中国时尚——与世界和历史对话
赵旭 中国日报双语新闻
1949年10月1日下午3点，毛泽东主席在北京天安门城楼上宣布中华人民共和国成立，与他一同在场的还有许多新中国的领导成员。超过30万人聚集在天安门广场，见证这一历史时刻。
At 3 pm on Oct 1, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People's Republic of China from the Tian'anmen Rostrum, joined by other prominent figures who would form the core of the country's leadership. More than 300,000 people filled Tian'anmen Square to watch the announcement.
中国共产党历史展览馆里陈设的毛泽东在开国大典上穿着过的中山装套装
“75年来，这一时刻被一代代中国人视为当代中国历史上的一个里程碑。然而很多人并不知道，那天出现在城楼上的几乎所有人，包括毛主席本人，都穿着一种在中国被称为中山装的特殊制服，”北京服装学院教授刘卫说道。这所学校是目前中国顶尖的时尚学府之一。
"For 75 years, this moment has been viewed by generations of Chinese as a deeply emotional milestone in contemporary Chinese history. Yet not many are aware of the fact that almost all who had turned up at the rostrum that day, including Chairman Mao himself, were wearing a special type of formal suit known in China as the Zhongshan suit," says Liu Wei, a professor from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, one of China's top fashion colleges.
“中山”是来自于中国民主革命的伟大先驱孙中山先生（1866-1925）的名字。他首举反帝反封建的旗帜，“起共和而终两千年封建帝制”，并于1911年10月10日爆发的辛亥革命胜利后被推举为中华民国临时大总统。
For those unfamiliar with the history, Zhongshan is the name of Sun Zhongshan, more commonly known as Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), a Chinese revolutionary widely revered for his instrumental role in the 1911 Revolution, which overthrew the rule of China's last feudal dynasty — Qing (1644-1911).
中山装以其立领和前襟中央对称排列纽扣的设计，结合了中国传统美学与西式剪裁，深受孙中山和与其同时代的思想进步人士的喜爱。他们呼吁变革，以身着这种新式的设计为豪。
With its stand-up collar and buttoned-up design, the Zhongshan suit (Chinese tunic suit), combining traditional Chinese aesthetics with a Western cut, endeared itself to Sun and his progressively minded countrymen who wore the design proudly, partly as a call for change.
北京服装学院教师刘卫
据刘卫介绍，20世纪50至60年代的中国服饰以统一性和实用性为特征，这与当时主流的社会思想和经济状况有关。单一深沉的颜色如“军装绿”和“警察蓝”占据主导地位，功能性被优先考虑，而直筒剪裁则因其节省材料而备受青睐。
According to Liu, Chinese fashion in the 1950s and 60s was characterized by uniformity and practicality, due to the dominant social ideology and the era's economic situation. Somber, muted colors like "army green" and "police officer blue" reigned. Functionality was prioritized; and a straight cut was favored for its minimal use of material.
“那时，解决人民的温饱问题非常紧迫。正是在这种背景下，1951年上海成立了中国第一所纺织院校——华东纺织工学院，”刘卫说道。八年后，北京纺织工学院成立，1961年更名为北京化学纤维工学院，1988年又更名为北京服装学院。
"The need to feed and clothe everyone was pressing. And it was against this background that the Huadong Institute of Textile Science and Technology, the very first of its kind, was founded in Shanghai in 1951," says Liu. "Huadong" means East China, where Shanghai is located.
This was followed eight years later by the founding of the Beijing Institute of Textile Science and Technology, which changed its name in 1961 to the Beijing Institute of Synthetic Fiber Engineering, and again in 1988 to the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, or BIFT.
“这些名字的变更反映了纺织行业和整个社会的发展趋势，”刘卫指出。20世纪60至80年代，一种涤纶的纺织物因其挺括滑爽、耐穿易干、不用烫、颜色艳、不褪色而在中国广为流行，被人们亲切地称为“的确良”。
"The name changes were reflective of the larger trends both within the industry and across society," says Liu, pointing to a type of polyester fabric whose durability and wrinkle resistance had made it so popular among Chinese between the 1960s and 70s that it was effectively dubbed "di que liang", meaning "really good".
