英文摘要 |
the throne. Feudal governance of the Qing Dynasty ended and old China stepped into a new democratic system. In the early twentieth century, global economy, culture and ideology changed unprecedentedly. New production methods and style of living triggered the revolution in different fields. From the end of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, men in Shanghai started wearing western style suits (according to the record, the earliest Chinese who wore western style clothes were Shanghai compradors that traded with foreigners during the Qing Dynasty). Some men wore Chinese robes and vests, leather shoes and western gentlemen’s hats; Chinese women began experiencing modernization and new social lives by wearing mixed, eastern and western style clothing. Meng Xiao-dong, also known as Emperor Dong, had studied playing male roles in Chinese opera since her childhood. On the stage, she acted as emperors and generals, and was used to wearing men’s clothing. Although she was a girl, she was relatively aggressive and as tough as men because of her study and acting of male roles. In 1931 when Meng Xiao-dong and Mei Lan-fang separated from each other, she experienced a drastic change in her psychological state as she lost her happiness. Thus, she decided to stand on her own. After the First World War in 1918, the feminist movement influenced the revolution of female clothing; Meng decided to temporarily disguise herself by wearing men’s clothing and declared that she was no longer “someone’s woman.” She faced the external world as an independent individual. Regarding the history of western costume in the early twentieth century, with the emergence of feminism, wearing masculine western style clothes and pants symbolized western women’s independence. At the time, Meng was influenced by the spread of western influence to the east. As an opera actor, she was open-minded about accepting foreign culture and new knowledge. Therefore, she decided to wear western men’s dress to demonstrate her control of decision-making power, and to follow the fashion trend. Similar to culture, clothing is a medium to express thoughts and affection, and it reflects social reality. This study probes into the influence of exchange between eastern and western culture in Meng’s role creation in the early twentieth century, and analyzes the text as well as design techniques of Meng’s costumes. |