制服文化:中國人的制服情結

Uniforms are a pervasive part of many societies. But in China there seems to be a particular adherence to uniforms. From entering the subway, passing security and stepping onto the train, you will have encountered not one, but multiple uniformed staff. Walking down the street will have meant dodging bright orange street cleaners, food-delivery staff on scooters or identically dressed salon workers receiving their morning briefing. Upon entering your office, you may have passed uniformed security guards on your way to colleagues dressed in suits and ties. They’re inescapable.

制服是許多社會普遍存在的一部分。但是中國人似乎更鐘情於制服。當你乘地鐵、過安檢和坐火車時，你都會看到穿着各種制服的工作人員。當你走在街上，隨處可以看到穿着明亮橘色制服的清潔工，騎着踏板車的送餐員以及接受早訓的沙龍服務員。當你去辦公室時，你會遇見穿着制服的保安，以及西裝革履的同事。制服無處不在。

The uniform's place in Chinese society can be traced back through the country's history. As in most places across the world, they have been worn throughout the ages in the military to distinguish between factions and provide protection. Each dynasty favored a different style for its soldiers. Drawings of soldiers from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) show studded boots and uniforms with heavy arm and torso protection, whereas similar depictions from the Sui Dynasty (A.D. 581-618) illustrate draped and layered military wear. Uniforms were often as fierce as the battles their wearers fought in.

制服在中國社會的地位是有歷史可以追溯的。就像在世界其他地方一樣，士兵穿制服，一是爲了區分軍事派別，二是爲了提供保護。每一個朝代的士兵制服的風格都不同，從東周時期手繪士兵的畫像可以看出，他們穿着沉重的靴子和制服以保護手臂和身體，同樣的，從隋朝時期士兵的畫像可以看出，他們都披着一層一層的盔甲。制服常常是士兵在激烈戰鬥中最好的保護。

Uniforms were also designed to show status and mark levels of authority. In China, the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an were molded to wear styles commonly found in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.). Officers' ranks were discernible by their dress, with generals wearing a dual long jacket, long pants, thigh protectors, a crest hat and a pair of boots with square tips.

制服也通常用來顯示權威者的地位和階級。在中國，西安兵馬俑的穿着常見於秦朝。通過他們的穿着，可以明顯地分辨出軍官的軍銜，例如，將軍都是穿着兩層長袍，長褲子，一雙長方靴和帶着一頂帽子。

But at points throughout history, uniforms were deemed fashion items too. Zhongshan suits (Chinese tunic suits, above) were hugely popular among males in 1950s, with women’s clothing based on a similar style. Introduced by Sun Yat-Sen and made famous by Mao Zedong who favored it in public, hence the nickname ‘Mao suit’, the clothing became a form of national dress.

然而在歷史上，制服也曾是時尚物品。中山裝在20世紀50年代非常受歡迎，甚至女性的服裝也是類似的風格。中山裝是由孫中山發明的，由於毛澤東非常喜歡在公共場合穿，因此中山裝又稱“毛裝”。自此中山裝成爲了一種民族服飾。

In the military, clothing now follows the generic western style of pants, jacket and a hat. The Zhongshan suit has also undergone modernization. With an altered shape and more streamlined look, the once shapeless garment is now fitted and more flattering for the male body. But while it is still a popular choice for Chinese leaders during important events, tunic suits are rarely seen in wider society.

軍事上，服裝一般都是遵循西式的風格，長褲、夾克以及帽子。原本沒什麼型的中山裝也經歷了現代化，款式上有了改變，更流線型的外觀、更合體的剪裁凸顯出男性的身材美。儘管在重要場合，中山裝仍是中國領導人的首要選擇，但是在社會日常生活中很少見。

Yet, there are many places where uniforms live on. This is the case in the hospitality industry in particular, explains Catalina Calin, director of Calin Fashion Academy in Beijing.

北京Calin時裝學院校長Catalina Calin稱，仍然有很多地方需要制服，尤其是服務業。

“In Europe, you don't see uniforms that often [compared to China]. Hospitality is the one industry that is still using them because they can project the type of service or professionalism that you are expecting," she says. "A uniform is very important for how a client sees you, but it’s also important for how the employee is feeling. The uniform has to be fitted right for the person to feel confident and beautiful.”

