"Surely, it's challenging, maybe even improper, to introduce a full-scale rejuvenation in dressing. But the national uniform, if determined, wouldn't require daily wearing of it either," Qiu explained. However, to him and many others who favor the idea, there still is a need to choose one of the traditional dresses to serve as a cultural emblem of China. "In this way," the scholar continued, "we may also have our unique dress when it comes to significant events."
To explore ways of putting such a proposal into practice, several of the advocates gathered for a special meeting earlier this month in Shanghai and hit headlines, advising that a "national uniform repository" be built with Chinese the tunic suit and Cheong-sam as two of the essential elements in it.
"There is no single dress that can be chosen as the national uniform in question. Instead, we recommend a series of them," explained Liu Xiaogang, professor from Donghua University. In designing such a series of clothes, the professor stressed, many factors including the dressing habits of modern times should be carefully considered.
"These clothes, while carrying Chinese characteristics, should also meet the needs of differing groups under differing circumstances," Liu added.
Though eye-catching, the new opinion, also met resistance. Scholars objecting to the new view stressed the freedom of choices in modern society, claiming that no matter how practical the proposal sounds, it would violate residents' rights in choosing whatever they prefer to wear, said the Beijing Morning Post.
Another objecting voice further attacked the faulty mentality underpinning the proposal. To better preserve Chinese culture is a good motive, though it should not be fulfilled in such an unrealistic way, said the newspaper. Moreover, "we don't need a uniform to make it clear that we are Chinese," some of the opponents are quoted as saying in the media.
