An Insight into China through Chinese Costumes

　　Clothing, whose basic function is to shield the human body from the outside world, has been considered as a daily necessity ever since ancient times. However, a closer look at the clothes worn by people today reveal the fact that both the materials and styles of clothing have been changing towards the aim of satisfying human needs. These transformations invariably exhibit the level of people's material life, which has been especially true in China since the implementation of its opening-up and reform policy.

　　When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the whole country was in a state of devastation, with a sagging production and a high unemployment rate. Further plagued by a terrible flood, people all over the country were living miserable lives. Faced with so many problems and difficulties, they paid little attention to their clothing, which were extremely simple at that time. Nearly all the countrymen wore Tang-style costumes (traditional Chinese clothing), while the townspeople dressed in long gowns or "qipao" (cheongsams, which are dresses with a high neck and a slit skirt).

　　Within years, Chinese people's costumes took on a brand-new look. Blue and gray cadre suits, white shirts, and thin coats could be seen everywhere, and the styles also changed, though retaining their simple and conservative character. What was behind the transformations?

　　The 1950s witnessed enormous development in the country's economy, with the carrying out of the First Five-year plan of the National Economy (1953-1957), which was aimed at developing the country's heavy industry. By the end of 1957, the total industrial and agricultural production value had increased by 67.8 percent, recording an annual increase rate of 8.2 percent, and the grain yield increased by 50.4 million tons. Economic growth led to an improvement in people's living standards, which in turn enabled people to pay more attention to their clothes.