China deploys 'fashion diplomacy' at Xi's US state visit

Xi, Cai Qi and Wang Yi all wore Mao suits at White House banquet; Melania Trump wore Dolce & Gabbana trousers with peony motif, Ivanka wore gown by Chinese designer

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, along with US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, attend a welcome banquet at the White House in Washington on Thursday (local time). [Xinhua]

The Chinese delegation made a striking sartorial statement during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States, with senior officials appearing in traditional Chinese attire. Even some members of the American side wore clothing with Chinese elements, prompting Chinese-language media to describe the coordinated choices as an active deployment of "fashion diplomacy."

According to the South China Morning Post, Xi was joined at the White House state dinner on Thursday (local time) by Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi — who also heads the Central Foreign Affairs Commission — all dressed in dark-colored Mao suits.

The Mao suit, also known as the Zhongshan suit, is said to have been designed by Sun Yat-sen, regarded as the father of modern China, after the Xinhai Revolution, and is named after his hometown. It became internationally associated with Mao Zedong, who wore it habitually.

Its defining features include a stand-up collar, four flap pockets and five front buttons.

While Xi has often worn the Mao suit at major diplomatic events, other senior Chinese officials have typically appeared in Western-style suits. The South China Morning Post described it as unusual for multiple officials to wear the garment together at the same event.

The Mao suit has appeared at pivotal moments in Chinese history. On Oct. 1, 1949, Mao Zedong wore one when he mounted the Tiananmen rostrum in Beijing to proclaim the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Deng Xiaoping, who led China's reform and opening-up, also wore the suit during his 1979 US visit shortly after the normalization of Sino-American relations — making it the garment of choice for China's top leader on his first trip to the United States.

Notably, Chinese business executives were not seated at the state dinner during Xi's visit. Some observers interpreted the delegation's unusual collective choice of the Mao suit as a deliberate effort to emphasize national and cultural identity.

The US-China leaders' dinner on Thursday (local time) [Xinhua]

Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, also drew attention throughout the visit by wearing a series of outfits that blended elements of traditional Chinese dress with modern design.

Upon arriving at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Wednesday, she wore a gray dress incorporating a Chinese-style collar and tailoring reminiscent of the qipao. Vogue noted that Peng has consistently used diplomatic appearances to showcase Chinese designers and modern reinterpretations of traditional silhouettes.

The following day, when she visited the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art with Melania Trump, she wore a deep navy dress with qipao-inspired elements, accessorized with a silver brooch.

That evening at the White House state dinner, she chose a long-sleeved red V-neck gown.

The South China Morning Post also noted Chinese aesthetic elements in the attire of American guests.

Melania Trump, who attended the dinner, wore black Dolce & Gabbana trousers featuring a peony motif — a flower revered in China as the "king of flowers" and a symbol of harmony and prosperity.

China has no legally designated national flower, but the peony has long been treated as one in effect, having received the most support in a public survey on the question.

Ivanka Trump, the president's eldest daughter, attended the official White House welcoming ceremony in a light blue gown said to have been created by celebrated Chinese designer Guo Pei.

"During Xi's state visit to Washington, Chinese aesthetic sensibilities were on prominent display — not only through Peng, who has long served as an informal ambassador for Chinese fashion, but also in the dress choices of senior Chinese officials and American guests alike," the South China Morning Post said.

Vogue, commenting on the two first ladies' fashion choices during the visit, said: "Where Peng uses fashion as a vehicle to foreground national identity, Trump fuses her own intensely refined personal style powerfully into the image of a modern first lady."

mokiya@heraldcorp.com