Classical Chinese Suit for the Modish Man

A lot of people must be familiar with a few recognized traditional Asian clothing, such as the Cheongsam and the Sarong, but may not be aware of their seemingly intriguing histories. The classical Mao suit, for example, could look like an ordinary two-piece of men's clothing nowadays, but it definitely has a story behind it, as most things do.

These uncomplicated Chinese tunic suits, as they are known in the west, are called Zhongshan suits, which were coined after one of China's prominent political leaders Sun Zhongshan. In other close-by locations, such as Hong Kong, Mao suits are often called People's suits, mainly because of their simplistic structure and uncomplicated design. They only became known as Mao suits after Chinese Marxist dignitary Mao Zedong made them so popular when he used them. Mao suits are said to be the product of a hybridization of various design elements from other supreme countries during the early 1900's; the four individual symmetric pockets and the turn-down collar came from the German military uniform while the basic structure was inspired by early cadet uniforms of Japan. When Sun Zhongshan died in 1925, Zhongshan suits started to epitomize patriotism and revolutionary mind sets. Today, countless versions of these Mao suits are fashioned all across China and the world, giving people a little taste of classical Chinese fashion.