History of Chinese Clothing

Author: Shen Congwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Preface: Many friends who love the culture of clothing have now learned about Shen Congwen's pioneering role in the study of Chinese clothing history in China, but they may not know that he once wrote an entry titled "History of Chinese Clothing" for the China Great Encyclopedia. The book presented to readers now is largely the original form of that entry in text. Over ten years ago, I edited that entry; today, I have been invited by Mr. Wang Ruzhi of Huasheng Library to do the editing and organization work for this book. Both the entry and the book are signed by Shen Congwen and Wang Yuyu. Wang Yuyu, as mentioned on the title page of this book, served as Shen Congwen's assistant and equally deserves the honor of being known as the "founder of Chinese clothing culture research." Now, let me tell you the story behind this book. First, I would like to explain that History of Chinese Clothing might be the last literary legacy left to us by Mr. Shen Congwen, and it was written by Mr. Wang Yuyu. At that time, Mr. Shen was already physically frail, and the selection of materials, as well as the perspective and tone of the writing, could only be dictated verbally. Wang Yuyu's efforts thus became even more significant. Wang Yuyu is an archaeologist and appraiser, and years of relentless travel and hard work had taken a toll on his health. By the later stages of writing the entry for the encyclopedia, he was already suffering from serious illness. To keep him alive and able to persevere, the hospital repeatedly treated him with "dialysis."
Many friends who love the culture of clothing have now learned about the author's pioneering role in the study of Chinese clothing history in China, but they may not know that he once wrote an entry titled "History of Chinese Clothing" for the China Great Encyclopedia. The book presented to readers now is largely the original form of that entry in text. The selection of materials, as well as the perspective and tone of the writing, could only be dictated verbally.
This is a magnificent and exquisitely produced work, undoubtedly suitable as a state gift or a rare library treasure. However, from the perspective of social promotion, it may be somewhat inconvenient.