Echo of Culture in Chinese Fashion - Essay Example

Culture Across different countries, people have certain things that they consider important for them to interact and co-exist effectively. This things define the manner in which people share information, relate with each other and carry one with their normal processes in life. The different factors define their specific way of life in terms of what they eat, what they wear and even their religious affiliation. All the things that define a people’s way of life makes up their culture, in addition it defines the boundaries of their interactions and the extent to which some relationships should be developed. Components of culture Culture is a term that comprises of many factors that define how people interact and carry on with their various activities. Culture plays a central role in the people’s attitudes and their perceptions about various aspects of life, through culture, people are able to wear in certain styles that may not be similar in other parts of the country or world at large. Currently, it is evident that the kind of music and different forms of entertainment in Europe are different from those in Asia, Africa and America. This is because of the underlying beliefs that people in these places have grown to understand. The same perspective is similar for the kind of dressing, communication and other factors in life. Chinese culture Culture, like other aspect of life grows, it is usually passed from one generation to another. A people’s culture is usually preserved in different forms, it is through the songs that are composed by artists, through the books and other kinds of literatures as well as in poems and other stories that are taught to children in subsequent generations. The Chinese culture is one of the oldest cultures that the world celebrates currently and continues to value. The Chinese republic owns a large geographical region in eastern Asia, with people’s traditions and customs varying in great dimensions among the many provinces, cities and towns that exist in the republic. The important components that make up the culture of the Chinese people include literature, music, foods eaten, clothes or fashion, martial arts as well as the kind of religion that is practiced. Values Scholars that studied the specific culture have largely influenced most of the practices evident in different aspects of Chinese people; some of these scholars have influenced people’s thoughts and actions. For Instance, Confucius and Tao are some of the famous scholars, whose contributions to civilization and other patterns of life have influenced not only the Chinese people, but also the whole world at large. Throughout most of the imperial history if China, Confucianism has been the official and widely applied philosophy, in fact, effective mastery of Confucian texts was considered as the most essential criterion that ushered one into imperial bureaucracy. Throughout history, there has been a number of authoritarian strains of thoughts and perceptions that have become influential especially in the Chinese community. The 19th century brought a lot changes, this the time that the European economic and military power was gaining ground as a result, there were many non-Chinese systems of social and political organization prevailing in China. Some of these systems that were thought to bring important reforms ended up rejecting the Chinese cultural legacy completely. Currently, there are still a number of people who still hold and value Chinese cultural legacy while other have been influenced the Western civilization. For a long time, the language that has been dominant in the Chinese republic is classical Chinese, which has been in existence for thousands of years. Initially the language was a preserve for the scholars, intellectuals and associates of the high class. Later on, calligraphy found way into active use, with some of the famous artist becoming valuable and prized assets in the society. By the start of the 20th Century a large part of the Chinese culture remained illiterate, this happened effective communication in most parts of the country. The reformers of this concept set out to establish a national language that could be used effectively by everybody, this led to the establishment of the Beijing-based mandarin, which became the famous spoken form of language. With time, developments in education have seen most Chinese achieving education and managing to run different systems in the society. Fashion and Chinese costumes Fashion is an important part of every culture, it comprises of all forms of dressing and make up by people who practice that type of culture. In China, different social classes have always been characterised by different fashion trends. The yellow and red colors according to the Chinese culture were always reserved for the emperor alone. The history of Chinese fashion history covers hundreds and thousands of years in different arrangements that can be considered to be very colorful. The fashion industry in China has seen much development, with new models being brought out. Many people in different countries have been impressed by modern trends in the Chinese fashion industry. As a matter of fact, many people have sailed and flown all the way to China to ship some of the modern trends that are coming up in the fashion industry. Currently the Cheongsam fashion design has received overwhelming reception not only in the Chinese retail markets in the world as well. Cheongsam This is a type of Chinese fashion that is won by both men and women, it is usually described as body-hugging and comes in one single piece. This fashion is referred to as Cheongsam for women, while the same fashion for men is referred to as Changshan. The fashion has been, and continues to be worn by people across the world, with different names being given to it in those various countries. In English, the fashion is usually called a Mandarin gown, and comes in different designs for both men and women. This style of dress is not very new as most people think it is, in fact this fashion came into existence in 1920 in a place called Shanghai (Kim and Arthur, 12). During this time, the fashion was designed for the socialists and women that formed the upper class part of society and not any other person. During the communist revolt in China, numerous Shanghai tailors escaped to Hong Kong, at this time the word “cheuhngsaam” was used to refer to outfits that were worn by both males and females. The application and use of the word in western cultures follows the Chinese adoption of Cheongsam as a garment that should be used by both genders in the society. The fact that most people have been seen to love and prefer the dress code on various occasions is an indication of how valuable the Chinese culture is around the world. Currently, tailors in China and other countries have been able to model the dress to appeal to different occasions including weddings and uniforms in work places. With many retail shops competing for Cheongsam, it is important to point out that The Chinese culture is one of the most important in the world. Many tailors are continuing to learn how to make different kinds of designed for Cheongsam fashion (Broun, 1), with the expectation that they will be able to benefit from their demand. However, those who cannot design the brands can import them cheaply from different manufacturers in Beijing, Hong Kong and other major retail wholesale and retail outlets in major cities in Asia and parts of Europe. Works Cited Broun, Samantha. “Designing a global brand.” CNN World. 