bilemiyorum

Hi, thanks for the question, and glad you love my blog! (Below - painting of Tang Dynasty woman)

Yes, ancient Chinese women did wear hanfu that exposed cleavage during certain time periods - most notably the Tang dynasty, which is widely acknowledged as the most culturally open time in Chinese history. Below - examples of women baring cleavage in Tang dynasty art:

The openness of the Tang and the glory of its empire led to women becoming more confident in their fashion choices - including inventing many different styles of hair and makeup, cross-dressing, and accentuating cleavage. The practice wasn’t limited by social class - during the Tang, both upper-class and lower-class women (ex: maids) could wear low-cut hanfu that exposed cleavage. Below - paintings of Tang dynasty women:

In addition, during the Tang dynasty, curvy, voluptuous bodies were considered in vogue as the ideal shape for women. Below - sculpture of Tang dynasty woman:

The successive Song and Ming dynasties were more conservative than the Tang, but there are still examples of women baring cleavage during those times. Below - Song dynasty woman (top), Ming dynasty women (bottom):

This practice faded during the Qing dynasty, when society became even more conservative, and changes in fashion made it impossible to show cleavage.

Modern Chinese costume dramas (below) tend to over-exaggerate the degree of exposure, but the style is indeed based on history:

Nowadays, however, unless it’s for a performance, show, photoshoot, or historical reenactment, exposing cleavage with hanfu is more likely to be seen as “tacky/trashy” and discouraged - so I wouldn’t recommend it ^^;;

Hope this helps!