80年代初身着的确良面料制作的服装的年轻人
而1988年的改名，则发生在中国改革开放正式启动十年之后。1978年12月十一届三中全会中国开始实行对内改革、对外开放的政策。这一由以邓小平为核心的党的第二代中央领导集体所作出的政策大调整，实现了中国历史上一次具有深远意义的伟大转折，中国进入改革开放新时期。
In the case of the second name change, the decision was made a decade after the official start of China's reform and opening-up in 1978. Spearheaded by Deng Xiaoping, whom many today regards as the "chief architect" of the policies, the reform made the country more connected to the rest of the world and is a crucial move that is shaping China's future.
与世界接轨的信息最先是由中国国家领导人传递出去的，他们开始穿上西装出席各种公开场合。而此前的十年间，西装在经历着“文化大革命”（1966-1976）动荡时期的中国是完全消失不见的。
The message was sent out, first and foremost, by top Chinese leaders donning Western suits, which had been absent from view for the previous decade as China weathered the tumultuous "cultural revolution" (1966-76).
广州是中国城市中最早感受到邓小平的改革措施的城市之一。这个城市拥有悠久的商业历史——它在18世纪和19世纪以“Canton”这个名字被进行中西贸易的人们广为熟知。作为毗邻香港的港口城市，广州成为了中国大陆与全球时尚和纺织市场之间的桥梁，在促成二者交流的同时，广州也华丽变身为中国的第一个时尚中心。
One Chinese city to feel the immediate effects of Deng's reform measures was Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, whose historical name "Canton" was familiar to those working in trade between China and the West during the 18th and 19th centuries. Adjacent to Hong Kong, the port city became a bridge between the Chinese mainland and the global fashion and textile markets, and in that process transformed itself into China's first fashion hub.
开放也意味着开放市场，而中国巨大的市场对西方设计师无疑是充满吸引力的，他们中间的一位先行者是法国时装设计师皮尔·卡丹（1922-2020）。1978年11月，皮尔·卡丹访问中国，这是自1949年以来首位访问中国的西方时装设计师。卡丹预见到了数以亿计中国消费者即将释放的购买力，他也决定通过1979年春在北京举办的一场时装秀，来征服他未来的顾客们。
In November 1978, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin (1922-2020) visited China, the first of any Western fashion designers to do so since 1949. Foreseeing the immense buying power about to be unleashed by hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers, he was also poised to shock audiences with his first-ever fashion show in the chilly spring of 1979.
这场时装秀在北京民族文化宫临时搭建起的舞台上举行，来自法国和日本的模特身着卡丹最新的设计在T台上走秀，观众席上坐满了媒体记者，他们有些手中拿着相机，脸上带着不可思议的表情。
Held on a makeshift stage inside Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities, the show saw a parade of French and Japanese models in front of a packed audience, which hosted news agencies and reporters holding cameras, all left flabbergasted.
法国设计师皮尔卡丹于1979年春天在北京举办的时装秀
对中国观众来说，卡丹大胆且未来感十足的设计让他们大开眼界。这个活动对中国方兴未艾的时尚产业起到了激励的作用：1980年底，中国出版了第一本时尚杂志，并成立了由上海市服装公司组建的第一支模特队，模特队的19名成员从3万名候选人中选出。
For his Chinese viewers, Cardin's bold, futuristic looks were mind-blowing, to say the least, but the event had a motivating effect. By the end of 1980, China published its first fashion magazine and debuted its first modeling team under the publicly-owned Shanghai Municipal Fashion Company, whose 19 members were chosen from 30,000 candidates.
改革开放初期的中国模特
“1979年的秀激发了人们对卡丹品牌的浓厚兴趣，而卡丹则通过‘授权’的经营模式巧妙地将这个品牌引入中国，”刘卫说。这种授权模式是指在中国大陆销售的所有卡丹时尚商品都是在严格的质量控制下由当地设计和生产的。
"The 1979 show generated intense interest for the brand that Cardin introduced to China, ever so cleverly, through licensing," says Liu, referring to an arrangement whereby all Cardin fashion items sold on the Chinese mainland were locally designed and manufactured under strict quality control.
“这种做法不仅大大降低了成本，还使品牌能够适应当时当地的审美。那时普通人的穿衣风格与卡丹以几何解构为标志的设计风格相去甚远。从某种意义上说，卡丹的商业头脑对中国设计师们，尤其是刚刚认识到品牌力量的年轻设计师们来说，是一种巨大的启发，”刘卫继续说道。“这其中也包括我。”
"Apart from bringing down costs, this practice also allowed the brand to adapt to local preferences, which, at that time, were nowhere near the geometric and structural creations Cardin was known for. In a sense, Cardin's business acumen was even more inspiring for a generation of Chinese designers who were awakening to the power of fashion branding, me included," continues Liu.
