SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHINESE CLOTHES IN THE SOUTHERN REGION
In the countryside, the Chinese clothing is quite simple and mostly similar to the Vietnamese and Khmer’s clothing. The black Ao Ba Ba (traditional Vietnamese dress) is popular among both men and women, especially older Chinese people. Some Chinese men wear short-sleeved shirts and short, wide-legged pants that the Southerners often call “Tieu pants”. Like the Vietnamese and other ethnic groups, the Southern Chinese also use scarves to wrap their heads, protect themselves from the sun, wipe their faces, and drape over their shoulders. Young men and women tend to wear Western clothes, which are convenient for work and travel.
Chinese women's jewelry, depending on their age, is more or less different. Older Chinese women often like to wear gold earrings with precious stones, gold, silver, and pearl bracelets around their necks and wrists. Young Chinese women tend to take care of their hair, wear gold and silver necklaces around their necks, and wear bracelets. On festive occasions, Chinese women like to put on makeup to add charm.
Traditional Chinese costumes are usually only worn on holidays such as Tet Nguyen Dan, Nguyen Tieu, official- weddings- funerals- sacrificial ceremonies... Traditional costumes were brought by Chinese people from China along the migration route to the Southern region. However, there are also exchanges and adaptations in the details of the traditional costumes of Southern Chinese people compared to the original costumes from China.
The types of traditional costumes chosen depend on age, place of living, and communication. "Xuong xam" is one of the popular traditional costumes of the Chinese people. It is a type of shirt - a dress that is attached together, and a skirt has a slit. The color of the cheongsam also has a distinction depending on the age. Older women wear cheongsam in solid colors and dark colors. Young girls like bright colors, sometimes with patterns. In the wedding ceremony, the bride's ceremonial dress includes an inner shirt, a jacket, a skirt, a skirt and various types of jewelry. Depending on the Chinese group, the wedding dress has some slight differences. Among them, the wedding dress of the Cantonese Chinese group is the most prominent and popular. The Cantonese Chinese bride wears a ceremonial dress called "Kam Khoanh", red with a phoenix embroidered in glitter. The bride's hair is smoothed with oil, tied high, and decorated with hairpins, fabric flowers, etc. The bride wears a crown called "phung kut", embroidered with a phoenix and has long tassels in the front covering her face like a thin curtain.
The usual attire of older Chinese women is a loose black cloth shirt with a trim collar and short sleeves. Women of the right age often have their hair cut short, parted in the middle, or tied in a bun, and pinned with hairpins. Men's attire is relatively simple, but older Chinese men still wear a long dress like the Confucian scholars in China, with a cloth cap that hugs their hair. In the past, Chinese people often wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, sometimes with a ring for shine and durability. In wealthy families, men often wear a brocade long dress embroidered with the words "fortune" and "longevity" with wide sleeves, the hem of the dress reaching below the knee, and cloth shoes. Rich Chinese women often wear gold and silver jewelry, necklaces of precious stones, pearls, etc. Chinese funeral attire is usually black. Depending on the relationship with the deceased, the costumes have their own signs to distinguish the generation, relatives, etc. Living together with the Vietnamese and other ethnic groups, the costumes of the Southern Chinese have a cultural exchange and adaptation, as well as the influence of modern European clothing. Nowadays, young Chinese girls also like to wear Vietnamese-style ao dai during ceremonies and festivals; young Chinese men also prefer Western suits and ties on these occasions.