Macao - Traditional Folk Costumes 2010

Issue Name: Traditional Folk Costumes
Date of Issue: 30 November 2010
Designer: Lio Man Cheong

Stamps persheet: 16 and SS
Paper: Paper with Security Fibres
Size: 30 x 40 mm; 138 x 90 mm (Stamp size: 60 x 40 mm)
Perforation: 13¼ x 13¼
Printing: Offset Lithography
Printer: Cartor Security Printing, France

TRADITIONAL FOLK COSTUMES:
As the poem says, I'd like to borrow rosy from the sky and make them into the beautiful embroidery clothes. The Chinese costumes have a long history and constitute an integral part of the splendid Chinese culture, which can reflect the development progress of human history an show the advancement of human society. In ancient China, the emperors relied on the costume system to maintain the feudal hierarchy regimen. It reflected the social situations on political, economic, cultural, custom, aesthetic and religious issues in each era. SUch a costume-based political philosophy came to the end when Mr.Sun Yat Sen raised the four principles for dress making "hygienic, pratical, economic, and aesthetic". Since then, costume, which had become an integral part of people's life, got rid of the interference from the hierarchy system and political ethics and really connected with modern civilization. That is a monument in the history of Chinese costume.

1.50 Macao Patacas - Tangzhuang (Tang Suit):
It used to refer to Han costume in Tang Dynasty and later specially refers to a kind of traditional Chinese costume that the chinese living in overseas Chinatowns often wear and is opposite to Western-style suit. In early times, the Tang suit was reformed from a kind of Man costume in Qing Dynasty, mandarin jacket, which was featured with stand collar, front opening, connected sleeves and frogs and had four coverless pockets in the front. Such suit is often made of black gambiered canton gauze (also called as rust-coloured senshaw, black rubber silk fabric or watered gauze), which can absorb and evaporate sweat quickly and thus has the features of refreshing, dry, light, partical. It is especially popular among Southeast Asia Chinese and Cantonese. With even and balanced appearance, it's simple and tidy, fully meeting the introverted and sover characters of Chinese people. In the APEC 2001 in Shanghai, as the host, Chinese leaders invited the leaders of economic entities in Asia and Pacific region who came to attend the conference to wear the new-style "Peace and Celebration" Tang suits. The suits are made of environment-friendly and traditional tapestry satin and natural silk and the dyed with environment-friendly dyes in the patterns of peony, the national flower of China. Since then, such Tang suits and their variants get popular among Chinese people both in and out of the country and become a kind of fashionable suit for new year celebration.

2.50 Macao Patacas - Qipao:
The traditional full dress for Chinese woman. It was originated from the folk robe of women of the Eight Banners with loose sleeves and embroidery borders. In early Republic of China (ROC) era, it was gradually reformed into the new-style Qipao with loose robe and straight curves, becoming the latest fashion of women in the new year. In 1929, the goverment of ROC issued the Dress Ordinance, determining Qipao as one of the national dresses. The modern Qipao is featured with stand collars, tight waist, frogs and hi-cuts at both leg sides. It can better show the beautiful lines of oriental woman. Making them more elegant and adding more noble characters of art. When a woman wearing a Qipao stands still, she looks slim and graceful, while when she moves, she looks like a tree in the breeze, therefore, Qipao has become the most representative traditional costume of Chinese women. In the 18th century, Qipao was introduced into Vietnam and gradually developed into the local folk dress, Vietnam-style Qipao. The sisters Soong Qingling, the wife of Sun Yat Sen, and Soong Meiling, the wife of Chiang Kai Shek, took Qipao as their only full dress in all their lives. When visiting foreign countries, the wives of all leaders of mainland China, such as Liu Shaoqi, Jiang Remin, and Hu Jintao, mainly wear Qipao as the full dress.

3.50 Macao Patacas - Duanyichangqun (Blouse & Long Skirt):
One of the traditional costumes of Han women. Before Qin Dynasty, the costumes in China were all in a one-piece style with loose robe and long sleeves. After Han Dynasty, the two-pieces style "coat and dress" garment, which was divided into "upper and lower" parts, began to appear among Chinese women. What's more, such garment had "a simple upper part and a complex lower part", that is, the blouse was short and small while the dress was loose and big. In Tang Dynasty, it became the fashion for women to wear clothes with loose and low neckband and expose the upper half of their breasts. In Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, the womes's dress recovered the old style. After Qing's entry and the enforcement of "Hair cutting and dress changing" policy, the traditional Han costumes were almost prohibited. Man women wore qipao while Han women still wore blouse and dress, but in different styles: tight sleeves and long dress,or loose robe and loose sleeves, or replacing dress with trousers. After the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, women got more opportunities for education. For women students in the ROC era, the typical dress was blouse with inclinedlapel and short sleeve, and pleated skirt covering the shanks, which was called as "the nNew Costume of Civilization". Since it had a simple and agile style, the women in the cities all dressed in the similar way, making it popular and fashionable women's dress at time.

4.00 Macao Patacas - Zhongsanzhuang (Chinese Tunic Suit):
Once honored as the "National Costume" by Chinese people. According to historic records, Mr.Sun Yat Sen personally guided the design of tunic suit by intergrating the features of traditional Chinese costumes and the mandarin-collar suits in Southeast Asia and Western-style suits with the principles of "suitable for hygiene, easy for movement, with better economic properties and a decent appearance". The design was finally decided in 1923. The tunic suit meets the standards of "decent, pratical, convenient, and economic" as raised by Mr.Sun Yat Sen. It's comfortable and pratical with the features of sobriety and majesty. The four pockets in the front of the suit stand for the Four Principles of our country (propriety, intergrity, honesty, and the sense of shame); the five fasteners on the front edge stand for Five Power Division (administration, legislation, jurisdiction, examination, and supervision); the three fasteners on the cuff stand for the Three People's Principles (nationalism, democracy, the people's livelihood); there is no tear on the back, which stands fot the great cause of peace and unification of the country; the turndown enclosed collars stand for the rigorous philosophy for state administration. Many famous figures such as Chiang Kai Shek, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping, used to wear the tunic suit. The suit carries on a kind of culture, courtesy, national self-respect and pride.

Author: Kam Chung Tsz
Translation: C&C - Translation Center, Ltd