Mao Zedong. They all ask Tian Atong to make such a dress for himself.

When they put on the Chinese tunic made by Tian Tong, they all praised Tian Atong's "comfortable and beautiful" clothes.

The Chinese national leaders wore the Zhongshan clothing made by Tian Tong to make frequent appearances on various occasions, which naturally attracted the attention of the outside world. The name of the Mao Zhongshan suit spread all over the world.

Later, the design of the ten Marshal costume was also affected by the "Mao Zhongshan suit".