A historical relic. A cultural theme park. Xi’an, the ancient capital…
历史遗迹。 一个文化主题公园。 西安，古都……
Recently, I had the chance to visit the incredible, historical city of Xi’an and see its many wonders. Many of its most prized locations are all deeply rooted in the city’s history and are a wonder not only to many foreigners, but its own people as well.
最近，我有机会参观了令人难以置信的历史名城西安，并看到了它的许多奇迹。 它的许多最珍贵的地点都深深植根于这座城市的历史，不仅对许多外国人来说是一个奇迹，而且对它自己的人民来说也是一个奇迹。
On my 1st day there, right outside the entrance to the city wall, there was a group of women wearing the traditional Chinese dress, “Hanfu”. I was taken aback to see these flowing robed ladies wandering around amidst the iPhone-toting tourists in jeans and sweatpants.
我在那里的第一天，就在城墙入口外，有一群穿着中国传统服装“汉服”的妇女。 看到这些穿着长袍的女士穿着牛仔裤和运动裤的游客中四处游荡，我大吃了一时。
Were they some mystical time travellers, visiting from the ancient past? They didn’t look the least bit surprised by the modern speed of life. As I studied them, I realised that just because I hadn’t ever seen or noticed at least, anyone wearing traditional Chinese clothing , for the whole day and not just for a picture, didn’t mean it was an anomaly.
他们是一些神秘的时间旅行者，来自古代的过去吗？ 他们对现代生活的速度一点也不惊讶。 当我研究它们时，我意识到，至少我从来没有见过或注意到，有人整天穿着中国传统服装，而不仅仅是为了一张照片，并不意味着这是异常。
The people around me hardly batted an eyelid. I put this strange sighting out of my mind. But then I noticed it again and again. Throughout the 3 days, I spotted so many groups of women wearing traditional Chinese clothing, whether at historical landmarks or just on a regular street, it got me thinking.
我周围的人几乎不眨眼。 我把这种奇怪的景象从我的脑海中趕走。 但后来我一次又一次地注意到它。 在这3天里，我发现很多穿着中国传统服装的妇女，无论是在历史地标还是在普通的街道上，这让我思考。
Haven’t you ever wondered how the clothing we now wear changed, evolved from what it once was centuries ago? Women’s fashion in particular, in China, how did it develop and is it de-evolving now? Will we all soon be donning flowing robes and liking it?
你有没有想过我们现在穿的衣服是如何变化的，从几个世纪前开始演变的？ 尤其是女性时尚，在中国，它是如何发展的，现在是否正在退化？ 我们很快就会穿上飘逸的长袍并喜欢它吗？
Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BCE – 220 CE)
秦朝和汉朝（公元前221年-公元220年）
The first emperor of Qin Dynasty, Qin Shihuang, started a clothing system where people’s ranks and social positions could be interpreted through the clothing they wore. This carried on into the Han dynasty in which the Hanfu began. Literally meaning, “Han clothing”, it goes by many other names, such as Hanzhuang and Huafu.
秦朝第一任皇帝秦始皇建立了一个服装制度，人们的等级和社会地位可以通过他们所穿的衣服来解释。 这延续到汉服开始的汉朝。 字面意思是“汉服”，它还有许多其他名字，如汉庄和华府。
There were four main types of Hanfu clothing, the first being the “Mianfu Robe”. This was traditionally worn by the highest social class, the princes and nobles. Then came the “Shenyi Hanfu”, a one-piece dress that looked more like an overcoat. Its purpose was to cover the body while also being elegant. Then there was the “Runqun Hanfu”, the daily dress for most people, especially women, until the Qing Dynasty. Unlike the Shenyi Hanfu, this was a two-piece outfit that consisted of a short shirt (Ru) and a very long skirt (Qun). With this sounding something similar to that worn by my friends in Xi’an, I wondered why such an ancient style is reasserting itself so strongly at this point in history?
汉服主要有四种类型，第一种是“面袍”。 传统上，最高社会阶层、王子和贵族都穿着这个。 然后是“Shenyi Hanfu”，一件看起来更像大衣的连体连衣裙。 它的目的是遮蓋身體，同時保持優雅。 然后是“润群汉服”，这是大多数人的日常服装，尤其是女性，直到清朝。 与神衣汉服不同，这是一套两件套，由一件短衬衫（Ru）和一条非常长的裙子（Qun）组成。 这听起来和我在西安的朋友穿的相似，我想知道为什么这种古老的风格在历史的这个时刻会如此强烈地重申自己？
Back wandering through the historical wardrobe of ancient China, there came, lastly, the “Duanhe Hanfu”, which was also a two-piece dress, but instead of a skirt, it had a pair of trousers, making it ideal for work and labour. During the Qin dynasty, it generally meant the person was of the lowest social class, but later in the Han Dynasty it was worn by most people.
