Although there were periods in Chinese history when men wore pants, such as in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) and the Southern and Northern Dynasty (420-589), Chinese menswear has followed an interesting pattern for millennia.
The key elements include a type of robe with lapel (sometimes adjoined by a collar), waistband or belt, and sleeves. The changes in these characteristics set the trends for each dynasty. The most predominant change occurred in the sleeves, which ranged anywhere from narrow to enormous wing-like flaps.
The changshan was originally imposed on Chinese men by the Qing Dynasty, China’s last dynasty (17th-20th centuries), replacing the traditional male dress of the previous dynasty. Changshan simply meant “long shirt.”
Eventually the changshan became the formal dress of Chinese men, who sported it with the magua, or ‘riding jacket’. First called the “victory jacket,” the magua has also become known as the “mandarin jacket” (photo left).
As for grooming during the Qing Dynasty, Han men adopted the practice of shaving part of their heads, braiding the remaining hair into a ponytail.
The men then sported different types of conical caps, depending on the occasion. Color and shape, however, was determined by the man’s grade and social status.
Interestingly, the Qinq Dynasty was founded by the Manchu clan, which was actually not Han but rather Tungus. Manchu menswear differed entirely from that of the Han (photo top).
Today, the Manchu have been completely assimilated and are nearly extinct, although many Han can claim Manchu ancestry.
Photo Sun Yat-sen Public Domain at Wikipedia.
Photo Outu GNU Free Documentation License at Wikipedia.