Colorful traditional clothing of ethnic groups 多彩的多民族传统服饰

王涛涛

世界上很难找到类似我国这样的情况：在一个国家的疆域里，可以出现如此丰富多彩、风格款式迥异的民族服饰。

1 There are 56 different ethnic groups in China. Therefore， Chinese attire also includes various clothing worn by different Chinese ethnic groups. Here are a few examples：

·Dai ethnic group

2 Although the Dai are amongst the 56 ethnic groups of China， they also belong to a larger family of Dai ethnic groups that live in neighboring Burma， Laos， Thailand， and Vietnam. Their traditional clothing thus reflects a mixture of different cultural influences. For example， many Dai women wear a tight?fitting shirt and narrow long skirt or sarong（莎笼） which is like the traditional Thai silk wrap skirt. Traditional male clothing consists of collarless jackets together with loose trousers.

·Tibetan ethnic group

3 Due to the harsh weather and barren （贫瘠的） plains of the high Tibetan plateau， many Tibetans use real sheepskin， fur garments and leather shoes in order to protect themselves from the cold and harsh weather. In general， both men and women wear long robes（长袍） made of wool， sheepskin， leather or cloth that are secured around the waist. Women sometimes wear silver for various special occasions and to show their age and marital status.

·Uyghur ethnic group

4 Uyghur clothing is closely connected to its proximity（邻近） to the Silk Road. Women traditionally wear long?sleeved dresses decorated with silk embroidery（刺绣）. Gold， red， and black are the most popular colors. Xinjiang produces the majority of the world's cotton， so it is a widely used material in Uyghur clothing. Besides， Uyghur women usually wear a lot of jewelry to match their outfits. Men wear a caftan （长袍） with a long scarf tied at the waist and a“chapan”， which is a woollen coat worn during the colder winter months.

·Zhuang ethnic group

5 Their clothing is very plain and largely consists of gentle colors such as black and blue. Men usually wear a black Tang suit with wide fitting trousers and a waist tie， sometimes paired with a turban（头巾） depending on the weather. Women generally wear a collarless jacket which is usually blue and black， with slightly wider trousers， black turbans on their heads and aprons（围裙） around their waists. Their traditionally plain outfits are usually paired with silver earrings， bracelets and decorative head accessories. Straw shoes are commonly used by those working in the fields.

[Reading][Check]

I. Choose the best answers according to the text.

Detail                           1. What can we learn from paragraph 2？

A. The Dai come from the neighboring countries of China.

B. Dai people's traditional clothes are influenced by different countries.

C. Dai women usually wear a tight?fitting shirt and wide long skirt.

D. Dai men like to wear collarless jackets without loose trousers.

Vocabulary              2. The underlined word “harsh” in the third paragraph probably means_____________.

A. special   B. common   C. unpleasant   D. various

Detail                              3. What can we know from paragraph 4？

A. Uyghur women usually dress with blue silk embroidery.

B. Uyghur men usually wear a long caftan with a short scarf.

C. Uyghur people's favorite colors are gold， yellow， red and black.

D. Xinjiang cotton is often widely used in Uyghur clothing.

Inference                 4. Which one belongs to the clothing of Zhuang ethnic group？

A. A woollen coat with a very long scarf.

B. A collarless brown jacket and loose trousers.

C. A collarless blue jacket and wide trousers.

D. A black turban and a robe made of wool.

Ⅱ. Discussion

What traditional clothes do people from your ethnic group wear？ Do you know anything about costumes of other ethnic groups？ Please search for more information about them and share with your classmates.

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[Language][Study]

Complete the passage using a proper word or the proper forms of the given words.

苗族服饰，是中国所有民族服饰中最为华丽的服饰之一，快来了解一下吧！

In Guizhou， among the ethnic groups except the Han， the Miao people have the 1.______________（large） population. The traditional clothing of the Miao is

handmade by women 2.______________have spent their lives practicing and mastering artistic techniques. Men's clothing usually consists of trousers and 3.______________

（decorate） jackets or vests. While the garments of both sexes are decorated 4.______________traditional Miao silver designs and woven brocades， women's clothing stands out much more than men's clothing with a 5.______________（great） amount of ornamentation and design. Women generally wear a top garment 6.______________an open collar and a pleated knee?length skirt. Miao women in the south of Guizhuo prefer green and blue. Women in this area wear either 7.______________（beautiful） decorated knee?length skirts or trousers. Cotton and linen（亚麻织品） are commonly 8.______________（use） fabrics due to their strength，

durability， and ease of enhancement with dye or decor （装饰）.