皮尔·卡丹于90年代访问北京服装学院
1990年代中期，当皮尔·卡丹的品牌在中国卖得如火如荼的时候，刘卫在北京服装学院的同事杨洁还在上中学，而改革开放给中国社会和时尚领域带来的变化已经全面展现。“电影、音乐、着装、发型……这一切都是一个整体。”现年42岁的杨洁回忆道。那是一个香港娱乐明星占据着电视屏幕的时代，对于杨洁和他的许多同龄人来说，这些明星毫无疑问是当时的时尚偶像。
By the time Yang Jie, Liu's colleague at BIFT, was in middle school in the mid-1990s, the cultural impacts of opening up were fully felt. "Film, music, fashion, hairstyles… they were all one package," says the 42-year-old. For him and many of his peers back then, Hong Kong entertainment stars, whose images flooded TV screens, were indisputable fashion icons.
北京服装学院教师杨洁
“经济改革使得普通中国人的生活水平有了显著的提高，同时也有了思想的解放。年轻一代渴望自我表达，时尚成为他们突显自我的方式，从某种意义上说，这和当年革命者穿着中山装有着异曲同工之处。”杨洁说。“你知道那个年代最好的一点是什么吗？那个时候互联网还没有出现，这意味着每个人在解读时尚时没有太多的参考，于是大家都给出了自己独特的答案，这些答案很多时候充满了原始的创造力。”杨洁说道。
"The economic reform had led to a substantial improvement in living standards for the average Chinese, which led to an explosion of ideas and a newfound need for self-expression, which the younger generation reveled in. Fashion allowed them to make bold statements, not completely unlike the way the revolutionaries did with the Zhongshan suit."
"And you know what's so great about that moment? The internet had yet to appear, which meant we didn't have many references while trying to interpret fashion. As a result, people came up with their own answers, which sometimes resulted in raw creativity," Yang says.
改革开放初期的中国模特
1998年，中国本土品牌“薄涛”在北京太庙举办了一场盛大的时装秀，模特们造型华丽夸张，身着颀长修身颇具皇家气度且用色大胆的服装。这些设计充分运用了西方的剪裁原则，同时也散发出明显的中式气韵。刘卫当时也在这家品牌从事设计工作。
In 1998, Beijing-based fashion brand Botao, where Liu had worked as a young designer, held a grand runway show inside a historical building in Beijing that once served as the imperial ancestral temple between the 15th and early 20th century, with models milling about in heavy makeup, fanciful hairstyles and vibrant, body-conscious designs constructed on Western sartorial principles, yet radiated a clear Chinese stylistic influence.
“场地的选择和服装本身都显示出品牌在努力保持文化根基方面所作出的努力，与此同时，西方服装产业带来的影响也是显而易见的，”曾经多次赴巴黎时装周看秀的刘卫说道。
"The location choice and the clothes themselves hinted at an effort to maintain the brand's cultural roots, yet Western influence was obvious," says Liu, who would travel to Paris during its iconic fashion weeks.
约翰·加利亚诺任创意总监下的迪奥
无法去到法国的时尚之都看秀对很多时尚爱好者和从业人员是一种遗憾，而这种遗憾甚至催生出一门生意。“在时装周期间，有人专门从能够进入秀场的记者和时装摄影师那里购买图片和录像，然后将它们以昂贵的价格转卖给渴望得到这些资料的人们，”刘卫回忆道。
For those who couldn't behold the spectacles in the French fashion capital, there was a hunger for the images, which spawned a business. "There were 'image-vendors' in those days who were able to buy show pictures from fashion photographers before selling them to us, at a price that was anything but cheap," recalls Liu.
为满足这种对信息的强烈需求，1995年，香港贸易发展局与北京服装学院及中国服装设计师协会共同在北服校园内设立了一座时尚图书馆。中国服装设计师协会是于两年前的1993年成立的。
Partly to fulfill that longing for information, in 1995, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, which had been promoting Hong Kong designers on the Chinese mainland through fashion shows and other events, set up a fashion library inside the Beijing institute in partnership with the college and the China Fashion Association, the latter founded in 1993.
1997年，协会在北京举办了首届中国国际时装周。六年后，上海也拥有了自己的时装周——上海时装周。二者目前是中国设计师最重要的展示平台。
In 1997, the association hosted the first China International Fashion Week in Beijing, followed by the first edition of Shanghai Fashion Week six years later, which have become major platforms for Chinese designers.
