Evolution of Beauty Standards in
China
Skin
For thousands of years, ‘creamy skin’ has been considered a staple of
Chinese beauty. The description of beauty usually sounds like this:
perfect skin is like the frost and snow, and it is as smooth and soft as
cream. Often the phrases “transparent crystal” and “warm jade” are
used to describe the warmth and clarity of beautiful skin. The standard
for beautiful skin is not limited to a pure white skin color, but includes
pink – reflecting the harmonious beauty of red touched with white.
Hands
“Tender bamboo shoots,” “very light blue” and “white jade” are the
classical phrases used to describe beautiful hands in ancient China.
Fingers should be long, delicate and graceful, but not too spindly. In
addition, beautiful hands had to be white, smooth and seemingly
boneless.
Hair
Dark, bright, thick and long hair is the only type considered
traditionally beautiful when hair is concerned. People praise thick,
black hair like streaks of clouds in the sky. An empress of the Tang
Dynasty named Dou was born with long hair. When she was just three
years old, her hair was already as long as her body. When she became
an adult, it was said she owned beautiful “black clouds.”
Hairstyles throughout Chinese history have varied, influenced by a
particular concubine who represents the style of each dynasty. Styles
have ranged from straight hair (Zhang Lihua), short hair (Luzhu), curly
hair (Zhao Hede), ornate hairdos (Zhao Feiyan) to hair that is gathered
up on top of the head and decorated with various ornaments (Zhen).
Eyes
In ancient China, the standard of beautiful eyes is not only focused on
charm, but also a sense of propriety and class. Autumn water is clear,
clear all the way to the bottom. Phrases "Like Autumn water" and
"autumn moiré" have historically been used to describe the beauty of
eyes. Therefore, clear bright eyes represent the beauty standard. A
poem written about Yang Guifei praises that "the enchanting eyes
makes six palace powder women have no colour."
In ancient China, the standard of beautiful eyes is not only focused on
charm, but also a sense of propriety and class
Hips
Whether the hips are full and round or not has been a varying standard
of beauty through Chinese history. Although modern girls tend to favor
a narrow silhouette, during earlier dynasties such as the Tang Dynasty
women with wide hips were considered especially beautiful. The
reason was that Chinese believe that women will be more likely to have
healthy babies if their hips are full and round. According to Chinese
agrarian beliefs, a man without any offspring is the worst thing for his
parents; with this in mind the preference for full, round hips quickly
becomes clear.
Waists
The shape of a woman’s waist is another attribute that has undergone
change. Nowadays, a slender waist is considered to be one of the most
desirable features a woman can possess. This modern standard is
similar to the preferences observed during the Han Dynasty when
slender, narrow waist. But during the Tang Dynasty women who were
round and full-waisted were considered beautiful – not only were they
seen as healthy but they also seemed affluent and able to afford excess.
Ma, L. (2013, February 21). Evolution of Beauty Standards in China. GB Times, pp. 1-3.
Retrieved October 12, 2014.
On the Beauty Standards in Ancient China
Nourished by the five thousand years of history, ancient Chinese had formed
distinctive viewpoints about the feminine beauty. In general, the beauty standard of
the ancient Chinese is: tender, tiny, pretty and small-boned with white skin, bright
eyes and white teeth. However, in different historical periods, the beauty standards
varied in terms of their emphasis.
Slender Beauty in the Han Dyansty vs. Plump Beauty in the Tang Dynasty
During the Qin and Han Dynasties: the physical beauty of women was
appreciated, but morality was more stressed, exhibiting the tendency of placing
morality over physical beauty. In this period, women's clothes were relatively
simple, and little difference was shown between women's clothes and shoes and
those of men. But once they realized that a white complexion was powerful enough
to hide a hundred faults, they started to powder their face. The combination of coat
and dress, the make-up with face powdered and eyebrows darkened, and the
plump yet small-boned figure constitute the basic pattern of feminine beauty in
ancient China.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties: "natural, graceful, portly and healthy"
became the mainstream beauty standard in this period. Wide forehead, round face
and plump figure were supposed to be the indispensable features of beauty while
healthiness was also a kind of beauty appreciated by people at that time. In
addition, women were dressed in a rather open and bold style, showing sort of
"sexy" tendency in modern West.
In Other Periods
In Matriclan Society: strong and sturdy
During the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods:
effeminate and delicate
During Western and Eastern Han, Southern and Northern Dynasties: lofty, wellmannered and good-looking
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties: tender, charming, and graceful
During the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties: tender, small-boned, and
charming with three-cun lily feet
On the Beauty Standards in Ancient China. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 12,
2014, from http://history.cultural-china.com/en/183History4382.html