Editing Chinese culture (section)

=== Pre-Qing ===
[[File:章懷太子墓壁畫禮賓圖a.jpg|thumb|Tang dynasty mural from [[Emperor Zhongzong of Tang|Li Xian]]'s tomb in [[Qianling Mausoleum|Qianling]] showing Han nobility clothing of the era.]]
From the beginning of its history, [[Ancient Chinese clothing|Han clothing]] (especially in elite circles) was inseparable from [[silk]], supposedly discovered by the [[Yellow Emperor|Yellow Emperor's]] consort, [[Leizu]]. The dynasty to follow the Shang, the [[Western Zhou dynasty]], established a strict hierarchical society that used clothing as a status meridian, and inevitably, the height of one's rank influenced the ornateness of a costume. Such markers included the length of a skirt, the wideness of a sleeve and the degree of ornamentation. In addition to these class-oriented developments, Han Chinese clothing became looser, with the introduction of wide sleeves and jade decorations hung from the sash which served to keep the ''yi'' closed. The ''yi'' was essentially wrapped over, in a style known as ''jiaoling youren'', or wrapping the right side over before the left, because of the initially greater challenge to the right-handed wearer (people of Zhongyuan discouraged [[left-handedness]] like many other historical cultures, considering it unnatural, barbarian, uncivilized, and unfortunate). The [[Shang dynasty]] ({{circa|1600 BC}} – 1046 BC), developed the rudiments of Chinese clothing; it consisted of a ''yi'', a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt, called ''chang'', worn with a ''[[Bixi (clothing)|bixi]]'', a length of fabric that reached the knees.  Vivid primary colors and green were used, due to the degree of technology at the time.