Chinese National Costume Culture -- Naxi National Costume Culture

　 Introduction to Naxi costumes

Naxi people: Naxi women are famous for their diligence, ability, virtue and kindness. Their tradition Clothes & Accessories It has distinctive national characteristics and has formed its own unique style.

Costumes vary from place to place: Naxi women in Dayan, Lijiang County wear wide sleeved cloth gowns with large front, cuffs rolled to elbows, and purple or navy waistcoats; Under the trousers, the waist is tied with an apron sewn with black, white and blue cotton cloth, with pleats on the top and a sky blue wide edge on the bottom; The back is covered with "seven star sheepskin", with two long white strips sewn on the upper end of the sheepskin, which are draped over the shoulder, interlaced in front of the chest and tied behind the waist. The sheepskin shawl is elegant and generous, which can not only play a decorative role, but also warm the body and protect the body, so as to prevent the damage to the shoulder and back caused by rain and work. Sheepskin shawl is an important symbol of Lijiang Naxi women's clothing. It is generally made of a whole piece of pure black sheepskin. It is cut into the upper part and the lower part. The upper part is sewn with a 6 cm wide black edge, and the lower part is nailed with seven circular cloth plates of colored embroidery in a horizontal row. Two white sheepskin ribbons are hung at the center of the circle, representing the Big Dipper, commonly known as "wearing the stars and the moon," which symbolizes the recruitment of Western women to come out early and return late, wearing the stars and the moon, to show their diligence. Another view is that the upper and lower round sheepskin is cut in imitation of the shape of a frog, while the disk on the back is called "Bamao" by Naxi, which means "the eyes of a frog". This is the product of the Naxi nationality formed after the integration of the indigenous farmers of Lijiang who worship frogs and the ancient Qiang people who worship sheep.

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　　 Naxi Costume History

Naxi people live in China Yunnan In the northwest of Sichuan Province and the southwest of Sichuan Province, Lijiang Naxi Autonomous County and Lugu Lake area at the junction of Sichuan and Yunnan are the two main settlements of the Naxi nationality, and the rest are scattered in Zhongdian, Weixi, Yongsheng, Yanbian, Yanyuan, Muli and Mangkang, Tibet. This is the Hengduan Mountains area, which is backed by the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and facing the Yunnan Guizhou Plateau. It is a beautiful, mysterious and rich "Shangri La" with magnificent mountains and rivers, beautiful scenery, simple folk customs and rich cultural heritage. Today, the ancient city of Lijiang, where Naxi people live together, has been listed as a world cultural heritage, attracting attention at home and abroad.

The ancient Naxi people wore short clothes and trousers for men and short clothes and long skirts for women. In Weixi area, men's trousers are no more than knees, and women's skirts cover knees. No matter men or women, most of them don't wear shoes and socks, while women wear flowered cloth belts with a piece of sheepskin or felt. Before the Qing Dynasty, the color of Naxi's folk clothes was mainly black and white. Most young people wore white, while the elderly wore black, because black meant dignity. The chieftains, on the other hand, had luxurious official uniforms and caps given by the imperial court. They wore them when meeting officials, welcoming guests, and paying respects to guests. They seldom wore them at ordinary times. At home, they often wore long gowns and mandarin jackets made of black brocade, and melon petal hats. The skirt worn by the wife and daughter of the chieftain is as long as the back of their feet to show their dignity.

Since the early years of Yongzheng, under the influence of the policy of "changing the land and returning to the mainstream", successive officials in the Qing Dynasty have repeatedly ordered the Naxi people to change customs, so the clothing of the Naxi people has undergone great changes. By the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the clothing of men in Lijiang area was basically the same as that of the neighboring Han people, wearing long gowns, mandarin coats or short shirts with opposite skirts, and trousers. Women's clothing, except for the custom of wearing skirts in some places, has changed to trousers, but the whole clothing still has distinctive national characteristics.

　 Naxi women's clothing

There are two types of Naxi women's clothing.

Lijiang area

The first one is in Lijiang, where there are many people wearing it and it is widely distributed. The Naxi women in Lijiang wear braids, handkerchiefs or hats. Generally, the upper garment with vertical collar and right lapel is worn inside. Cloth buttons, long sleeves, wide waist, short front and long back, made of blue, white and other fabrics. The outer cover is a waistcoat with a lapel collar sewn with cotton or wool cloth or corduroy in light lake blue, blue, purple red, big red, black and other colors, and it is tied with an apron or skirt. Under the black or blue, gray trousers, feet wear embroidered shoes, cloth shoes or rubber shoes, back wearing seven star sheepskin back decoration. This sheepskin back decoration is the most distinctive part of Naxi women's clothing, with exquisite workmanship and unique shape. The seven patterns of the sun, moon and stars on it are embroidered with colored threads and decorated on the surface of the sheepskin back in two rows.