2023年9月在北京举行的中国国际时装周 朱兴鑫摄
中国的时尚产业正经历着日新月异。杨洁于2000年进入北服读本科，之后不久，2001年12月11日，中国加入了世界贸易组织，这帮助中国时尚和纺织产品打入国际市场。同时，全球时尚品牌的涌入也意味着中国本土时尚品牌和已经在中国立足的外国品牌面临更大的竞争。
Change was in the air. A little more than a year after Yang entered the institute as an undergraduate in 2000, China joined the World Trade Organization on Dec 11, 2001. The accession opened international markets for Chinese fashion and textile products. At the same time, the influx of global fashion brands meant more exposure to international trends and more competition for both domestic fashion companies and foreign brands already established, including Pierre Cardin.
“自2000年代初以来，卡丹品牌在中国消费者中的吸引力持续下降，原因很简单：他们在见识了世界顶级时尚品牌后，不再满足于购买授权设计的商品，”刘卫表示。
"Since the early 2000s, the Cardin brand continued to lose its cachet with Chinese customers who, having seen for themselves the world's top fashion brands, were no longer content with buying licensed designs," says Liu.
2001年，上海这座新兴的中国时装之都主办了亚太经合组织（APEC）第九次领导人非正式会议，与会者都穿着量身定制的唐装。在中国历史上，唐朝（618-907）是一个强盛且开放的朝代，而很长时间以来，很多海外华人也以“唐人”自称，这也就是为什么海外的“中国城”也叫“唐人街”。APEC的唐装以精美的丝绸制作，用立领和盘扣凸显中国传统服饰的特点，被广泛视为文化外交的一次成功尝试。
In 2001, Shanghai, the rising fashion hub, hosted the 9th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. Participants of the event, which signaled the country's increasing prominence on the global stage, were required to wear a tailor-made Tang suit, named for the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a period of social prosperity and inclusivity. Made of fine silk and characterized by its distinctive standing collar and knotted buttons, the suit was widely seen as a symbol of cultural diplomacy — China's way to showcase its rich fashion heritage.
2001年10月21日，在中国上海参加亚太经合组织第九次领导人非正式会议的领导人们身着唐装合影
“在接下来的二十年里，中国的传统服饰，包括历朝历代的着装，成功地俘获了青年一代的爱美之心，在他们中间引发了 ‘汉服热’和‘新中式’的风潮，”刘卫说。“身着层层叠叠宽袖长袍的古代服装让他们体验了一次衣袂飘飘的感觉。”
"For the next two decades, that heritage has managed to capture the imagination of China's younger generation who entertain themselves with historical attire that often includes multilayered flowing robes with wide sleeves," says Liu.
“这种现象背后是一种对美的迷恋和日益增强的文化自信，以及一种与父辈和祖辈完全不同的心态：这些年轻人想要的是独树一帜，而不是泯然众人。”他继续说。
"Behind the phenomenon, there's a fascination with beauty and a growing cultural confidence, as well as a desire to stand out rather than blend in as their parents and grandparents often preferred to do," he continues.
中国年轻人中间兴起的 “汉服热”
杨洁刚刚参加了于9月17日至23日在米兰举办的2025年米兰春夏时装周。“米兰以北约50公里处有一座小城叫科莫，以其迷人的湖光山色、历史悠久的建筑和自15世纪以来的丝绸生产而闻名，”他说。“许多当地的丝绸品牌和工坊的档案馆里都收藏了古代的丝绸样本，其中一些样本是通过古丝绸之路从中国传来的。这条连接东西的贸易大动脉始通于公元前2世纪，并在唐代达到鼎盛。”
Yang recently flew to Milan Fashion Week for the spring/summer 2025 season held from Sept 17 to 23. "Approximately 50 kilometers north of Milan there is a small city called Como, well-known among international travelers for its stunning lake views, historical architecture and silk production, which can be traced back to the 15th century," he says. "Many of the workshops and archives in Como hold historical collections, which include samples of ancient silk fabrics. Some of the samples came from China via the Ancient Silk Road, which was first established in the 2nd century BC and reached its height during the Tang Dynasty," he continues.
“远见与历史——这就是古代中国丝绸享誉世界背后的原因，今天的中国时尚若是要走向全球实现突破，这两点必不可少。”
"Vision and history — what's behind the success story of Chinese silk is what's needed today for Chinese fashion to really emerge and thrive globally."
记者：赵旭