“與中國相比，歐洲穿制服的人不那麼常見。從事服務業的人仍然穿制服，因爲這可以投射出你所期望的服務和專業”，她還說，“制服是客戶如何看待你的一個標準，但員工的感覺也很重要，合身的制服穿在身上能夠展現自信和美麗”。

Calin believes there will be more emphasis on uniforms'appearance in the future: "Chinese ladies are starting to become more conscious of their appearance and beauty. This flows through to the places they work, which have to fit their needs," she says, citing staff the New World Hotel’s Yin on 12 bar as an example of progression. "They wear short black skirts, rock-style shoes and dark make-up. This brings a very cool image to the bar."

Calin認爲，未來將會更加重視制服的外觀，她說“中國女性越來越在意自己的外表。她們工作的地方也需滿足她們的這一需求”。以New World Hotel酒吧的員工爲例，“她們穿黑色短裙，搖滾風的鞋子，畫着煙燻妝，這帶給人一種非常酷的印象”。

But China's love affair with uniforms stretches far beyond hospitality. While there is no single explanation for this, it may reflect a more inherently collectivist culture, where self-identity is shaped by group memberships. In the workplace, or in schools, people feel a stronger sense of self if they are able to define themselves as part of a group.

但是在中國，不僅僅是服務業鍾情於制服，雖然對此沒有單一的解釋，但是這可能反應了一種內在的集體文化，自我認同往往體現在集體關係中。在工作場所或者學校，如果能夠成爲集體中的一部分，那麼他們就有很強的自我認同感。

On the streets of Beijing, the way people feel about wearing uniforms varies wildly. Outside Ginza Mall we find Xing (above), a safety officer from Shanxi, wearing a dark blue-black shirt, pants and hat. "I feel like a soldier when I wear my uniform," he declares, demonstrating an army-like pose. “It makes me feel like I'm part of a team. I like all of it."

在北京的街頭，人們對穿制服的感受參差不齊。在銀座購物中心外面，我們採訪了邢，一個來自山西的保安，他穿着一套藏青色的保安服（如上圖所示）。“當我穿上制服時，我感覺自己像一個戰士，”他說，同時站了一個軍姿，“這讓我感覺我是這個團隊的一員，我非常喜歡這一切。”

But not all are so positive about their work clothes. Zhao (below left), a 55-year-old former architect from Zhangjiakou, has been a cleaner around Dongzhimen for half a year. Like most cleaners, he is given two uniforms (one for winter and a lighter one for summer). Currently, he is wearing an orange jacket and pants and a pair of worn-out gray gloves, while carrying a straw broom and bucket in hand.

然而並不是所有的人都喜歡他們的工作服，來自張家口的55歲的趙（下圖左），之前是一個建築師，現在在東直門做清潔工已經半年了。像大多數清潔工一樣，他有兩套工作服（一套是冬天的，一套是夏天的）。目前，他穿着一套橙色的服裝，帶着一副破爛的灰色手套，手裏拿着掃帚和桶。

"I don't like the color. If I could change my uniform I'd change the color because the orange doesn't look very attractive. The uniform isn't comfortable. It's checked regularly though so we can't change it in any way," says Zhao, who says that cleaners all wear their own shoes but that their employers provide washing powder.

他說，“我不喜歡這個顏色。如果我能改變我的工作服，我會改變這個顏色，因爲橙色不大好看。而且這個工作服也不舒服，因爲會定期檢查，所以我們沒法改變它”，他還說，清潔工都是穿自己的鞋子，但是僱主會提供洗衣粉。

In fact, cleaners' uniforms in Beijing differ according to location. One cleaner at Tiananmen Square, Liu (above right), 51, wears a royal-blue suit with yellow accents as he rides in a small electric cart with a bucket picking up trash. "My uniform is comfortable and I think the blue looks good," he says.

事實上，工作區域不同，北京清潔工的制服也是不同的。劉（上圖右）今年51歲，是天安門廣場的一個清潔工，穿着一件寶藍色制服，前胸是一抹醒目的黃色，他騎着一輛小型電動車，後面是一個撿垃圾的剷鬥。他說，“我的制服很舒服，我覺得藍色很好看。”

His uniform is in stark contrast to Zhao's bright orange. The latter's dress may be down to practical considerations, such as the heavy traffic in Dongzhimen and the need for greater visibility. But in the restaurant world, the style of uniform is largely dependent on the establishment's level of service and cuisine. High-end restaurants feature more of a classic style (shirt, pants) than those found in fast-food restaurants, for instance, which favor casual wear in the form of polos and tracksuits.

