Rhiannon Hendricks
The colours of wedding dresses in China have varied across history, with different colours representing various dynasties. In traditional Chinese wedding attire, colours carry deep symbolic meanings, influencing the aura and sentiment of the wedding day. Red is a popular colour for Chinese wedding dresses as it is believed to bring good luck and happiness, as well as ward off evil spirits. Brides in Southern China often wear a two-piece dress named Qungua or QunKwa, adorned with gold dragons and phoenixes. Gold is another lucky colour in Chinese culture, symbolising wealth and fortune.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Theme | Good luck and happiness |
| Main colour | Red |
| Other colours | Gold, green, blue, black, white |
| Style | Qipao, cheongsam, Longfenggua, fengguanxiapei, Xiu He Fu |
| Details | Dragon, phoenix, gold embroidery, mandarin collar |
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What You'll Learn
- Red is the most common colour, symbolising happiness, good luck and prosperity
- Gold is also considered lucky, symbolising wealth and fortune
- White is symbolic of death and therefore avoided
- Black is also symbolic of death and mourning
- Brides in Southern China wear the two-piece Qungua adorned with gold dragons and phoenixes
Red is the most common colour, symbolising happiness, good luck and prosperity
In China, wedding attire is centred around the theme of good luck and happiness. The colour red is considered the most common colour for wedding dresses in China, symbolising happiness, good luck, and prosperity. Red is believed to drive away evil spirits, and bless the union with a vibrant life and joyous energy. It is also a festive colour in Chinese culture, and wearing red at weddings is believed to bring good fortune.
The traditional Chinese wedding dress is not just an outfit, but a representation of deep cultural significance. The colour red is believed to bring happiness, vigour, and a bright, delighted mood to the wedding. The bride may also wear a red covering veil, which is believed to drive away inauspicious spirits and cover the nervous flushing of the bride's face.
In addition to the colour red, other elements of Chinese wedding attire include gold embroidery, which symbolises wealth and fortune, and intricate designs featuring dragons and phoenixes, which are believed to bring good luck. The qipao or cheongsam is a popular style of Chinese wedding dress, and can be customised with different fabric colours and embroidery patterns to pay homage to the bride's heritage.
While red is the most common colour for wedding dresses in China, it is worth noting that in different historical periods, other colours were also worn. For example, during the Western Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasties, brides wore black with red details, while during the Tang and Song Dynasties, brides wore green. In modern times, some Chinese brides may opt for a white Western-style wedding gown for the ceremony, changing into a red dress afterwards.
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Gold is also considered lucky, symbolising wealth and fortune
In Chinese culture, gold symbolises wealth and fortune and is considered a lucky colour. It is often used at weddings, and it is not uncommon for brides to wear a gold dress at some point during the celebrations. Gold accessories are also popular, although a full gold dress is best avoided.
Gold is not the only colour that is considered lucky in China. Red is also a significant colour in Chinese culture, symbolising happiness, joy, and prosperity. It is believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune, making it a staple in Chinese wedding dress collections. The colour is often used in Chinese weddings, and many brides will wear a red dress at some point during the celebrations, even if they opt for a white Western-style gown for the ceremony.
The colour red has a long history in Chinese wedding attire. In the Zhou dynasty, brides wore black with red details, and in the Tang and Song dynasties, green was the colour of choice for brides, while grooms wore red. It was only during the Ming and Qing dynasties that the colour red became prevalent for brides.
Today, modern Chinese brides have a range of options when it comes to their wedding attire. While some may choose to wear a traditional red dress, others may opt for a white Western-style gown or a modern qipao in a variety of colours. Customisation also plays a significant role, with brides able to alter fabric colours and embroidery patterns to create a unique dress that reflects their personality and the wedding theme.
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White is symbolic of death and therefore avoided
In China, white is symbolic of death and therefore avoided in wedding attire. Although some modern Chinese brides wear a white gown for their wedding ceremony, white is generally considered a big no-no for weddings. Wedding guests should avoid wearing any shade of white, including cream or very pale colours. White accents and accessories, however, are acceptable.
In Chinese culture, red is the most iconic colour for a wedding dress, symbolizing good luck, happiness, and prosperity. It is believed to ward off evil spirits and bring blessings of a vibrant life and joyous energy to the union. The colour is also believed to drive away inauspicious things and cover the nervous flushing face of the bride. In addition to red, gold is another lucky colour in Chinese culture, symbolizing wealth and fortune. Brides sometimes wear a gold dress during their wedding, and gold accessories are also common.