Zhongdian Baidi

The second is found in Zhongdian Baidi. The Naxi women there have long hair tied behind their heads or braided in long braids, and are decorated with round silver medals with patterns. Wear a white linen gown with a long fork and a placket. The placket edge is black and colored embroidery is added. The waist is a belt with a black background and colored checkered flowers and hanging hair strands. A long pleated skirt with colored stripes and trousers, felt shoes or boots, and white suede on the back. Its clothes are simple and elegant in color, simple and generous. Naxi women everywhere generally wear earrings, rings and bracelets, and some wear silver whiskers on their chest. The clothes and accessories are well matched, natural and harmonious, very elegant.

The sheepskin back decoration of Naxi women is the most distinctive part of their clothing, which contains rich cultural connotation. This kind of back decoration is made of sheepskin and draped on the back, so it is commonly known as "sheepskin shawl". Sheepskin shawls are mostly made of black and white sheep or goat skins, which are repeatedly kneaded and cut. The shape and system of sheepskin shawls in different regions are different. Naxi women's sheepskin shawls in Zhongdian, Weixi and other places have almost no decoration. The sheepskin shawls of Naxi women in Lijiang are best in pure black, with a section of black pulu (woolen goods) or black woolen cloth on the top, sky blue cotton cloth on the lining, and seven pairs of leather strips on the bottom {page_break}

There are seven round colored thread embroidery cloth trays arranged side by side, and two round colored thread embroidery cloth trays are also arranged on the shoulder of the traditional sheepskin shawl. When wearing it, the front two embroidered cloth ribbons are used to tie the front of the chest, and the end of the belt is embroidered with patterns such as conch, water waves, potted flowers, lanterns, bees, butterflies, etc., as well as group figures of people dancing hand in hand. It is said that it is a symbol of the rush of the Naxi people like bees and butterflies, and the fervent feelings of exchanging hard work for a sweet life.

Naxi sheepskin shawls are mainly worn by women, and men used to wear them in the past. This shawl first originated from the nomadic life of the Naxi ancestors, and its development has gone through three stages. In ancient times, the sheepskin shawl was the main cold proof tool of the Naxi ancestors. At that time, the Naxi people were nomadic tribes in the mountains, mainly grazing. They stripped the sheepskin and hung it on their shoulders to keep out the wind and cold. Due to the need to carry heavy loads for labor, the sheepskin shawl has another function of carrying and backing. With the further development of social culture and the improvement of people's aesthetic awareness, the sheepskin shawl has begun to develop in the direction of applicability and beauty, and the function of decoration has become increasingly prominent, which has become a unique dress of Naxi women today.

Naxi men's clothing

The traditional clothing of Naxi men can be divided into two types: one is seen in Lijiang, and the other is seen in Lijiang

In the Sanba area of Zhongdian. The Naxi men in Lijiang wear short hair, felt hats or wrapped heads. Felt hat There is a half curled hat named Magpie Nest Hat, which is very smart and unique. Wear linen and cotton clothes inside the upper body, and wool felt or sheepskin waistcoat outside. Wear black or blue trousers, waist band, cloth shoes and leather shoes. The Naxi men in the Sanba area of Zhongdian wear linen clothes and trousers. The clothes are right lapel or opposite lapels, long sleeved coats, and the clothes are long to the abdomen, wrapped with red cloth. The Naxi men's clothing in various places is simple, bright and natural.

　　 Characteristics of Naxi costumes

The unmarried girls of Naxi nationality like to wear long braids behind their waists, or wear headscarves and hats. Women also like to wear earrings, rings, silver or jade bracelets, gold and silver necklaces and other accessories.

Most of the large lapel women's jackets of the Naxi nationality in Lijiang are cloth gowns. The basic structure is large sleeves, no collar, sandwich, short in the front and long in the back. When wearing, roll the cuff up to the elbow, add a waistband with waistcoat and pleats, and wear a "sheep cloak" on the back. Because the altitude, temperature, water, grass, mountain and forest conditions in Lijiang are suitable for the development of animal husbandry, cattle and sheep fur has become an important part of Naxi costumes. In the ancient Dongba Sutra "Welcoming Dongge God", it is described that "heaven and earth move, two brothers and sisters are born, and they become a family. They herd white sheep, use wool as clothing and blankets, and wool as hats and belts..." Up to now, the "sheepskin clothing" of Naxi women is still a major symbol of national costumes. Sheepskin is called "Youyue" in Panaxi language. It is made of pure sheepskin with black fur, processed by tanner, glutinous rice flour, etc., and then made according to the genre. Sew the "Youyouguan" (sheepskin neck) made of black wool or black Pulu, decorated with seven pieces of "Youyoumiao" (sheepskin eyes) made of round colorful velvet embroidery, and then sew the "Youyouchung" (sheepskin whiskers) made of seven groups of fine white sheep leather strips, and a pair of "Youyouhuo goods" (sheepskin straps) made of white cloth. It is embroidered with blue butterfly patterns. One end is tied to the back of the sheepskin, and the sheepskin is draped on the back. The straps are crossed in front of the chest, and then the sheepskin is fastened from the lower end after winding back. The tail naturally hangs down, similar to the "tail", which is very similar to the "sheepskin" in Dongba. The belt of the Naxi Mosuo women in Ninglang is made of many wide strips of cloth, which are wrapped around the waist layer by layer, and the width can reach more than 20 cm. Under the belt is a wide pleated skirt.

