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World leaders wearing tangzhuang at the 2001 APEC summit

A tangzhuang (Chinese: 唐装; pinyin: tángzhuāng; literally "Chinese suit" [1][2]) is a Chinese jacket that originated at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). The Tangzhuang evolved from the Magua (马褂), a Manchurian piece of clothing, which the Han Chinese were forced to wear it during the Qing Dynasty. In modern times it has been adopted by common people. They are often worn by men, although women wear them as well.[3]

In Chinese communities, the Mao suit, the western suit, and the Tang suit are the main forms of formal dress for men on many occasions. Tangzhuang are made in different colors, most commonly red, navy, gold, black and green. One common design is the usage of Chinese characters (Hanzi, 汉字) as monogram such as Fu (福,'happiness' in Chinese), Shou (寿, 'longevity' in Chinese) to spread good luck and wishes. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shanghai in November 2001, the host presented silk-embroided tangzhuang jackets as the Chinese traditional national costume.

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  2. ^ Although the first Chinese character (唐 Táng) literally refers to the Tang Dynasty, in this case, Tang is a synonym for Chinese similar to the usage of Tángrénjiē (唐人街) meaning Chinatown. ("Traditional Dresses Welcome Spring Festival" at China.org.cn Accessed 10 February 2008.)

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