Oh No, It's Not A Japanese Kimono!

It is quite sad that the Chinese themselves often mistake the  traditional Chinese  dress - the hanfu (汉服) - as the Japanese kimono.

That would be excusable for the non-Chinese. But for the Chinese themselves, the ignorance is pitiful.

Many people, including the Chinese, think that the qipao (cheongsam to others) and the Magua the Manchurian jacket is the Chinese traditional dress. In truth, they are not, they are Manchurian.

When the Manchus came into power (1644-1911) they banned the traditional Chinese dress. Hanfu had been the traditional dress of the majority Han Chinese until then.

If the Koreans are proud of their hanbok, the Japanese the kimono, the Malays the baju kurung and baju Melayu and the Indians the sari and kurta and dhoti, the Chinese people have no reason to not be proud of their own hanfu.

In fact, the Korean hanbok and the Japanese kimono were inspired by the  hanfu.

Don't know about you. To me, the flowing hanfu looks simply graceful on any girl and a joy to behold.