#xifu

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

By "coats with hoods", I assume you're referring to the doupeng/斗篷 (cloak/cape) commonly seen in modern hanfu and guzhuang (drama costumes), like the one below (x):

Chinese people did wear doupeng prior to the modern period, along with other kinds of coats. However, as I mentioned in my post here, historical Chinese doupeng did not have hoods attached to the cloak/cape. That is why many modern doupeng aren't considered historically accurate - because they have hoods attached. Below are examples of more historically accurate, hoodless doupeng (1/2):

In the image on the above left, the model is wearing a separate, detached hood/hat called fengmao/风帽 (wind hat) which was historically worn to keep warm. Below - examples of fengmao (1/2):

Historically, fengmao was often worn with doupeng when travelling during cold weather (x). Below - women wearing doupeng & fengmao in historical art (top row), and Chinese opera performers wearing doupeng & fengmao as part of their costumes (bottom row) (x):

Oftentimes the doupeng & fengmao are matching, which can give the impression that they are attached - but if you look carefully, you can see that they are separate. Below - Chinese opera costume (x):

Below are historical photos of women wearing doupeng in 1920s Beijing - note how they are hoodless (1/2):

Hooded doupeng, in contrast, are more similar to historical western cloaks, such as the below American/European cloaks from the 18th century (1/2):

The hooded doupeng of modern hanfu are likely based on those seen in guzhuang dramas - another instance of drama costumes not being the most historically accurate (x):

An example of a drama with a historically accurate depiction of doupeng & fengmao is the 1987 TV adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber. As seen in the below images, the characters wear hoodless doupeng & occasionally matching fengmao as part of their winter wardrobe (1/2/3):

The 1994 TV adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms also depicts historically accurate, hoodless doupeng & matching fengmao worn by men (x):

For more references, please check out my doupeng, fengmao, and winter wear tags.

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply! (Kunqu opera photo via):

As you noted, there are various genres of traditional opera in China. Pretty much every region of China has its own regional opera. When I say Chinese opera, I'm referring to Chinese opera in general (all genres), not just Beijing opera.

Yes, Chinese opera clothes (xifu/戏服) and makeup can vary drastically across genres, with many operas being visually distinguishable by their distinct styling.

For more references, please check out my tags for Chinese opera and opera costume (I also have tags for individual genres of Chinese opera). Also, please see my other replies about Chinese opera here:

Do Chinese opera costumes count as Hanfu? 

What type of clothing do Beijing opera actors wear?

Do you have a post Chinese opera costumes?

In addition, @peekofhistory has several informative posts about Chinese opera, including this one.

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

The pom poms you see on 盔头/kuitou (Chinese opera headdresses) are called 绒球/rongqiu (lit. "velvet ball"). They are often red, but can also be other colors, and vary in size. Rongqiu are decorative and serve to distinguish the many different types of kuitou from one another. Each type of kuitou is distinct in the number, size, and color of rongqiu that it's decorated with (of course, not all kuitou have rongqiu).

Below - a few different types of Beijing opera kuitou decorated with rongqiu (x):

Rongqiu isn't used just for Chinese opera performances - it's a very common decorative item for Chinese headwear, especially for traditional/folk performances.

Below - examples of rongqiu use in folk custom/performance costumes, left to right: 1) 游神/youshen (wandering gods) procession in Fujian (x), 2) 英歌舞/yingge wu (yingge dance) performer in Guangdong (x), 3) & 4) 高跷/gaoqiao (stilt walking) performers in a 社火/shehuo parade in Gansu (x):

As a festive decoration, rongqiu was also widely used on bridal guan (crowns) from the Qing dynasty into the modern day.

Below - examples of rongqiu use in historical bridal guan: Left - a bride during the late Qing dynasty, circa 1890 (x); Right - a bride during the Republican era/minguo, in 1939 (x):

For some reason it's been extremely difficult to find sources on the origin of rongqiu that would shed more light on its significance, but based on historical paintings the use of rongqiu as a head ornament may have originated in the Qing dynasty. During the late Qing dynasty, it was fashionable among women to wear rongqiu on the sides of their hair, as can be seen in the paintings below (x):

This particular style of rongqiu hair ornament was depicted in the 2012 historical cdrama 娘心计/Mother's Scheme:

For more references, please see my rongqiu and kuitou tags.

If anyone has more information on the significance of rongqiu, please do share!

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

Yes, Chinese opera costumes (戏服/xifu), as stagewear, were/are different than daily wear.

There are posts on costumes for traditional Chinese operas here:

Do Chinese opera costumes count as hanfu? 

What type of clothing do Beijing opera actors wear?

Are Chinese opera costumes based on hanfu to some extent?

I also have Chinese opera and opera costume tags with more information, as well as tags for specific types of Chinese opera including beijing opera (jingju), kunqu, and yueju.

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

Beijing opera actors wear Chinese opera costumes called 戏服/xifu (lit. “theatrical clothing”), which can be considered a variation of hanfu depending on the style. I have more information in my post here, please check it out! ^^

I also found this Zhihu article (in Chinese) with pictures and descriptions of different styles of Beijing opera costumes as worn by specific characters. According to the article, Beijing opera costumes are mainly based on Ming dynasty hanfu styles, with some theatrical modifications. Because Beijing opera arose and developed during the Qing dynasty, the costumes may also have characteristics of Qing dynasty and Manchu clothing. The article is very informative and I highly recommend it for those interested in Beijing opera costumes!

Below - pictures of various Beijing opera costumes from the article:

For more information and references, please see my Beijing opera, Chinese opera, and opera costume tags.

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

As I explained in my post on huafu, Chinese opera costumes are called 戏服/xifu (lit. "theatrical clothing"), and may or may not be counted as hanfu depending on the specific design and construction of the garment. As such, I typically put hanfu and xifu in separate categories, although they may overlap.

The wikipedia article on "Chinese opera costume" puts it succinctly:

Xifu (Chinese: 戏服; pinyin: xìfú), also known as Chinese opera costume in English, are the stage clothes and attire worn in Chinese opera, such as Kunqu, Cantonese opera, Beijing opera, Huangmei opera. Some of these costumes bear some resemblance to the Hanfu system but also show some differences in terms of clothing ornaments and decorations, as well as color system, and in design and construction.

Please check out the rest of the article for a more in-depth explanation of Chinese opera costumes!

For more information and references on Chinese opera costumes, please see my Chinese opera and opera costume tags.

If anyone has more info on this topic, please share! ^^