Historically, the colours of wedding dresses in China varied across different dynasties. During the Western Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties, black was the main colour, sometimes with red details. In the Wei-Jin and the Southern and Northern dynasties, black was still the primary colour but was paired with white or red. In the Tang and Song dynasties, brides wore green, while grooms wore red. In the Ming dynasty, brides wore red, while grooms wore green, blue, or red.
Today, Chinese wedding attire is not limited to traditional colours and styles. Customizations play a significant role, with options to alter fabric colours and embroidery patterns. Western elements such as longer trains and non-traditional colours like pastels have also been incorporated into modern Chinese wedding dresses.
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Black is also symbolic of death and mourning
In China, wedding attire is centred around the theme of good luck and happiness. Colours like red, gold, and green are thought to bring good luck and happiness, and are therefore considered auspicious. Red, in particular, is the most favoured colour in Chinese culture, as it represents happiness, joy, vigour, prosperity, and a bright, delighted mood. It is also believed to ward off evil spirits.
However, colours like white and black are considered inauspicious. White is symbolic of death in Chinese culture, and black is associated with mourning. In fact, black, along with other dark colours like navy and grey, is traditionally considered a colour of mourning in many cultures. In China, black was the main colour of wedding attire in the Zhou dynasty, often with red details. In later dynasties, black was paired with red and white.
In modern times, black has become a socially acceptable colour to wear to Western weddings, but it is still not common at Chinese weddings. While Chinese weddings have adopted some Western elements, like longer trains and non-traditional colours, black is still avoided, along with white. This is because these colours are considered to symbolise death and mourning, rather than the happiness and good fortune that a wedding celebration is meant to embody.
Thus, while black may be acceptable as an accent or accessory, it is generally avoided by wedding guests at Chinese weddings, as it is considered inauspicious and representative of death and mourning rather than life and joy.
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Brides in Southern China wear the two-piece Qungua adorned with gold dragons and phoenixes
In China, the colour red is considered traditional and sacred, symbolising happiness, good fortune, vigour, life and prosperity. It is also believed to ward off evil spirits. For this reason, red is the most iconic colour for a traditional Chinese wedding dress. However, in the modern day, Western elements such as longer trains and non-traditional colours like pastels have also become common.
In Southern China, brides wear a two-piece Qungua, which originated in the Guangdong region during the Qing dynasty in the 18th century. The Qungua is composed of a jacket called a 'gua' and a long Chinese skirt called a 'qun'. The Qungua is traditionally handmade and adorned with intricate embroidery of dragons and phoenixes. The dragon and phoenix symbolise good luck and happiness, and the five embroidered bats represent the arrival of five blessings.
The Qungua is also known as Longfenggua, meaning 'dragon and phoenix gown', and is a type of Hanfu worn by Han Chinese brides. In the past, mothers would start sewing the Qungua as soon as a daughter was born, and it would be placed in her dowry when she got married. Nowadays, there are five different types of Qungua, named according to the percentage of embroidery covering the dress.
The Qungua is distinct from another Chinese wedding set of attire called Xiuhefu, which has an overlapping jacket that closes to the right side and is worn with an A-line skirt. The Xiuhefu is typically embroidered with flowers and birds to symbolise love. Another type of traditional wedding dress is the Fengguan xiapei, which was first worn during the Ming dynasty by queens and consisted of a phoenix coronet and a robe of rank.
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Frequently asked questions
The most iconic colour for a traditional Chinese wedding dress is red, which symbolises good luck, happiness, and prosperity or vigour. However, brides may also wear gold, pink, purple, peach, orange, yellow, or green. In recent years, some brides have opted for a white Western-style gown for the ceremony, changing into a red dress later.
Wedding guests should avoid wearing red, as this is the colour traditionally worn by the bride and could cause confusion for the wedding photographer. White and black are also considered colours of mourning and should be avoided.
In Chinese costume dramas, the bride and groom usually wear splendid colours, no matter the historical period being depicted. However, this is not always historically accurate.
The colour of Chinese wedding dresses has varied over time. From the Western Zhou to the Qin and Han dynasties, wedding attire was black with red details. During the Wei-Jin and Southern and Northern dynasties, white was also incorporated. In the Tang and Song dynasties, brides wore green and grooms wore red. In the Ming dynasty, brides wore red, and grooms wore green, blue, or red.
