Tujia Costumes

After the Qin and Han Dynasties, the costume of the ancestors of the Tujia ethnic group had strong national characteristics. The "Wuling man" and "five streams of men" and "good five colors" described in the book of Han Dynasty show the aesthetic tendency of the ancestors of the Tujia people to "beautiful" clothes.

By the Southern Song Dynasty, the brocade industry, which had been flourishing in the Tang Dynasty, had entered the heyday. At the same time, the costumes made of multicolored brocade became the most favorite of the Tujia people.

Custom is used for quilt or dress, or towel, so it is also called "Tong cloth".

There are also many records of "Daming Yitong Zhi" and "Longshan County annals" during the Tongzhi period.

The costumes of the Tujia people advocating beautiful costumes continued until the Qing Dynasty changed the territory and returned to the stream.

Before the restoration of the soil, the Tujia dress was followed by the old custom: "men and women hang hair, short clothes and feet".

(Qing Emperor Qianlong "Yongshun Fu Zhi").

In the twenty years of Qianlong, the image of the Tujia nationality was clearly presented in the form of a sketch in the Emperor Huang Gong Gong Tu: at this time, some Tujia men in Yongshun, Baojing and other regions began to wear trousers, the coat was a round necktie, the clothes were long to thigh, the Baotou towels were girdled, and the leggings were girdled; women were "high bun spire girls", wearing short collar and short gowns, and wearing a pair of waist vest, under the knee pleated skirts, with cloth wrapped legs.

In 2001, a well preserved Ming Dynasty Tujia female corpse was unearthed in Zhangjiajie. So far, it can see the earliest Tujia women's dress objects, which is almost identical with the Tujia women's clothes painted in the Huangqing Gong Gong Tu and documentary materials.

Although the unearthed jackets were handed over to the right side, the "Huangqing Gong Gong Tu" drew a pair of collar and short gowns, and both of them were the typical dress patterns of women in the Ming Dynasty in China.

Only the length of the clothes is shorter than the length of the Han noble women. This is because the Ming Dynasty has strict regulations on the costumes of the people: "the clothes of the common people are 5 inches away from the ground".

It can also be seen that in the long term exchanges with the Han nationality, Tujia culture and Han culture convergence.

The pleated skirt of the Tujia "men and women" has retained the legacy of ancient times.

In our ancient history records, there are "clothes, barriers, and so self shielding".

This is the oldest style of skirt, similar to the shape of apron, for a curtain pattern.

"Turning the soil into the stream" has become an important turning point of Tujia costumes.

At that time, the Qing government sent a stream of officials to prohibit the custom of the chieftain period, including clothing.

Yuan Chengchong, the Yongshun magistrate, was enacted in eight years of Yong Zheng: "clothing should be divided into men and women". Baojing county magistrate is also "limited to one year. When the people are in the age of good luck, the Han people are dressed in color at the wedding and funeral banquet."

From then on, the appearance of men and women in the Tujia costume was completely changed. Men were changed to dress by piercing flower dress, while women wore full dress and Han skirt, that is, eight pairs of robes.

During this period, because the Han merchants brought large quantities of imported cloth into the Tujia area, the quality and price of the cloth were gradually replaced by the cloth and plaques of the Tujia people themselves.

Tapestry is no longer used for clothing except for blankets or children's cover skirts.

Most of the Tujia people's costumes are very simple. According to local records of Tujia ethnic groups in Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing and Guizhou, Tujia costumes are simple and simple.

At this time, the Tujia dress is no longer as bright as before. The custom of "five color spotted clothes" gradually evolved to "simple and simple", just like the Tujia folk proverb: "tasty, but tea is tasty, but looks good."

However, Tujia clothing has been influenced and integrated by external cultures in its external form, but the soul of the Tujia nationality is retained in its soul, mainly in totem worship, craft characteristics and unique aesthetic vision.