It is a specific form of round collar robe, known as yuanlingpao, which is characterized with the use of hem, called hanglan (横襕), also referred as lan (襕)).

[3][4] The panling lanshan along with the futou (幞頭; black cap) was used as the Tang dynasty attire of scholars and officials.

[5] It is also a formal attire worn by scholars and students (生員) taking the imperial examination in Ming dynasty.

[5] In the Song dynasty, the lanshan developed wide sleeves and the robe became increasingly wider as it returned to a more traditional Han Chinese style due to the shift in preferences for civilization over militarism.

[6][7] The nansam was adopted from the ancient Chinese system and was worn as the official costume of students who had passed the civil service examination in Joseon by King Yeonjo.