In the Naxi ethnic costumes represented by Dayan Ancient Town, Lijiang County, unmarried women usually comb their hair or wear a long hair band to identify their shoulders, while married women wear a bun on their head and like to wear blue hats. In terms of clothing, the upper body is dressed in a gown with wide waist and large sleeves. The front part reaches to the knee, the back part reaches to the shin, and the front part is short and the back part is long. When wearing it, the cuff is rolled up to the elbow, plus the waistcoat, the trousers are worn under it, and the pleated apron is sewn with black, white, blue cotton cloth. From the waist to the knee, it is shaped like a fan, and the feet wear boat shaped embroidered shoes. The collar, sleeve and placket are embroidered with lace, which is simple and generous. As the Naxi nationality is deeply influenced by the Han nationality, the men's clothing is basically the same as that of the Han nationality. They wear long gowns, mandarin coats or short shirts with opposite skirts and trousers. Women's clothing, except for the custom of wearing skirts in some places, has changed to trousers, but the whole clothing. It still has distinctive national characteristics.

The most distinctive feature of Naxi women's clothing is the seven star sheepskin shawl behind them. Seven embroidered round cloth circles with a diameter of about two inches are nailed on the shawl side by side, with a pair of tassels in each circle. The origin of this dress has many different views. It is generally said that it represents seven stars, which means "wearing the stars and wearing the moon". It is said that the round cloth circle is embroidered with silk thread, which is an exquisite star map, and the hanging spike represents the light of stars. It is said that in ancient times, a hardworking, capable, intelligent and beautiful Naxi girl named Yinggu fought with the drought demon king for nine days and died of exhaustion. In order to commend Yinggu's brave behavior, the three gods of white sand squeezed the seven cold suns swallowed by the drought demon in the snow dragon into seven round stars, which were embedded on Yinggu's top shirt. Later, Naxi girl imitated Yinggu and nailed the seven star pattern on her shawl, It symbolizes diligence and courage. There is another saying that the Naxi people have regarded frogs as the gods of wisdom since ancient times and can solve people's crises. Therefore, those round patterns represent the eyes of frogs, which is a historical relic of frog totem worship. {page_break}

The clothes of Mosuo people in Ninglang area have other characteristics. Mosuo women like to use yak tails or threads to make thick wigs, wear intertwined cloth wrapped heads, wear short shirts on the upper body, and wear very wide skirts below. The waist is wound layer by layer with a long wide cloth strip.

Naxi women like to wear bracelets, earrings and other accessories.

　 Changes of Naxi costumes

The environment and climate are the main reasons for the "thick" characteristics of Naxi costumes.

Man is the product of the environment. In the long process, in order to adapt to the environment, human beings tried their best to understand and transform nature, and created a brilliant culture. Clothing is the direct result of this adaptive choice. The ancients put clothing at the top of "clothing, food, housing and transportation", which shows that clothing is one of the important achievements of human primitive civilization.

"Thick and heavy" is a relatively stable and common feature in the changes of Naxi costumes. Taking the traditional women's clothing in Lijiang dam area as an example, the first layer of the upper body is a shirt, the second layer is a sandwich coat, with the back hem reaching to the lower leg, and the third layer is a duffel "Pukan Jian". The fourth layer is "Seven Star Sheepskin". The lower part of the body is the trousers, the tail of the coat and the apron. The head is a hemispherical headband with thickened lining cloth and widened sunshade. Roughly calculated, a set of traditional clothes can weigh as little as seven or eight kilograms, or more than ten kilograms.

When discussing the causes of this "thick" feature, we can see the living environment and climate factors of the Naxi nationality area. According to historical records, the Naxi nationality moved southward from the Yellow River basin around the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and reached the Yalong River and Jinsha River basins at the latest before the Qin Dynasty. This area is a typical Hengduan mountain area. Its climate is characterized by "cold in the morning and evening, sun at noon". It is cool and cold in summer. In order to resist the cold wind, they wear heavy clothes.

As mentioned earlier, Naxi's clothing is characterized by "thick", which is inevitably "clumsy", and "clumsy" is difficult to be accepted by today's young people. This has become a major obstacle in the inheritance of national costumes. A few years ago, the relevant departments took the lead in reforming the traditional clothing. Most people chose new clothes with light and bright fabrics, which were really brilliant for young women. But every time I see Miss Lijiang tour guide putting a thick windbreaker on the cover of beautiful national costumes in the morning and evening, needless to say, from their frozen red faces, it can be seen that the new style clothes meet the needs, but can not achieve the purpose of keeping out the cold. This is also an important reason why it is difficult to popularize modern clothes today.