Mao suit

The Chinese tunic suit is a style of male attire originally known in China as the Zhongshan suit (simplified Chinese: 中山装; traditional Chinese: 中山裝; pinyin: Zhōngshān zhuāng) after the republican leader Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan). Sun Yat-sen introduced the style shortly after the founding of the Republic of China (1912–1949) as a form of national dress with distinct political overtones. The four pockets are said to represent the Four Virtues of propriety, justice, honesty, and humility; and the five buttons the Five Yuans of the Government of the Republic of China (Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Examination, Control).

The suits came to be widely worn by male citizens and government leaders after the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, and the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. It served as a symbol of proletarian unity, and an Eastern counterpart to the Western business suit. The name "Mao suit" or "Mao tunic" comes from Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong's fondness for the style. The garment became closely associated with him and Chinese Communism. Mao's cut of the suit was influenced by the Stalin tunic, which was prevalent among Soviet officials at the time. Increasing use of the Western business suit by the general public in the 1980s and 1990s led to a decline in use of the Mao suit. However, it is still frequently worn by Chinese leaders during important state ceremonies and functions. The Mao suit was also worn in North Korea by party elites.

The style became fashionable among Western European, Australian, and New Zealander socialists and intellectuals in the 1960s and 1970s.