An In Depth Look: The Wondrous Costumes Used in the Broadway Spectacular

Costumes genuinely and accurately designed to reflect the true histories of the various Chinese dynasties represented

By Peter Wei
Epoch Times

The NTDTV's Global Chinese New Year's Gala has entered its fourth season. The Gala has drawn quite a lot of attention in recent years for its theatrical costumes and themes revolving around ancient times; inspiring and impressing audiences of all ages with its natural style and bright presentation. Each character's appearance is vividly portrayed and expressed through their costume.

We had a chance to interview Ms. Li Fanhong, the costume designer for the Chinese New Year Spectacular (the Gala's name in previous years), as it was performing on Broadway. Li introduced the whole process of how the costumes are designed and made.

Blueprints for Each Costume Recreated From Historical Records

Li Fanhong noted that the costumes were designed strictly according to the records in ancient books and paintings to re-display the Chinese traditional clothing and culture as accurately as possible to the audience. One reference was "The History of Chinese Clothing." The book was compiled from the research of archaeological findings by a group of senior scholars of Shanghai Universities and Colleges.

A more direct source of blueprints was the frescoes in the Dunhuang cave, a treasure house of Chinese culture. All the way from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, paintings were added in each historical period and much of the clothing found on the characters were representative of the typical clothing in each time period. Besides Dunhuang, the designs were also referenced from sculptures, the jade carvings and household utensils from ancient times.

These cultural relics allowed for the extrapolation of the style and even the colors of the clothing in each time. The costumes found in many currently seen movies and TV programs set in ancient times were added with modern people's aesthetic viewpoint; and the people who made the costumes did not reference such relics.

Attire of Qing Dynasty not the Same as Ancient Attire Found in Areas South of the Yellow River

The costumes are made based on the role of the character, for instance, short jackets for the working class and palace attire for the aristocrats. These costumes were added with suitable beautification and decoration, according to the needs of the play.

Most young people, that is, overseas Chinese and foreigners of today, often think that the Qing Dynasty clothing is the Chinese traditional clothing. But the Qing Dynasty is not representative of the attire for the entire area south of the Yellow River. The Chinese traditional clothing is basically in the style of the Han Dynasty, which is typically characterized by wide gowns and broad sleeves.

Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing—each Dynasty had its own distinct culture, resulting in clothing with highlighted characteristics of each period in the areas south of the Yellow River.

Characteristics of Ancient Chinese Clothing

Li Fanhong notes that, when compared to the attire of other Dynasties, the Tang Dynasty's clothing style is generally found to embody a broad and magnificent spirit.

In the period just before the Tang Dynasty, people's lives were very turbulent, most notably due to the wars during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. This is expressed through the flowers on the clothing, which looked relatively rough.

During the Tang Dynasty, the economy was good and society was stable. The flowers on the clothing were full, magnificent, and serene; and the decorative patterns exuded elegance.

Garments with big sleeves were most common during the Tang Dynasty. The outer garments were transparent, and the inner garments carried a low neckline. The hairstyles were varied; a woman's hair could drag along the ground if not combed.

The Tang Dynasty's poetry and literature was full of imagination and the Chinese people were also very broad minded, and their clothing reflected this by also being very open and broad. The clothing also absorbed elements from other cultures through frequent contact with the regions in the west, India and other Asian countries; Persian designs were also very popular.

Kangxi Deeply Loved the Culture in the Areas South of the Yellow River

The ideology changed during the Song Dynasty and so did the clothing. Women no longer took plump for being pretty and pursued being slim. The clothing changed accordingly so as not to look big and magnificent, with small broken flower patterns.

The most popular clothing during this period of time was a long waistcoat, as depicted in the picture below. The short, Chinese-style jacket was also popular when complimented with a long skirt. Men's clothing generally included a circular collar or slanted lapel.

The different regions had much different styles of dress. For example, those north of the Yellow River had a strong contrast in colors. Theirs was a style not restrained by the Confucianist ideology. The Yuan and Qing Dynasties were ruled by outsiders. But at that time, the Han people wore Han clothing while the Hu people wore Hu clothing.

Although both dynasties gained control of the area south of the Yellow River, they were unable to change the culture in the area; instead, they were assimilated into the culture. For instance, during the advent of the Qing Dynasty, Kanghxi, a famous emperor in Qing Dynasty himself had a deep love for the culture in the south and he asked his people to take on this culture.

Morale and Beauty are the Key Principles When Making the Costumes

The clothing experts began by forming a group. First, they listened to the director lecture about the play in detail in order to understand the dynamic needs of the play. They then searched for the historical background and obtained first hand information.

Ms. Li also discovered that by looking for the most original information from the archaeological findings, historical data, and sculptures, one could achieve the design that is most accurate and representative of each period. Starting from the very source can enlighten and inspire ones' imagination.

Modern design has a theory for every detail, including color balancing and dynamics. Ancient people did not have such theories. Beauty and virtue were the general principles of their designs. As long as it looks comfortable and harmonious then it is acceptable. The design group applied modern esthetics to recover and recreate the history. They further emphasized balancing of harmony and contrast based on beauty.

Ancient clothing was not limited to only a few styles for each period. The big sleeves, for example, changed both in detail and color from the golden age of the Tang to the late Tang. The design must take into account the specific point in history. The size of the sleeve is also designed according to the era, with base colors designed from the most original findings.

The Tang Dynasty was not in Favor of Bright Red

The Tang Dynasty was not in favor of bright red. The modern dramas with historical themes, however, are blood red everywhere; this is not how it was described in the historical texts. The folk dances do not have the limitations of dynasties, and the designers can make full use of their imaginations when combining the ancient style and designs, usually resulting in elegance and mass appeal.

After a style was decided on, the drawings would be presented to the director, the dramatic team, the backdrop team, and the stage group. Then real costumes were made and fitted. The linings of the costumes were mostly from China in order to make things authentic, as one could tell with a glance that it was a foreign product if linings from other countries were used.

Being Responsible to Society Instead of Stimulating the Senses

The gala costume designers follow a principle—to make something responsible for and representative of society while respecting legitimate culture instead of something to stimulate the senses. Therefore, the designs must be in accordance with what is recorded from history. Everything from the hairstyles to the hats were all designed based on historical data throughout the entire artistic process.

The so-called method of "using the past to serve the present" looks very clever, but is unable to reproduce the original, ancient tastes; it can only present the designer's individuality.

The designers for the Spectacular are presenting the beauty of the Chinese traditional culture found within the Chinese traditional clothing.