Ancient Chinese Lingerie: The Hidden Beauty

Actress Angelababy wears a du dou in the 2014 film Rise of the Legend. Photo: Mtime

Recently, supermodels shined in the spotlight wearing underwear at this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai. Their performance became a feast to the eyes for both men and women.

Yet, to women, the more important thing they care about is not the show, but the underwear itself.

Actress Zhao Liying wears a du dou in the 2013 film The Palace. Photo: Mtime

Victoria's Secret: friendly or not

Nice underwear must be able to protect women's bodies and display their natural beauty. In addition, it should make women feel proud of themselves, rather than shameful.

So, is Victoria's Secret really friendly to Chinese women?

"Their bras are only for women who have a 'perfect' figure," an anonymous user said on Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer website. The user also added that these bras do not fit as well as many domestic brands do.

As to the quality, some users complained about the brand's materials on Zhihu and the online marketplace Taobao. They said Victoria's Secret panties are not comfortable and the material looks cheap.

A Chinese woman wearing a du dou in the 2010 film Let the Bullets Fly. Photo: Mtime

Some users even used the word "trash" to describe some of the brand’s products, which could only be worn once before quickly losing their shape.

On the other hand, Chinese women, especially ancient ones, had more comfortable and high-quality choices that would not allow them to doubt if their body was perfect or not.

Du dou: a hidden beauty

In traditional Chinese culture, being decent and noble is hiding one's talent and beauty, rather than exposing or showing off. Exposing one's body was indecent behavior for both men and women.

And to ancient Chinese people, clothes were more like a symbol of social status, rather than simple fashion.

"Compared to the colorful Chinese ancient lingerie culture, modern lingerie tries to mould human shapes systematically, yet fails to express the spirit of culture," said Wang Qing.

Underwear was originally called xie yi. The character xie means "frivolous", which implies that it should not be shown to the public.

People's underwear, which was first called du dou in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was a piece of cloth that covered the front of one's chest. It often had four strings, being fastened behind one's neck and back. Men, women and children could all wear it.

A Chinese boy wears a du dou. Photo: IC

It was embroidered with various patterns, including children, auspicious animals, flowers and plants. Some patterns also featured folk tales and stories, bearing people's wishes for fortune or romance.

The strings could be made from cotton and silk as well, yet some ancient rich Chinese people preferred gold or silver strings.

Ancient Chinese women wearing du dou look gentle, feminine and graceful in their appearance, their conservative manner, as well as their romantic yearnings. The beauty shines out from the lyrical, auspicious and peaceful designs of their du dou.

Some du dou had pockets for people to store small valuable things, such as rings and necklaces. People also put spices and herbs in the layers of their du dou to stay healthy.

Thus, women's breasts were hidden under this piece of cloth for a long time in ancient China, except during a certain period of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when people were more open-minded.

A granny shows the du dou she made. Photo: IC

Ancient Elegance

Modern lingerie concepts and designs have all been imported from foreign countries and have one major, direct purpose: to show off the best silhouette of a woman's shape and to cater to a feminine aesthetic.

"Compared to the colorful Chinese ancient lingerie culture, modern lingerie tries to mould human shapes systematically, yet fails to express the spirit of culture," said Wang Qing, director of the China National Fashion Designers Association.

In the eyes of Wang Wenzong, the Taiwanese founder of Ordifen, which is now based in Shanghai, it is prime time for Chinese lingerie makers to turn to their own ancient culture for more inspiration.

Actress Zhang Ziyi wears a du dou. Photo: IC

"I collect antique du dou, a unique kind of lingerie for Chinese women from the Song all the way to the Qing dynasties (420-1911), and also from the Kuomingtang period before 1949. The images and patterns embroidered on each du dou display such beauty that no modern bra or other lingerie can compare," said Wang, who has been attracted to China's ancient lingerie culture for a long time.

Ancient Chinese women wearing du dou look gentle, feminine and graceful in their appearance, their conservative manner, as well as their romantic yearnings. The beauty shines out from the lyrical, auspicious and peaceful designs of their du dou.

A woman wears a du dou in an oil painting. Photo: IC

"Unlike machine-made modern bras which just have two thin belts and two iron-hoops to set bosoms in place, these ancient works of du dou art are not actually a commercial good - they are objects to convey women's dreams and emotions, fantasies and passions," said Wang.

Wang hopes by preserving and displaying du dou culture, more inspirations for modern lingerie can be created, so as to better serve the modern woman, and lift her spirit to a higher level. "Only by seeking further power from this colorful du dou culture, can the Chinese lingerie industry continue growing to a high and unique level," Wang said.

Source: China Daily, china.org.cn

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