Q1: There was no Hanfu sewing machine in ancient times. What was it used to make clothes?
A：Of course, ancient people sewed by hand. As early as the Paleolithic Age, cavemen on the top of the mountain could sew animal skins with bone needles. With the development of society, in ancient China, women learned to tailor, sew, and embroidery patterns from childhood. Ancient clothes were sewn by hand with needles and threads, and there were many sewing techniques.
Q2：There are so many pleats in the hanfu dress we are wearing now. What made the pleats of dress in ancient times?
A: In ancient times, there were irons. The earliest iron was a kind of torture tool. Later, it was slowly used for ironing clothes. The shape is different from dynasty to dynasty. Some are like spoons, some are like pots and bowls. At first, it was bronze iron, then it was metal iron and porcelain iron. Ancient people often put red charcoal or hot water in the ironironed, and then ironed clothes.
Q3: The styles of Hanfu are long sleeves and long skirts. Will the ancients wear them in summer?
A: The ancients wore light clothes when they were hot. In terms of fabrics, breathable and comfortable silk fabrics, yarns, and other materials will be selected. This natural material is more skin-friendly and comfortable, much more comfortable than modern chemical fiber chiffon. The woman wore a very thin shirt, which was equivalent to the summer coat at that time.
Q4: How did the ancients keep warm in winter?
A: Choose thick fabrics such as cotton, mink, and fur to keep warm in winter. Make clothes into double coats: "Ao", can put cotton and animal fur in clothes. The ancients also had many warm things in winter such as Tang pozi(汤婆子: a household heating appliance, is filled with hot water and placed in the bed to raise the temperature); Zhaojun Tao(昭君套: a woman's hat made of animal fur).
Q5: The dress of the ancients was so long, would it be inconvenient to work?
A: When the ancients worked, they could lift the skirt above the instep, and they also wore pants in ancient times. They could lift the dress up when they worked, and they could also choose narrow sleeve clothes when they worked. They could pull up the sleeves.
Q6: The sleeves of the ancients were so long that it must be troublesome to work?
A: The ancients would deal with it in a way called "looped arm". Cover the long sleeves with rope in circles at both ends.
Q7: Ancient women did not have leather bands and a hairpin. What did they use to tie their hair?
A: In ancient times, head rope and belt were used to tie hair. Commonly used Fazan(发簪: A jewelry used to fix and decorate hair in ancient China.) to fix hair. There are many kinds of Fazan in ancient times, such as Ji(笄)、Chai(钗)、Shu(梳), and so on, they have both decorative functions and fixed hair functions(Click on the link to view the ancient hairpins in detail). More about the accessories of Hanfu can be found in this article.
Q8: The most common thing in ancient times was cloth shoes. What shoes did they wear on rainy days?
A: In ancient times, clogs were often worn on rainy days. The main body of clogs was made of wood. The soles of shoes had high teeth, which could be waterproof. On rainy days, clogs were put outside the shoes. In ancient times, leather shoes were usually used, but leather shoes were expensive, and no clogs were commonly used. In ancient times, there was also a waterproof shoe called oil boots, which began to appear in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. This kind of shoe was often made of wood chips and covered with tung oil for waterproofing.
Q9: There was no bra in ancient times. What did women wear inside?
A: There were no modern bras in ancient times, but there was underwear. Each Dynasty had different names. Ancient women's underwear mainly included Moxiong (a kind of brassiere), belly pocket, and so on.
