' (l=half-arm),
Classification
There were various forms of banbi throughout history. In present days, the different forms of banbi are generally classified based on their collar shapes: e.g. which is straight or parallel in shape; which is cross-collared in shape; which is U-shaped,
which is round-collared in shape; and which is squared-collared in shape.
History
Ancient
According to the Chinese records, the was a clothing style, which was invented from the that the Chinese wear.
It was first designated as a waistcoat for palace maids, but its popularity soon reached the commoners.
It was recorded in the Book of Jin, when
Cao Rui met Yang Fu, the emperor himself was dressed in commoner's .
[《晋书·五 行志》云:"魏明帝著绣帽,披缭纵半袖,以见直臣。"]
File:DinastíaHan20100102051853SAM 2873.jpg|A woman wearing a cross-collared banbi, Han dynasty.
File:Woman with a mirror, China, unearthed at Songjialin, Pixian, Sichuan, Eastern Han dynasty, 25-220 AD, ceramic - Sichuan Provincial Museum - Chengdu, China - DSC04768.jpg|Woman wearing a cross-collared banbi, Eastern Han dynasty, 25–220 AD.
File:Procession of the Empress as Donor with Her Court, Chinese, from the Binyang Cave, Longmen, Henan Province, Norther Wei Dynasty, about 522 - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - DSC09118.JPG|A woman wearing a parallel collar banbi, Northern Wei dynasty, about 522 AD.
File:Southern Dynasties Brick Relief 06.jpg|Women wearing parallel collar banbi, Southern Dynasties Brick Relief.
Tang dynasty
During Tang dynasty, the banbi was worn by men and women.
The banbi was a staple clothing item for the Tang dynasty women, along with shan (a blouse which could be low cut during this period) and high-waisted skirts.
The banbi was worn on the shan.
The banbi could either be worn under or over the skirt.
Banbi could also be worn under the
yuanlingshan.
During Tang dynasty, there was another form of banbi or short sleeve waistcoat worn called . The sleeve covers around the shoulder area and there is no opening in the front or back. In order to wear it, people would have to tuck in, then out from the neck of the clothing. Generally, it's worn outside of a long sleeve shirt. In the that was written during Tang dynasty, the main female character Huo Xiaoyu wear this style most of the time.
[ Information on Civilian Clothings 不拘一格说便服 oldbeijing.org Retrieved 2010-02-10]
It is suggested that a type of
banbi was adopted from
Central Asia during the
Tang dynasty through the
Silk Road when cultural exchanges were frequent, and that it was also known as
beizi during Tang dynasty.
[Kim, Sohyun. A Study on the Costume of Khotan, The Korean Society of Costume, v. 34, 169-183. 1997.] In the early Tang dynasty, the shape of the banbi worn in this period appears to have been mainly influenced by those worn in
Kucha, for example, the shape of the U-shaped banbi in Qiuci shared similarities with those worn in the early Tang dynasty.
In Japan's Nara city, the Todaiji temple's Shosoin repository has 30 banbi (called in Japan) from Tang dynasty China; they are cross-collared closing to the right, most dating from the 8th century.
Song dynasty
In the
Song dynasty, the half-beizi (i.e. banbi) was originally a military uniform which was later worn by the commoners and by the literal class.
Yuan dynasty
In the Yuan dynasty, the casual clothing for men mainly followed the dress code of the Han people and they wore banbi as a casual clothing item while ordinary women clothing consisted of banbi and
ruqun.
Han Chinese women also wore a combination of a cross-collar upper garment which had elbow length sleeves (i.e. cross-collar banbi) over a long-sleeved blouse under a skirt with an abbreviated wrap skirts were also popular in Yuan;
This form of set of clothing was a style which slightly deviated from the
ruqun worn in the Tang and Song dynasties.
There were several types of banbi in the Yuan dynasty: straight collar short shan with half-sleeves (直领短衫), a half-sleeved long
Paofu () with a cross-collar closing to the right () which was specifically called dahu (was worn by Mongol men during and prior to the founding of the Yuan dynasty
), and square-collar long robe ( with half-sleeves.
Ming dynasty
In the Ming dynasty, the dahu was either a new type of banbi whose designs was influenced by the Mongol Yuan dynasty clothing.
Qing dynasty
In the Qing dynasty dictionary called , the banbi is depicted with no sleeves.
File:Imperial Encyclopaedia - Ceremonial Usages - pic477 - 半臂.svg|Banbi, from the Gujin Tushu Jicheng, section "Ceremonial Usages", between 1700 and 1725
Derivative and influences
China
It is assumed that the long-sleeved , which originated in the
Song dynasty,
was derived from the banbi, when the sleeves and the garment were lengthened.
According to
Ye Mengde, the beizi was initially worn as a military clothing with "half-sleeves"; the sleeves were later extended and hanging ribbons were added from the armpits and back.
Japan
Hanpi
In
Japan, banbi are known as (半臂/はんぴ, lit. "half-arm") and are short coats.
In Japan, the was either imported from China or were modelled to look very closely to the Tang dynasty banbi.
It was as a sleeveless short undergarment for men of the aristocracy;
it commonly worn in summer.
Korea
During the rule of Queen Jindeok of Silla (r. 647–654), Kim Chunchu personally traveled to
Tang dynasty to request for clothing and belts; one of the requested clothing was banbi ().
The banbi later reappeared in the clothing prohibition decreed by King Heungdeok of Silla (r. 826–836).
During the Silla period, the banbi may have been worn on
sam (衫, a type of upper garment) which also corresponds to the way banbi was worn by men and women during the Tang dynasty.
The banbi from the Later Silla appears to have also been worn in Goryeo.
Similar-looking items
-
Dahu – A form of banbi in Ming dynasty influenced by the Mongol clothing of the Yuan dynasty
-
Beizi - a long sleeved over jacket in China
-
Beixin/Bijia - Sleeveless jacket in China
-
Baeja - A sleeveless or very short-sleeved vest in Korea
See also