他的藍色制服與趙的橙色制服形成鮮明對比。後者可能出於實際穿衣的考慮，例如，東直門的交通繁忙，需要更大的關注度。但是在餐飲業，制服的風格很大程度上取決於服務和烹飪的水平。高級餐廳比快餐廳的制服風格更經典，通常是襯衫和長褲，而快餐廳會穿休閒服裝，比如馬球衫和運動服。

Zhang (above left), a server at the popular Guijie restaurant Culiang Renjia, wears a floral-printed top-and-pant combination with simple black shoes and pigtailed hair. Apart from a faint resemblance to pajamas, the uniform is visually appealing, and it fits the restaurant's theme of nostalgia.

張（上圖左），是簋街粗糧人家餐廳的服務員，穿着一套印花套裝，一雙簡單的黑布鞋，梳着麻花辮。除了有點像睡衣這點不足外，這套制服看起來很有吸引力，這非常符合餐廳懷舊的風格。

"I like my uniform because it's unique and looks nice,” she says. "It's very comfortable."

“我非常喜歡我的制服，因爲它看起來很獨特，很不錯”，她說，“而且它很舒服”。

As in most countries, uniform wearing begins from a young age in China. A student at Beijing No. 55 Middle School, 12-year old Fu (below), wears the mandatory tracksuit school uniform in blue, white and red. The tracksuit-style uniform has been worn by schoolchildren for more than two decades.

像許多國家一樣，中國人也是從很小的年紀開始穿制服的。附（下圖），北京第55中學的學生，今年12歲了，身着學校強制性統一的藍白紅相間的校服。學生穿運動服風格的校服已經20多年了。

"Foreigners at my school don't have to wear the uniform. I'd rather not have to wear it either because I don't think it looks very good. I think other countries' school uniforms look much better."

“外國學生在我們學校不用穿校服。我也不想穿，因爲我覺得我們的校服不好看，我覺得其他國家的校服要好看得多。”

She tells us that her school has three uniforms (though all are variations on the tracksuit), which cost RMB480 altogether. The tracksuits were designed – like many school uniforms – to prevent comparisons between students' appearances and to eliminate worries over clothing choice. The style fulfills these criteria, but at what cost? As one online commentator bluntly assessed: "They are the ugliest in the world."

他告訴我們，學校共發了三套校服（都是運動服風格的），一共480元。像許多校服一樣，運動服風格的設計是爲了防止學生之間攀比，也是爲了消除學生選擇穿什麼衣服的憂慮。校服滿足這些要求，但是代價是什麼呢？一位在線評論者直言不諱地評價：“這些校服是全世界最醜的。”

This particular comment came after US First Lady Michelle Obama visited a Beijing high school in 2014 and photos from the trip were splashed across social media. Commentators pointed out that the tracksuit is practical and wear-resistant, though many expressed that other designs can fulfill the same goals.

這個特別的評論是在美國第一夫人米歇爾2014年訪問北京一所高中時發表的，她的行程照片被刊登在社交媒體上。評論者指出運動服很實用，耐磨，但是很多人同時表示其他設計也能達到這一要求。

For students, as with adults, uniforms can increase the wearer's confidence. Some believe that more stylish school wear may help students perform better (or feel happier, at least). In April 2013, the Henan Provincial Experimental School in Zhengzhou decided to let students design their own uniforms. The results were met with praise from parents and the public, and delight from students.

學生和成年人一樣，穿制服可以增加他們的信心。一些人表示穿時髦的校服可以幫助學生表現得更好（至少他們會感到更開心）。2013年4月，河南省鄭州市實驗學校決定讓學生自己設計校服，這一決定受到家長和公衆的一致好評，學生也從中得到了樂趣。

"Students have their own sense of aesthetics at their age," the school's Student Affairs Director, Feng Yan, told CCTV.

“這個年齡段的學生有他們自己的審美觀”，該校的教務處主任馮豔告訴央視。

Such experiments are not necessarily a sign of relaxing attitudes toward uniforms in contemporary China. Despite a growing sense of individualism among younger generations, uniforms' historic, cultural and practical role may see them widely retained across the country – and across industries. But while dressing in the same way may be, in some respects, the antithesis of fashion, uniforms are also subject to change over time. If these changes can accommodate both function and form, their place in society may be safe for some time to come.

這一實驗並不是指當代中國對制服有了一定放鬆的態度。儘管年輕一代有着越來越強烈的個人主義觀念，但制服的歷史性、文化性和實用性在全國各地廣泛地保留着，而且是跨行業。在某些方面，穿着一樣的衣服可能是站在時尚的對立面，但制服也在隨着時間的改變而改變。如果這些改變能夠同時兼顧功能和形式，那麼制服在社會中仍將保持它的地位。