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National dress overnight?

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-16 07:37

A proposal by a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to suddenly design a national costume overnight is a bit far fetched, says an article in Yangcheng Evening Post. Following is an excerpt:

Li Yansheng, a CPPCC member and a renowned traditional Chinese painter, blogged recently that China should follow Japan and South Korea to design its own national costume to display the country's traditional glamor.

We don't doubt Li's good intentions in proposing a national costume, but China has 56 ethnic groups and each with its own typical costume. As for Han ethnic Chinese, they have different types of traditional dresses hailing from different historical periods, such as Han- and Tang-styled costumes from those respective dynasties. It's thus hard to design a costume to represent all ethnic groups.

As a CPPCC member, one should be more circumspect and not submit a sensational proposal only to attract public attention. Clothes that represent a nation usually emerge from daily life and are gradually adopted by the majority.

So, it takes time to create a national costume.

(China Daily 03/16/2009 page4)