Are the costumes of the Qing Dynasty ugly? What do you think?

The clothes of the Qing Dynasty were not ugly.

Comparing Manchu and Qing costumes with Hanfu, each has its own merits. Today’s people wear flag clothes, which is fine and beautiful. But if you look at Qing people in history, the overall impression is not as good as Hanfu. Of course, we cannot generalize. For example, the look of cheongsam is good. It looks beautiful both in the past and today.

When I say it is not as good as Hanfu, I mean that the flag clothes with braids in the Qing Dynasty are really unsightly, because people's clothing and hairstyle are often displayed as a whole. Watching historical dramas nowadays, the braids of the Qing Dynasty people are a standard accessory for men. They are quite eye-catching, giving people a weird feeling and covering up the inherent advantages of their clothing. Instead, he dragged a braid from the back of his head and looked down and laughed at him as a "barbarian."

Men's clothing in the Qing Dynasty mainly included robes, coats, coats, shirts, trousers, etc. At that time, the horseshoe sleeves were the most distinctive feature of the nomadic people. I think these features were more convenient for riding, shooting and working. Moreover, the flag clothing uses less materials, is easy to make, and is convenient to wear. In sharp contrast to Hanfu, the sleeves are short and narrow, simple and solemn. We should see its merits.

Different from men’s clothing, Han women’s clothing during the Qing Dynasty did not change much at first, and still retained the original shape of the previous dynasty. In other words, Manchu and Han women wore different styles of clothing. It is only through mutual influence over time that there are obvious changes and the characteristics of a generation are formed. The main attire of Manchu women is the robe (ie cheongsam), which is characterized by being narrow and slender. Most of them wear a waistcoat outside. Even looking at it now, it's quite beautiful.

Of course there are still some sighs. It is a pity that the traditional costumes that have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years suddenly disappeared due to the Qing Dynasty's settlement in the Central Plains. The wide robes and large sleeves of Hanfu, the long skirts and full crowns, the free and easy vividness, the delicate and delicate beauty have all disappeared in the smoke and dust of history. All these major changes were the result of the Qing Dynasty rulers using violence and prohibitions to force people to change their hats and clothes.

I saw some netizens posting pictures pointing out that Hanfu still existed in the Qing Dynasty. Yes, it did exist. As the social environment gradually stabilized in the Qing Dynasty, ethnic relations also gradually eased. In long-term interpersonal interactions, they will inevitably influence each other. Bannermen gradually changed their tight-fitting clothes into wide robes with large sleeves. Among the Han people, wearing flag uniforms has gradually become a habit. In the Qing Dynasty, it was very common for officials and married women in the upper class to wear flag uniforms, and the common people gradually accepted the flag uniforms deep in their consciousness.

Today, we often see people wearing yellow gowns at various celebrations or wedding photo shoots, not to mention the charm of cheongsam. Therefore, it is difficult to make a general statement about the pros, cons, beauty and ugliness of flag clothing and Hanfu.