04/05/07

Rich

      In China the rich and the poor were treated quite differently. In early Chinese culture, the rich people would wear silk. At the time of Sui Dynasty (in the 500’s AD) the emperor decided that all of the rich people could wear any colors they wanted. They had the finest clothes. If you were in the royal type family you had great gold and silver jewelry. Wealthy women would wear silk slippers and wooden shoes. At the time of Qing Dynasty some men and women wore robes that were tied to their waist, also with a long sash. Clothing of the rich is sometimes flowery and colorful.

Poor

      The poor people would make their clothes out of hemp or ramie. That was cheaper than other materials. They would never wear silk because it was expensive and they couldn’t afford it. The men wore baggy pants also a big cotton shirt. Both men and women wore straw shoes. When poor people had children, their kids would wear their parent’s old clothing. How ever they could only wear the clothes when they were able to walk. At the time of Sui Dynasty (in the 500’s AD) the emperor decided that all of the poor people in China had to wear the colors black or blue. The poor would buy old fancy dresses, jewelry, and other things. Except the things they bought were old and used. They were cheaper than the nice ones. 

Hair