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The ethnic Han cultural tradition had been the dominant factor in Chinese costume throughout its long history. Notwithstanding that, Chinese costume managed to assimilate features from other races, developing and evolving all the time. By the Ch’ing Dynasty period, further changes were introduced by the ruling Manchu race, injecting fresh ideas into the Chinese costume and in the process bringing it to a new level. As such this research will begin by understanding the “latent” and “apparent” elements in Ch’ing period dresses, followed by an analysis and discussion about the motifs as an element, through which creative inspiration may be garnered so as to be applied to products in various fields.
Each dynasty in Chinese history had had some indelible and unique influence in Chinese costume, but the changes instituted by the Manchus following their establishment of Ch’ing rule were the most drastic and long-lasting in impact. The changes were initially as a result of the Manchu’s desire to assert their authority over the ethnic Hans, and later, due to the encroachment of western culture. Hence, one can see in Ch’ing period costume classical elements of Han dresses during the Ming period, but at the same time, the ethnic style of the Manchu race, incorporated with western craftsmanship. Thus it can be said that the Ch’ing dynasty produces arguably the finest costumes among all of China’s dynasties.
Throughout the course of compilation and collation of the materials, it was apparent that Ch’ing period motifs were abundant in quantity and variations. Yet consistently incorporated in them were certain traditional ideas. Foremost among them was the concept of “fortune”, a reflection of the people’s desire for the intangible prosperity as well as material needs. This has in turn provided modern designs with a remarkably wide scope of imagination.
At the same time as researching into the design elements of Ch’ing costume motifs, plans were also under way to apply the concepts into modern designs. First of all Ch’ing ornaments and accessories and shoes served as models for the design, using modern design tools, of three items including the portable multimedia broadcast device and shoes with nostalgia as the theme. They were submitted, respectively, to the Lite-On Awards 2005 and the International Creative Footwear and Bags Design Awards 2005, with the entry in the latter competition admitted for final selection. Furthermore, four fashion designs are created, combining the use of Ch’ing motifs with modern fahsion trends.
Apart from exploring the evolution and characteristics of Ch’ing costume, this paper also focus on the interpretation and modification of Ch’ing concepts during fashion design process, so that it can be fully embraced in the design of modern fashion. For the professional designer, this research hopes to establish the framework for cultural design that will inspire modern designs, and through which the spiritual essence, cultural values and artistic styles may be assimilated into modern fashion and designs.
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