The humble uniform of a middle school in Shenzhen has become part of the collection in one of the world's greatest museums. Sun Yuanqing reports.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has added the school uniform of a middle school in Shenzhen to its permanent collection, Chinese media report.

The news first circulated on Chinese micro blogs. A blogger posted pictures of the school uniform being displayed in the museum, with the museum's explanation saying the comfortable and practical outwear has not only cultivated an unofficial civic identity in the industrial city, but also has become part of Chinese popular culture.

The school uniform is part of Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale. It was selected from more than 20 candidates, including souvenirs from the school.

Chinese school uniforms have often been criticized for being dull. There is usually little difference between uniforms for boys and girls. School uniforms are sometimes referred to as flour sacks because of their looseness.

In recent years, school uniforms influenced by Korean fashion and preppy styles have become popular in China. There is also a bigger difference between boys' and girls' uniforms. Girls wear bow ties with blouses and plaid skirts while boys wear suits and ties.

The history of the Chinese school uniform can be traced back to the early 19th century, when the school uniform was influenced by Western fashion and traditional Chinese attire, such as the qipao, or cheongsam. It was also a symbol of modernity at the time.

In a picture taken in the 1910s at a private school in Beijing, girls wear qipao tops paired with Western-style pleated skirts.

The style was continued until the 1970s in Hong Kong, where girls still wear qipao-style dresses as their school uniforms.

(China Daily 05/29/2015 page22)