{"id":1877,"date":"2026-01-31T01:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T17:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/?p=1877"},"modified":"2026-02-06T08:44:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T00:44:51","slug":"hu-culture-in-the-central-plains-hu-people-clothing-music-and-merchants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/1877","title":{"rendered":"Hu Culture in the Central Plains: Hu People, Clothing, Music, and Merchants"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Zhang<\/a><\/p>\n

Huization (\u80e1\u5316 ; h\u00fa hu\u00e0) is a distinctive cultural phenomenon formed through cultural exchange between the Han ethnic group and minority ethnic groups in ancient Chinese history. This phenomenon is mainly manifested in the Han people\u2019s active or passive acceptance of minority cultural elements in aspects such as clothing, food, etiquette, and others.<\/p>\n

This phenomenon was particularly prominent from the Northern and Southern Dynasties through the Sui and Tang dynasties.<\/p>\n

Mr. Chen Yinke (\u9648\u5bc5\u606a; Ch\u00e9n Y\u00ednk\u00e8)\u2019s Views on the Hu and the Han<\/h5>\n

\u201c\u79cd\u65cf\u4e4b\u6c49\u4eba\u4e0e\u80e1\u4eba\u4e4b\u5206\u522b\uff0c\u5728\u5317\u671d\u65f6\u4ee3\u6587\u5316\u8f83\u8840\u7edf\u5c24\u4e3a\u91cd\u8981\u3002\u51e1\u6c49\u5316\u4e4b\u4eba\u5373\u76ee\u4e3a\u6c49\u4eba\uff0c\u80e1\u5316\u4e4b\u4eba\u5373\u76ee\u4e3a\u80e1\u4eba\uff0c\u5176\u8840\u7edf\u5982\u4f55\uff0c\u5728\u6240\u4e0d\u8bba\u3002\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe distinction between the Han people and the Hu people, during the Northern Dynasties, lay more in culture than in bloodline. Anyone who became Han-ized was regarded as Han; anyone who became Hu-ized was regarded as Hu. As for their bloodline, it was not taken into consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u592b\u6e90\u5e08\u4e43\u9c9c\u5351\u79c3\u53d1\u6c0f\u4e4b\u540e\u88d4\uff0c\u660e\u662f\u80e1\u4eba\u65e0\u7591\uff0c\u800c\u9ad8\u963f\u90a3\u80b1\u7adf\u76ee\u4e91\u4e3a\u6c49\u513f\uff0c\u6b64\u4e3a\u5317\u671d\u6c49\u4eba\u3001\u80e1\u4eba\u4e4b\u5206\u522b\uff0c\u4e0d\u8bba\u5176\u8840\u7edf\uff0c\u53ea\u89c6\u5176\u6240\u53d7\u4e4b\u6559\u5316\u4e3a\u6c49\u6291\u4e3a\u80e1\u800c\u5b9a\u4e4b\u786e\u8bc1\uff0c\u8bda\u53ef\u8c13’\u6709\u6559\u65e0\u7c7b’\u77e3\u3002\u53c8\u6b64\u70b9\u4e3a\u6cbb\u543e\u56fd\u4e2d\u53e4\u53f2\u6700\u8981\u5173\u952e\uff0c\u82e5\u4e0d\u660e\u4e4e\u6b64\uff0c\u5fc5 \u81f4\u65e0\u8c13\u4e4b\u7ea0\u7eb7\u3002\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a descendant of the Tuoba Xianbei clan, clearly a Hu person without any doubt, yet Gao A\u2019na Hong referred to him as a Han child. This serves as conclusive evidence that the distinction between Han and Hu during the Northern Dynasties was not based on lineage, but rather on whether the education and culture one received were Han or Hu. This can truly be called \u2018education without discrimination.\u2019 Moreover, this point is the most crucial key to studying medieval Chinese history; without understanding it, unnecessary disputes are bound to arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum \u592a\u539f\u5317\u9f50\u58c1\u753b\u535a\u7269\u9986<\/pre>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Beautiful women beside the female tomb owner of Xu Xianxiu (\u5f90\u663e\u79c0), Fei Niao hairstyle (\u98de\u9e1f\u9afb) \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Hu People (\u80e1\u4eba ; h\u00fa r\u00e9n)<\/h4>\n
\u201cHu people\u201d was a general term used by ancient Han Chinese to refer to the peoples of the northern regions and the Western Regions. In the pre-Qin period, the term mainly referred to the Beidi (\u5317\u72c4 ; b\u011bi d\u00ed), and later expanded to include the Xiongnu (\u5308\u5974 ; xi\u014dng n\u00fa), Xianbei (\u9c9c\u5351 ; xi\u0101n b\u0113i), and other nomadic groups. After Zhang Qian (\u5f20\u9a9e ; Zh\u0101ng Qi\u0101n) opened routes to the Western Regions during the Han dynasty, the term \u201cHu\u201d gradually came to encompass various ethnic groups of the Western Regions and influenced the culture of the Central Plains, such as Hu clothing and Hu music. During the Tang dynasty, \u201cHu people\u201d mainly referred to the Sogdians and other ethnic groups from the Western Regions.<\/p>\n
