Traditional Chinese garments will once again brighten the Boao Forum for Asia, which opens today in Hainan Province's coastal town of Boao.
The traditional Chinese costume called "Tang Zhuang" attracted world attention when convention goers wore the formal outfits during the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation) meeting in Shanghai last year.
But in Boao, the official convention clothing will be more modern, according to the garment's designer.
"The APEC clothing was more formal. My garments are more of a leisure shirt combining Chinese traditional arts and modern technology," said Wu Haiyan, a well-known garment designer from the China Institute of Arts who won a competition to design the Boao shirt last year.
To preserve the secrecy of the design, pictures of the shirt cannot be released until the forum opens today.
Two kinds of Boao shirts, one made of linen and the other made of silk, will be shown at the convention.
The materials are of the highest quality, the designer said. The silk Boao shirts are made from double pod silk, meaning that every strand of silk comes from two different silk pods.
Images of a coconut tree, a sun, and beaches decorate the shirt, highlighting local characteristics, but it is far from the common colourful Hawaiian shirt, Wu said, speaking from the coastal town that will host the convention.
The images have been embroidered by hand using traditional Chinese techniques, giving the shirt a distinct Chinese style.
Other aspects of the shirt exemplify modernity, Wu added. She abandoned the traditional and hard-to-manoeuvre frog buttons, and the shirt's lining is the same colour as outside, making it look more complete.
"Traditional Chinese garments use white cloth as its lining, which makes some people feel uncomfortable," said Wu.
After last year's APEC meeting, traditional Chinese garments have become a trend in China, but many say it is too formal an outfit for leisure, the designer added.
"I think that after the Boao Forum, this kind of shirt will become popular," Wu said. She added that her company named Beijing Wu Haiyan Garment Company will promote the shirt for sale both in China and abroad after the forum.
(China Daily April 12, 2002)