2 June 2012. Web. 30 April 2014. Kim, Soyoung and Arthur, Linda. Asian-American consumers in Hawaii: the effects of ethnic identification on attitudes toward and ownership of ethnic apparel, importance of product and store-display attributes, and purchase intention, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 21.1 2003: 8-18. Print. Appendix 1. Interview with A Chinese costume Fashion Designer – William Jiang Interviewer What are your Full Names? Interviewee William Jiang Interviewer For how long have you been making Chinese costumes and fashion? Interviewee Well I have been in this business for a period of close to forty years now. Interviewer Where do you sell most of your costumes. Interviewee I sell most of my costumes in China, in most of the large cities like Beijing and Hong Kong. At the same time, many people in other countries order for some of the products that I design. Interviewer Tell me about Cheongsam fashion design. Interviewee This is a fashion dress that was highly regarded by a certain class of people in the past, mostly the high class, but nowadays, the fashion has been widely accepted by all kinds of people in China and other parts of the world. In fact, the clothes can be designed to suit different occasions and events. Interviewer what kind of people are meant to wear the fashion design, is it meant for women or men? Interviewee No, this fashion design can be made to suit female and male, there are special deigns for both genders and on different occasions. Interviewer What can you say about the future of Chinese culture, especially fashion Interviewee With the prevailing developments, where most people in other cultures around the world are accepting the Chinese culture, I think the future looks good for other cultural items of the Chinese people Interviewer Thanks for your time, I am well impressed by the Chinese culture and look forward for more to come Interviewee Thanks too Appendix 2. Letter of Introduction The University of Sydney Media and Communications Department Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA Letter of Introduction – Participant Release The bearer ……………………………., Student Number …………………… is a currently enrolled student in the unit of study MECO6914 Making Magazines in the Media and Communications Department, University of Sydney. Every University of Sydney student receives a student card which can verify their status. Our undergraduate and postgraduate coursework involves media production and interviewing work. This is normally production with a news or informational focus. We seek to ensure that all students conduct their work safely, professionally, courteously and legally and students are briefed on ethical and safety issues. The bearer of this letter has requested that you participate in an interview, and either has or will shortly provide you with a Participant Release. The purpose of the interview is for a student assignment (feature journalism). If, however, the feature journalism is of a high enough standard that publication in a newspaper or magazine is possible, the Student will inform the Participant and seek their permission for such use of the interview material. The Participant Release makes it clear that you consent to be interviewed, and that you consent to the student using the recorded material as set out in the Release. (In the case of subjects under 18 there is a special agreement.) Please read the Release carefully and raise any issues you may have with the student. If you consent to be interviewed and for the material to be used, please sign the Release where indicated. It is likely that you will be asked to sign 3 Releases as the student is required to provide you with a copy of the Release, to retain a copy, and to submit a copy with any assignment. We thank you for you support of student work, and the activities of the Department. If you have any concerns of comments related to the activities of our students please contact Making Magazines Unit of Study Coordinator, Dr Megan Le Masurier, 9351 3628, megan.lemasurier@sydney.edu.au Media and Communications Department, University of Sydney, Semester 1, 2014 Appendix 3. Participant Release The University of Sydney Media and Communications Department Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA Participant Release (over 18 years of age) MECO6914 Making Magazines, Semester 1, 2014 Name of Student/s___________________________________________ Student ID/s_________________________________________________ Date of Participation in Media Work_______________________________________________ Work __________________________________________________ I, …………………………………………………..[insert name], the Participant, am over the age of 18 years and consent to (the “Student”) making an audio recording of my interview. I understand that the Recording: will be recorded and transcribed and that selected quotes will be used at the Student’s discretion in a piece of feature length journalism; may provide part of a piece of feature journalism submitted as assignment work, and may be used for archiving, promotional, and/or student festival purposes by the Student or the Media and Communications Department, University of Sydney; and any copyright in the Work remains the property of the student or the University (as the case may be); and I consent to the Student and the University doing so, and consent to the use of my name and any biographical or other material provided by me to the Student. If the feature journalism is of a high enough standard that publication in a newspaper or magazine is possible, the Student will inform the Participant and seek their permission for the use of the interview material. 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