During the Northern Qi dynasty, a considerable number of Hu people were active in the Central Plains and engaged in various professions. In tomb murals and clay figurines discovered through archaeology, many images of the Hu people can be seen. These Hu people have high noses, deep-set eyes, thick beards, and often full beards. Murals commonly depict Hu people leading camels, Hu people driving carts, and Hu people playing music.<\/p>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Hu people driving a carriage in the Shuiquanliang (\u6c34\u6cc9\u6881) tomb mural \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Hu people driving a carriage in the Xu Xianxiu (\u5f90\u663e\u79c0) tomb mural \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Hu Clothing (\u80e1\u670d ; h\u00fa f\u00fa)<\/h4>\n
The Northern Dynasties were a key period during which Hu clothing culture merged with Han clothing culture. During the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou periods, Hu and Han styles interwove. The various styles of clothing seen in the murals are a direct reflection of the fusion and mutual brilliance of Hu and Han cultures.<\/p>\n
The main characteristics of Hu clothing are fitted upper garments, long trousers with a joined crotch, leather boots, and Die belts<\/a> (\u8e40\u5e26 ; di\u00e9 d\u00e0i). The narrow fit made horseback riding and archery more convenient. After absorbing Persian elements during the Tang dynasty, garments such as narrow-sleeved robes with turned-down collars and striped trousers emerged, which, through Hu dances, also influenced women\u2019s fashion trends.<\/p>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
General\u2019s attire in the Jiuyuangang (\u4e5d\u539f\u5c97) tomb mural \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Maidservants\u2019 attire in the Xu Xianxiu (\u5f90\u663e\u79c0) tomb mural \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Hu Music (\u80e1\u4e50 ; h\u00fa yu\u00e8)<\/h4>\n
Hu music is a cultural term in the Han language referring to a general designation for music from the northwestern and northern regions, as well as the Western Regions of ancient China. From the Han to the Tang dynasties, Hu music gradually entered the Central Plains. During the Tang dynasty, a specialized institution called the \u201cHubu (\u80e1\u90e8 ; h\u00fa b\u00f9)\u201d was established to manage Hu music. Its musical forms included elements such as Xiliang music and others, and were referred to as \u201cHubu New Sounds (\u80e1\u90e8\u65b0\u58f0 ; h\u00fa b\u00f9 x\u012bn sh\u0113ng),\u201d reflecting the results of musical and cultural exchange between East and West.<\/p>\n
In Northern Dynasty murals, there are quite a number of figures playing musical instruments from the Western Regions. These instruments include the Sheng (\u7b19 ; sh\u0113ng), Di (\u7b1b ; d\u00ed), Xiao (\u7bab ; xi\u0101o), Konghou (\u7b9c\u7bcc ; k\u014dng h\u00f3u), and Hu pipa (\u80e1\u7435\u7436 ; h\u00fa p\u00ed p\u00e1). Historical records note that when the famous Northern Qi musician Cao Miaoda (\u66f9\u5999\u8fbe ; C\u00e1o Mi\u00e0od\u00e1) played the pipa, the Northern Qi ruler Gao Yang (\u9ad8\u6d0b ; G\u0101o Y\u00e1ng) often personally beat the drum to accompany him.<\/p>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Music ensemble in the Xu Xianxiu (\u5f90\u663e\u79c0) tomb mural \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Music ensemble in the Shuiquanliang (\u6c34\u6cc9\u6881) tomb mural \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Hu Merchants (\u80e1\u5546 ; h\u00fa sh\u0101ng)<\/h4>\n
During the Northern Dynasties, many Hu merchants were active in entering China along the Silk Road. Camel caravans carried goods from Central Asia, West Asia, and even the more distant Mediterranean regions, bringing people and technologies from these areas into China.<\/p>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
The Hu merchants’ camel caravan in the Lou Rui (\u5a04\u53e1) tomb mural \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Zhang<\/a>
Horse trade in the Jiuyuangang (\u4e5d\u539f\u5c97) tomb \u2014 Taiyuan Northern Qi Dynasty Mural Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Huization (\u80e1\u5316 ; h\u00fa hu\u00e0) is a distinctive cultural phenomenon formed through cultural exchange between the Han ethnic group and...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":1878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[41,42,1216,1211,1219,1217,1214,591,1212,1221,1218,1215,1213,1220,621],"class_list":["post-1877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-culture","tag-chinese-culture","tag-chinese-history","tag-hu-clothing","tag-hu-culture","tag-hu-merchants","tag-hu-music","tag-hu-people","tag-hufu","tag-huization","tag-taiyuan-northern-qi-dynasty-mural-museum","tag-1218","tag-1215","tag-1213","tag-1220","tag-621"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zhangruying.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}