The modern Chinese tunic suit is a style of male attire originally known in China as the Zhongshan suit (simplified Chinese: 中山装; traditional Chinese: 中山裝; pinyin: Zhōngshān zhuāng) after the republican leader Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan). Sun Yat-sen introduced the style shortly after the founding of the Republic of China (1912–1949) as a form of national dress with distinct political overtones. The four pockets are said to represent the Four Virtues of propriety, justice, honesty, and shame; and the five buttons the branches of China's former government (Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Examination, Control).[1][2][3][4][5]
After the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War and the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, such suits came to be worn widely by male citizens and government leaders as a symbol of proletarian unity and an Eastern counterpart to the Western business suit. The name "Mao suit" comes from Chinese Communist Mao Zedong's fondness for the style. The garment became closely associated with him and with Chinese Communism. Mao's cut of the suit was influenced by the Stalin tunic then prevalent among Soviet officials.[6] Although it declined in use among the general public in the 1980s and 1990s due to the increasing prominence of the business suit, it is still commonly worn by Chinese leaders during important state ceremonies and functions.[7][8] The Mao suit was also worn in North Korea by party elites.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mao suit became fashionable among Western European, Australian, and New Zealander socialists and intellectuals.[9] It was sometimes worn over a turtleneck.
- ^ M. S., Journalism; B. A., Humanities. "The History Behind the Chinese Version of a Business Suit". ThoughtCo. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Gunde, Richard (2002). Culture and customs of China. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30876-5. OCLC 610665365.
- ^ Johansson, Perry (2015). The libidinal economy of China: gender, nationalism, and consumer culture. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-0-7391-9262-7. OCLC 934516889.
- ^ Barmé, Geremie (2016). Shades of Mao: the posthumous cult of the great leader. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-28575-7. OCLC 999612140.
- ^ Strittmatter, Kai (2012). China: an introduction to the culture and people. London: Armchair Traveller at the bookHaus. ISBN 978-1-907973-17-8. OCLC 809224115.
- ^ ""Сталинка" - Намедни. Наша Эра". namednibook.ru.
- ^ "Mao suit continued choice of China's top leaders for National Day ceremony - People's Daily Online". en.people.cn.
- ^ Montefiore, Clarissa Sebag. "From Red Guards to Bond villains: Why the Mao suit endures". www.bbc.com.
- ^ From Red Guards to Bond villains: Why the Mao suit endures, Clarissa Sebag Montefiore, 2 November 2015, BBC Culture