The traditional Zhongshan suit, a tunic often worn by China's
revolutionary forefather Sun Yat-sen, may soon be officially
recognized as a cultural heritage icon.
The city of Zhongshan, hometown of Sun Yat-sen, is in South
China's Guangdong Province.
The suit has four pockets in the front and a turned-down
collar.
The cultural authority in Zhongshan is now collecting
information about the Zhongshan suit and will submit an application
to the highest cultural authority, to have the uniform registered
on the "national intangible cultural relics list", Chen Qiaozhang,
the authority's deputy director, said.
"Once the application is approved, the special Zhongshan suit
will be better protected and promoted," Chen said.
As part of efforts to promote use of the uniform, the nation's
first Zhongshan suit culture exhibition center, which occupies
about 400 sq m in Zhongshan, will also be opened next month, Chen
said.
Chen Wenzhu, a manager of the Zhongshan Chinese Costume Co Ltd,
a company with an 80-year-old history of making Zhongshan suits,
said it was hoped the suit would again become popular.
"We surely support the application," he said.
The Zhongshan suit became fashionable among Chinese people in the
early part of last century and remained popular with late leaders
such as Mao Zedong, and became regarded as a must-have item for
young Chinese people in the 1960s and 70s.
Chen said he also hoped the Zhongshan suit could be selected as the
official uniform for the Chinese sports delegation and ritual staff
for the upcoming Olympic Games ceremonies.
"The Games, which will leave a distinctive Olympic legacy for
the country, will also be an occasion to display Chinese
traditional costume culture," Chen said.
"And the Zhongshan suit is expected to become popular if it is
displayed at the special occasion."
Although fewer people are wearing the suits these days, Chen
said he was sure they will once again regain popularity because the
suit had been given a slight makeover.
"Based on the original suit, we have upgraded it with modern
fashionable elements including new materials and design features in
an effort to keep pace with the times," Chen said.
These include leather detailing and embroidered Olympic rings,
he said.
(China Daily Otober 31, 2007)
