(Clearwisdom.net)

NTDTV announced on February 18, 2008, the plan for the first "NTDTV Global Han Couture Design Competition."

The Han ethnic group is the biggest in China. Accordingly, Han couture is also called Chinese couture. When it comes to art, poetry, song writing, instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, martial arts, music, dance, and tea etiquette, Han couture is the clothing that integrates best with traditional Chinese culture. In the historical heritage and course of development, Han couture has fully displayed the ancients' moral values of "compassion, loyalty, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness."

The first "NTDTV Global Han Couture Design Competition" is one of the series of the "International Cultural Arts Competitions" hosted by NTDTV. Earlier competitions were held in classic Chinese dance and song.

The schedule is as follows:

Application deadline: May 15, 2008.

Pre-competition evaluation: Candidates notification will be mailed out before May 31, 2008.

Costume Participation Deadline: July 30, 2008.

Competition and award ceremony: Beginning of September 2008, in New York.

Background

The Book of Changes (a famous ancient book known to most Chinese people) praised the Yellow Emperor (2697 B.C-2598 B.C.), Emperor Yao (2358 B.C-2258 B.C., three generations down from Yellow Emperor), and Emperor Shun (Emperor Yao's son-in-law) for dressing appropriately to rule the nation.

Confucius praised Lord Huan of Qi (died 643 B.C.), for "dressing properly to hold diplomatic meetings and inviting the nobility nine times to such meetings, and thus uniting the nation".

Such ancient references demonstrate the important symbolic meaning of couture in Chinese culture. Han couture makes one's demeanor appear reserved and profound, solemn and dignified, carefree and refined. Since the beginning of the last century, with the introduction of corrupt communist thought, Chinese culture was destroyed and its magnificent couture, which had been passed down for thousands of years, was gradually abandoned. Nowadays, China no longer has its traditional dress.

NTDTV is taking the opportunity to host the "Global Han Couture Design Competition," in an effort to further revive traditional culture via the means of clothing culture.

For competition rules, please see on: http://HanCouture.ntdtv.com, and http://HanFu.ntdtv.com) (in Chinese)