Sun Zhongshan and the “Zhongshan Suit”

As everyone knows, “Zhongshan suit” is named after the great revolutionary pioneer Mr. Sun Zhongshan. In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, the Opium War (1840-1842) erupted in 1840, the Eight Strategic Nerve Points invaded China in 1890, and one after another treaties of national betrayal and humiliation were signed. The imperialists ridicule Chinese as “the sick man of East Asia”, “pigtail army”, “mandarin jacket and gown.” Sun Zhongshan hates the imperialism invasion and corruption of Qing Dynasty, and organizes a group of ardent patriots to set up the Revive China Society aiming at “expelling the invaders and recovering China.” Through sacrificing a lot of lives, the 1911 Revolution finally succeeded, overthrowing the autocratic monarchy and setting up the Republic of China. After that, he issued a series of policies and decrees to carry out political and economic reforms. “Cutting the pigtail” and “changing the clothes” are included. He proposed to “wash away old habits and customs and be new Chinese people.” After widely soliciting suggestions and conducing discussions, Sun Zhongshan concluded that “the formal dress must be changed, and the informal dress is at the people’s willingness.” He was determined to design a new style of clothes for himself. So a simple dress with the Han people characteristics, called “Zhongshan dress,” was finally developed.

The Zhongshan suit has absorbed the strong points of the western suit. It has a straight collar, four pockets with buttoned covers. The two pockets below can even hold books. The trousers are designed like this: the front seam is sewed with hidden buttons; on either side there is a hidden pocket; trousers waist is wrinkled. Sun Zhongshan took the lead to wear it in various kinds of occasions. Its appearance is symmetrical, beautiful, practical, convenient and in good taste. It can be made of both the high-class dress material and the common cloth. Advocated by Sun Zhongshan, the Zhongshan dress became a fashion in the country at that time. Today, it is still one of the most basic clothing patterns of Han people. Not only the leaders of the country but also the common people wear it. Zhongshan dress has become the universally acknowledged “country clothes.”