Thinking of lingerie and intimate apparel may evoke images of bras that hardly keep ladies covered and barely-there underwear.

Everything is right there on display while donning modern-day lingerie.

But what ever happened to the idea of leaving a bit up to the imagination?

Modern lingerie concepts and designs have all been imported from foreign countries and have one major, direct purpose: to show off the best silhouette of a woman's shape and to cater to a feminine aesthetic.

"Compared to the colorful Chinese ancient lingerie culture, modern lingerie tries to mould human shapes systematically, yet fails to express the spirit of culture," said Wang Qing, director of the China National Fashion Designers Association.

To better highlight the ancient Chinese lingerie culture for present use, a fashion design competition calling for inspiration from ancient Chinese lingerie elements will be held from August to November, sponsored by the China National Fashion Designers Association and Ordifen International Group.

In the eyes of Wang Wenzong, the Taiwanese founder of Ordifen, which is now based in Shanghai, it is prime time for Chinese lingerie makers to turn to their own ancient culture for more inspiration.

"I collect antique dudou, a unique kind of lingerie for Chinese women from the Song all the way to the Qing dynasties (420-1911), and also from the Kuomingtang period before 1949. The images and patterns embroidered on each dudou display such beauty that no modern bra or other lingerie can compare," said Wang, who has been attracted to China's ancient lingerie culture for a long time.

Out of his own interest, and for that of his company, over the past years, Wang has collected many antique dudou, a special undergarment covering the bosom and abdomen of ancient women.

Wang organized China's first lingerie seminar in 2002, and displayed his antique dudou collections in an exhibition that toured the country in 2004. He also invested huge funds to create a dance show themed on displaying the beauty of the ancient dudou, the first such show in China. The show was staged at the Poly Theatre in Beijing and elsewhere in Shanghai and Nanjing.

His latest move is to invite artist Wang Fu as a commissioned painter to display the beauty of dudou-wearing women in ancient times with her ink and brush ingenuity. The paintings will soon be displayed in Wang Wen Zong's future Chinese lingerie museum in Shanghai.

In the refined paintings, copying the ancient authentic styles, graceful, ancient Chinese women are seen wearing all kinds of dudou while gathering with their friends in various scenes of their livelihood, such as playing chess, plucking the guzheng, reading, as well as combing their hair or applying natural cosmetics in front of a bronze mirror.

As seen both from the real collections and the realistic paintings, ancient Chinese women wearing dudou look gentle, feminine and graceful in their appearance, their conservative manner, as well as their romantic yearnings.

The beauty shines out from the lyrical, auspicious and peaceful designs of their dudou.

In the embroidered patterns, there are auspicious images of creatures, such as tigers, magpies, lions, frogs, kylin (a Chinese unicorn), and butterflies, there are also auspicious plants including the lotus and its seeds, gourds and peonies. There are also fairy tales, fables, and legends, related to love stories, symbols of good careers, rich families and high status symbols in the needlework.

The garments are constructed of all natural materials, including silk, cotton, chiffon, brocade, and flax.

"Unlike machine-made modern bras which just have two thin belts and two iron-hoops to set bosoms in place, these ancient works of dudou art are not actually a commercial good - they are objects to convey women's dreams and emotions, fantasies and passions," said Wang.

Wang hopes by preserving and displaying dudou culture, more inspirations for modern lingerie can be created, so as to better serve the modern woman, and lift her spirit to a higher level. "Only by seeking further power from this colorful dudou culture, can the Chinese lingerie industry continue growing to a high and unique level," Wang said.

(China Daily May 27, 2005)