Hezi (clothing)

', also known as ' in the Song dynasty, ' , ' , and  , is a type of ancient Chinese corset-like garment item, which is typically used as an undergarment or decorative over-garment accessory in. It originated from the Tang dynasty and its origin is attributed to the Tang dynasty imperial consort, Yang Guifei. The was also used as an garment accessory in the ; this Tang dynasty-style attire combination is sometimes referred as. The became popular from the Tang to Ming dynasties. This garment item accessory bears resemblance to the Qing dynasty but do not have the same construction and design. The Tang dynasty and the Song dynasty  are both garment items in  which was revived in the 21st century following the Hanfu movement.

Origins
The origins of the is attributed to Yang Guifei, who covered her chest with a piece of embroidered cloth, according to the book 《》by Zeng Zao of the Song dynasty:

This is also attested by Song Gaozhen in the :  – 《》. The then became popular as women in the palace imitated the trend of Yang Guifei.

In the Ming dynasty records 《》by Ming dynasty scholar Tian Yiheng, it is mentioned that the ", that is, Tang  and so on ...... from the back and surrounded by forward, so also named "''.

Construction and design
According to the Ming dynasty record, the Tang dynasty is tied from the back to the front, and the lower part has a tie that the waistband of the  (Chinese skirts) can be tied at the same time. It is suggested that the Tang dynasty wrapped the breasts and the back areas of women. However, to date, there is a lack of unearthed archaeological artifact of the dating from the Tang dynasty. The painting "Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair with Flowers" by the 8th century painter, Zhou Fang, of the Tang dynasty was used as the main reference to recover the nowadays.

On the other hand, there are archaeological artifacts of the Song dynasty which was unearthed in Fujian Province. The in the Song dynasty was a single-piece garment which was used as an underwear, but appears to have been more conservative in style as it covered both the breasts and belly areas of its wearer.

Modern
In the 21sth, the was designed by  merchants as an accessory for the ; it was designed with a square of fabric which bore similarities to the Song dynasty  but featured small side ties to fasten the  allowing it to be worn on top of the top region of the. However, due to the lack of unearthed archaeological artifacts, this form of Tang dynasty with side ties as a stand-alone accessory item was discontinued by  merchants.

Modern, on the other hand, continues to be produced by merchants due to the existence of pictorial materials such as paintings, and mural reliefs; there are currently three forms of modern  which is being sold and produced nowadays: (1) A  designed as single, rectangular piece of fabric in the construction of a Song dynasty  matches with the high skirt of the  as its outermost layer; (2) a single skirt known as "mountain-shaped piece" skirt creates the -like effect where the front of the skirt is raised higher while the back of the skirt is narrower; and (3) a  and a high-waist skirt is sewn together forming a single skirt.

Modern
Nowadays, there are three main types of Song dynasty-style produced and sold by  merchants: the   ; the  , and (3)  (, a  with no pleats. The   features box pleats; it is actually a 21st-century invention and did not exist in the Song dynasty; its creation and development was the result of restoration mistakes by early  merchants when attempting to restore the Song dynasty cultural relics of the actual clothing item. It, however, continues to be sold in the current  market. A special style of Song dynasty-style  which is currently produced is a backless , which was designed in imitation to the  artifacts unearthed from the tomb of Huang Sheng dating in the Southern Song dynasty.