The Importance of Clothes and Taking Chinese Traditional Clothes to the World

刘玉妹

Abstract：Clothes convey information about anations culture， politics， history and identity. Since modern times，Chinese elements have been used in clothes design worldwide.It has become a window for the world to know China.This article explains the importance of clothes and how to take Chinese traditional clothesto the world from three aspects，including the meaning of clothes，the enlightenment of traditional Chinese clothes inheritance and development and the translation.

Key Words： Chinese traditional clothes; inheritance; translation

1.The meaning of clothes

Most traditional clothes are no longer worn every day，but in the course of history clothes has gradually become a reflection of culture，politics，history and identity.

First， in costume we can see the nations culture.The connotation meaning and expression form are fully unified in costume. For instance，the color of traditional clothes represents Chinese nations culture.Yellow is both a natural color and a symbolofpower and dignity;red is a traditional festive color;white represents ominousness and sorrow. Second， in costume we can seedominance.In state-society，clothes have been artificially institutionalized. It has basic political functions such as political rule，social status-embodying and political change.From the emperors yellow robe and five clawed dragon motifs to the ‘white working clothes of Maos China， dress has distinguished rank and power. [1] Third，in costume we can see history. Clothes changed with the times.Over the 20th century in China clothing has undergone the same revolutions and changes that Chinese people have experienced.[2]Before 1911 Revolution clothesfell into an unprecedented chaos， which reflected the chaos of society. In the early years of the Republic of China， western suits， robes and Sun Yatsen jacket are popular with men. From changes in clothes， we can see the tremendous changes in society.Fourth， costume is also a means of identity.Clothes are visual insignia indicating a gamut of identities： rank， wealth， ethnicity， occupation， nationality， region， person and gender. [3]In Chinese dynasties， there are specific clothes and colors for various identities： officials， scholars， soldiers， servants， etc.

2.The Enlightenment of Chinese Traditional Clothes Inheritance and Development

The great fashion houses have traditionally been based in Paris， Milan and New York. Now，however， fashion shows take place in Beijing and Shanghai and showcase Chinese designs among the great names of the West. Recently President Xi and his wife have chosen local brand clothes to visit foreign countries and Peng Liyuan was selected in Vanity Fair Magazines International Best-Dressed list in 2013.In this new era， its more necessary to inherit the essence ofChinese traditional clothesand take it to the world.

Here are some enlightenments. First， inherit traditional skills and keep pace with times. In modern age that emphasizes innovation， if want to have lightspot in clothes， we can seek new clothes making materials with innovative applications of traditional skills. For example， modern batik craft skill can be combined with traditional embroidery crafts. Second， absorb essence and extract elements from tradition. Take women's wear asexample， traditional costume elements such as right lapel， girdle， cross collar and pan koucan be used for women's wear in modern time. The use of pan kou and collar in etiquette costume design of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is a typical representative. Third， inherit the spirit of Chinese ancient artisans. Whether art or dailydress requires high quality design and creation instead of neglecting quality in order to cater to market and seek more benefits.Designers should adhere to the concept of excellence and select materials carefully. From decorative patterns， weaving to production skills are all polished.

3.Chinese Costume Translation

Descriptions of historical costume show how culture-specificity is not simply a matter of geo-political difference， but also of time difference.[6]The translator must convey the historical period correctly， keep the connotative force of text without subjecting the text to ridicule the essence of the lexis in form and function must be retained， but not made awkward. [7]

Here are three points need to pay attention. First， think about the semantic field. That may help a translator to decide on what strategy to use-whether to retain the term in transliteration， or generalize， find an equivalent term in target language， or explicate in a footnote.[8]For example， the term 馬褂（magua）cannot be translated literally as ‘horse jacket. To retain it as ‘magua in the body of the text requires contextualization or explication. Second， translator's cultural literacy is the guarantee when translating. It contains the source culture literacy， cultural attitude and target cultural literacy. Translators should be aware that recognizing cultural identity in translation can strengthen the culture and cultural characteristics of the nation， therefore they try to maximize the reproduction of source language culture. Third， keep pace with times. Perhaps the styles per se do not necessarily change significantly， but the language that defines them has changed with the times， and translators are obliged to keep up. [9]

4.Conclusion

The development of mankind itself is a historical inheritance process. Forgetting the past is tantamount to forgetting yourself. In this sense， traditional costume culture is precious. It is not only national， but also international， human and future.

Bibliography：

[1][2][3][6][7][8][9]Valerie Pellatt， Eric T.Liu and Yalta Ya-Yun Chen. Translating Chinese Culture： The Process of Chinese-English Translation [M]. Routledge， 2014.

[4]张民.我国传统服饰的审美意蕴与创新路径[J].开封教育学院报，2018（11）：237-239.

[5]刘元风.各美其美，美美与共——中国服饰文化与现代时尚的交流融合[J].艺术设计研究，2016，（1）：7-9.