#duanda

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (image via)

Yes, there is hanfu suitable for country folk who have to work in the fields and tend animals. Historically, such people would have worn a type of unisex hanfu called 裋褐/shuhe. Shuhe goes by a few other names, including 短打/duanda, 短褐/duanhe, and 竖褐/shuhe. They all refer to a two-piece set of attire composed of a cross-collar top that extends to the knees, coupled with tied trousers. Both pieces were typically made out of coarse cloth. It is the basis of almost all underclothing, usually the clothing worn under armor, and the casual outfit of commoners and laborers (x). This outfit was generally worn by people doing manual labor, such as farm work, and by martial artists (x).

I wrote about shuhe in my post on casual/adventurer-type hanfu here. For more information on shuhe, I recommend checking out the following links:

Wikipedia article on 衫裤/shanku

Patterns for shuhe-making

Shuhe-making tutorial

A few images of shuhe in historical art & modern day (1, 2, 3, 4):

Shuhe understandably isn't as popular as other "fancier" hanfu styles, but there are still some available on Taobao, including the following:

Farmer-style shuhe for spring & autumn from 華夏节奏 (x):

2. Ming-style ramie shuhe from 淮边筱竹 (x):

3. Tailor-made Ming-style shuhe from 淮边筱竹 (x):

4. Ming-style quilted cotton winter shuhe from 淮边筱竹 (x):

For more references, please see my shuhe and commoners hanfu tags.

If anyone has more info/recs, please share! ^^

Hi, thanks for the question!

Sun Wukong/孙悟空 from Journey to the West/西游记 is mostly depicted wearing a tunic that reaches down between the hips and the knees, fastened with a sash, and combined with trousers:

This style of hanfu that combines a cross-collar tunic + sash + trousers is called shuhe/裋褐 (also known as duanda/短打). Convenient and practical, shuhe was worn by common folk - men, women, and children - for daily life, including activities like farming. Therefore, shuhe is in my opinion the most ideal style for casual/adventurer type hanfu. Below - shuhe in modern illustrations, historical paintings, and period dramas:

Despite being one of the most commonly worn hanfu styles historically, there aren’t many shuhe options available for regular wear in the market currently, because hanfu wearers today prefer fancier/more formal styles. Below - a few men’s hanfu styles, from left to right: yichang/ruqun, zhiju, shuhe, & yuanlingpao:

Nevertheless, there is a Taobao shop I can recommend for shuhe - Chonghui Hantang/重回汉唐, which offers shuhe in four color schemes (row 1, row 2):

For Sun Wukong cosplay, I also recommend getting traditional huwan/护腕 (wrist guards) (row 1 - 1, 2) and xuezi/靴子 (boots) (row 2 - 1, 2) to complete the look:

For more references, please see my shuhe tag.

Hi, glad that you love my blog!

Like you said, it’s relatively difficult to find information specifically on the kind of hanfu poorer people would wear, even in Chinese, because most hanfu research is focused on the clothing of the upper class. 

I recommend you check out this post by @hanfu-asks as well as my previous posts on commoner’s hanfu here and here. For English-language books on hanfu that may provide more information, please check out my books tag. For additional visual references, you can check out the online art resource 100 Portraits of Chinese Historical Customs, which depicts the lives of ordinary people in ancient China. Here are some examples:

Hi, thanks for the question! Please see my mens hanfu tag for all posts related to hanfu for guys ^^

Men’s hanfu come in many forms and styles. Here are some basic styles (all photos from 重回汉唐):

1. Yichang/衣裳 - men’s cross-collar top + wrap-around skirt (aka ruqun/襦裙).

2. Banbi/半臂 - half-sleeve jacket & Beizi/褙子 - jacket.

3. Dachang/大氅 - open-fronted robe.

4. Zhiju/直裾 - straight-hem robe.

5. Yuanlingpao/圆领袍 - round-collar robe & Zhiduo/直裰 - straight robe.

6. Shuhe/裋褐 - top + trousers (aka duanda/短打) & Doupeng/斗篷 - cloak.

Hi, thanks for the question! Keep in mind that fashion in ancient China changed over time, so every time period/dynasty’s clothing style differed a little. 

The following info is from an online fashion encyclopedia (unfortunately, the original link no longer works):

In general, for all time periods of ancient China:

- The basic garment for all classes and sexes was a loosely cut robe with sleeves that varied from wide to narrow, worn with the left front panel lapped over the right panel, the whole garment fastened closed with a sash. Sometimes worn with a coat/jacket. 

- Commoners wore a shorter version of the robe—thigh-length or knee-length—with trousers or leggings, or a skirt. The upper class wore their clothes long (ankle-length), often with wide, dangling sleeves. Both men and women wore skirts and trousers. 

- Men’s clothing was often made in solid, dark colors, except for clothing worn at court, which was often brightly ornamented with woven, dyed, or embroidered patterns. Women’s clothing was generally more colorful than men’s. 

- All adults had long hair put up in a bun or topknot, and for men, some kind of hat or other headgear.

If you want to learn more, I highly recommend reading the book Chinese Clothing by Hua Mei, which goes into great detail, dynasty by dynasty, on Chinese fashion over time. 

All the illustrations above are from 100 Portraits of Chinese Historical Customs. Please check it out for more amazing depictions of ordinary life in ancient China!