回到中国古代历史悠久的衣柜里，最后出现了“段和汉服”，它也是一件两件套，但它没有裙子，而是一条裤子，非常适合工作和劳动。 在秦朝时期，这通常意味着这个人是社会最低阶层的，但在汉朝后期，大多数人都穿着它。
Tang Dynasty (618 -907)
唐朝（618-907）
During this time, fashion became a lot more open and the trends would often change because people were more accepting of them.
在此期间，时尚变得更加开放，趋势经常会发生变化，因为人们更容易接受它们。
This is when flower/floral patterns and bright colours became popular with some of the restrictions of the previous times being lifted. Many women wore clothes that showed their arms and chests. During this time, they generally wore an updated version of the Ruqun, one in which they could choose to show their legs or arms and even use some translucent materials.
这是花卉/花卉图案和鲜艳的颜色流行起来的时候，以前的一些限制被取消了。 许多女性穿着露出手臂和胸部的衣服。 在此期间，他们通常穿着更新版的Ruqun，他们可以选择展示他们的腿或手臂，甚至使用一些半透明的材料。
One of the few restrictions in the Tang dynasty was that golden yellow became a taboo; it was only for the emperor and the royal family.
唐朝為數不多的限制之一是，金黃色成為禁忌；它只針對皇帝和王室。
Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368)
元朝（1271 – 1368）
The Mongolians had taken control of China and with them, they brought… cotton! The revolutionary material immediately became very popular with the working class because it was cheap, warm and soft, which made it most practical. It was also a time in clothing where the styles and ideas of different ethnicities in China and Mongolia were combined to make the “Yiseyi” garments.
蒙古人控制了中国，他们带来了……棉花！ 革命性材料立即受到工人阶级的欢迎，因为它便宜、温暖、柔软，使其最实用。 这也是在服装时代，中国和蒙古不同民族的风格和思想被结合在一起，制作了“Yiseyi”服装。
Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911)
清朝（1644 – 1911）
Near the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Hanfu was outlawed, under new rules set down by the Manchu, the semi-nomadic tribe that rose to power in Manchuria. They banned man buns and brought in other fashion laws. According to the website NewHanfu.com, “They shaved their hair and left it in a braid that hung behind their heads, wearing thin horseshoe sleeve clothing, tight socks, and deep boots”. The flowing cotton Runqun Hanfu was banished. There was a huge shift in clothing and hair styles for all people. After banning Han clothing, all Han people in China were to wear a Cheongsam, the long Manchu gown. However, this didn’t last for the entire Dynasty and eventually the restrictions were loosened. Nonetheless, people began to drift towards western fashions, especially after the turn of the 19th century, with foreign visitors of all varieties frequent in the Orient at that time.
在清朝初期，根据满族人制定的新规则，汉服被取缔，满族是满洲里掌权的半游牧部落。 他们禁止了男士包子，并引入了其他时尚法。 根據NewHanfu.com網站，「他們剃光了頭髮，留在辮子上，掛在腦後，穿著薄馬蹄袖的衣服，緊身襪子和深靴。」 流动的棉花润群汉服被驱逐了。 所有人的服装和发型都发生了巨大的变化。 在禁止汉族服装后，中国所有汉族人都要穿长袍，即满族长袍。 然而，这并没有持续整个王朝，最终放松了限制。 尽管如此，人们开始转向西方时尚，特别是在19世纪之交之后，当时各种外国游客经常来到东方。
Modern Day (1912-)
现代（1912-）
In the mid 20th century, as China became more open to the world, their clothing also began to become more and more western. Today, many Chinese women wear a more modern style of the Qipao for their wedding ceremony, but wear what we would consider to be “normal” clothing the rest of the time.
在20世纪中叶，随着中国向世界更加开放，他们的服装也开始变得越来越西方。 如今，许多中国女性在婚礼上穿着更现代风格的旗袍，但其余时间都穿着我们认为是“正常”的衣服。
But these women in Xi’an were at ease in their Hanfu. What if the people hadn’t drifted towards western staples of fashion? Wouldn’t it be nice to feel the wind brush past a flowing Hanfu skirt and feel like that is normal?
但西安的這些女人在漢服中很自在。 如果人们没有转向西方时尚主食呢？ 感受吹拂在飄逸的漢服裙上，感覺這很正常，這不是很好嗎？
As time moves on, it’s easier to evolve with it and forget how things used to be. But going back isn’t always a bad thing, sometimes it’s what we need to do to reconnect. So, while time is moving on, it seems that the Hanfu is coming back.
随着时间的不断发展，更容易随着时间的发展而发展，并忘记过去的情况。 但回去并不总是一件坏事，有时我们需要做的是重新联系。 所以，当时间在前进时，汉服似乎要回来了。