Nearly half a century after the death of the leader of New China, Mao Zedong, and its unification under the banner of communism;

The distinctive suit that he wore and bore his name is no longer favored by the leaders and leaders - or even bases - of the ruling Communist Party, who appear on most occasions wearing Western suits.

following the meetings of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as members of the government, over the past few years;

It reveals the absence of "Mao's suit", and the absence is confirmed by comparing the pictures of the previous historical Chinese leaders and the pictures of the current leaders on various local or foreign occasions, and the difference between the clothes of the communists of the past and the present becomes clear.

The observation does not depend on China alone, but also extends to North Korea, its neighbor and regional ally, where its young leader Kim Jong Un appears on more than one occasion wearing a Western suit, and wearing a Western hat as well, while the three women in his public life (sister, wife and daughter) wear costumes Western design.

Away from the two allied neighbors, the "Mao suit" no longer appeals to comrades beyond the borders, after it was a familiar and common outfit among socialists, intellectuals and communist intellectuals in Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the sixties and seventies of the last century to denote their political leanings, when socialism and communism were popular.

Zhongshan or Mao

In early October 1949, after the victory of the Communists in the Chinese Civil War and the establishment of the People's Republic of China;

Mao Zedong stood triumphantly at the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Tiananmen Square (central Beijing) to announce the founding of the People's Republic of China, which changed the lives of millions. All over the world as "Mao suit".

Since then, the widespread wearing of such suits by male Chinese citizens and government leaders has become a symbol of "proletarian" unity, an eastern counterpart to western business suits.

Despite the suit's association with Mao Zedong's name, Chinese historiography sites call that suit the "Zhongshan suit", and trace it back to the Chinese nationalist revolutionary Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) who formed a provisional government in China in 1912 after the overthrow of the Qing dynasty that ruled China. From 1644 to 1911, and then many consider him the founder of modern China.

Sun wanted to create a national dress that would be an alternative to both the Western work dress and the lavishly decorated "Manchu" robe worn by Emperor Puyi, the last emperor of China.

It mixed western and eastern elements, adding a strong dose of militarism as it was mostly blue, green or grey, and in the West it was referred to as the "Mao suit".

Significances and symbols carried by the pockets and buttons of "Mao's suit" (Getty Images)

Buttons and secrets

Chinese historians talk about the symbolic meanings in "Mao's suit", and say that the four pockets on the jacket denote the four basic principles, which are decency, justice, honesty and sense of shame.

They state that these principles are contained in the Chinese classic "Book of Changes";

Which is one of the 5 most important books in the Chinese philosophical heritage, and the Chinese relied on it in ancient times in fortune-telling.

The five buttons refer to the five branches of government in the Constitution of the Republic of China, namely the executive, legislative, judicial, oversight and examination powers.

The three buttons on the sleeves represent Sun Yat-sen's 3 principles for the people, namely nationalism, people's rights and people's livelihood.

A version modified by the military until the Sino-Japanese War was worn by civil servants in China, and they wore "Mao's suit" after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and became closely associated with him and Chinese communism.

By the time the "disastrous" Cultural Revolution erupted in 1966, the "Mao suit" - with its entrenched notions of nationalism - was one of the only acceptable forms of dress in China.

This is an era when wearing a "bourgeois" dress could lead to being attacked in the street or worse.

Items deemed "degenerate", such as jewelry, make-up and high-heeled shoes, were banned.

After Mao's death in 1976, the suit's influence began to wane, and China's opening-up and reform reintroduced choices in daily life, from work to clothing.

But the suit has retained a strong hold on the Chinese imagination.

The Mao suit remained the standard uniform for the first and second generations of PRC leaders;

Like Deng Xiaoping, who was one of Mao's victims in the Cultural Revolution, and succeeded him in the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, and the leadership of the state (between 1978 and 1992), he completely changed Mao's approach to building a new China.

Deng refused to remain - after his old age - in a position of responsibility, and left the new generations to follow the "realistic path" associated with the times to build China, without a "great leap" or "cultural revolution" like Mao's revolution - which ended in 1976, or any adventure. Carrying the nature of forced acceleration in achieving progress.

Ding saw that progress has objective and realistic conditions and a necessary time that must be passed.

Members of the Chinese Communist Party wore loose-fitting green uniforms or the formal "Mao suit." During the 1990s, leaders of the generation of CPC General Secretary and former Chinese President Jiang Zemin (1926-2022), along with more Chinese politicians;

Wear traditional European-style suits with ties.

Since that time until now, the number of people wearing home-made Western-designed suits has increased, matching the latest products produced by Western fashion houses, after this transformation produced Chinese designers and Chinese brands of no less quality than Chinese products in the context of China's transformation from tradition to manufacturing and innovation, even in the field of fashion. .

The Chinese president and his wife, Peng Liwan, a former singer who Western media says is fascinated by fashion (European - archive)

 Evening Dress

As for former President Hu Jintao - who succeeded Ximin and assumed the presidency of China from 2002 to 2012 - he wore a "Mao suit" only on special occasions, such as the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2009. Jintao appeared in a Western suit and black tie. At a state dinner in the United States, which aroused some criticism.

Wearing a Western-designed suit has become the norm, and the exception is the wearing of the "Mao suit", especially during the period of current President Xi Jinping, who leads China in a new suit, as the "Mao suit" is often a diplomatic uniform on special occasions only, such as formal dinner parties.

In this case, the "Mao suit" functions as a form of "evening dress," the equivalent of the military uniform of a monarch, or the tuxedo of a prominent leader.

He also notes that Chinese ambassadors usually wear European business suits, and many of them choose to wear Mao's suit when they present their credentials to the head of state.

As the presentation ceremony is a symbol of the existing diplomatic recognition between the two countries, it therefore carries a higher level of formality than other diplomatic meetings.

Mao Zedong left, and so did his intellectual system, which took the name and description of Maoism, like much of the country, and among those who still associate China with "Mao's suits."

As for the new generation emerging from a long socialist slumber, it buried the Mao era under an avalanche of capitalist reforms.

In the era of current President Xi Jinping, the elegance of a person's clothes, the model of the car, the place in which he works, the building he lives in, and the number of times he travels abroad has become all the same.

One of the criteria for opening up to the Chinese way in the new stage.

As for his wife, Peng Liwan, who became the first lady of China after she was a show-singer and holds an honorary rank of major general;

She is fascinated by fashion, according to Western media, which dubs her "Chinese Kate Middleton";

Similar to the Princess of Wales, who is the most elegant and famous member of the British royal family.