Study Of Female Costumes Excavated From Ming Dynasty Tombs In The Jiangnan Basin Of The Grand Canal

During the Ming Dynasty,the Grand Canal served as the primary transportation hub for trade and commerce,connecting Beijing in the north with Hangzhou in the south.It facilitated trade and commerce between the two regions,and promoted cultural exchange.Due to its favorable geographic location,the Jiangnan Basin became a center for economic development in the Ming Dynasty and was an essential distribution hub for trade exchanges,greatly promoting the development of local handicrafts and weaving.This laid the foundation for the economic and cultural prosperity of the middle and late Ming Dynasty.Furthermore,numerous Ming Dynasty tombs in the Jiangnan area of the Grand Canal have been excavated,revealing costume remains of various styles,rich materials,and intricate ornaments.Based on the "Artistic Archaeological Research on Ming Dynasty Costumes in the Jiangnan River Basin" of the National Social Science Foundation of China,this project collaborates with the "Chinese Textile Costume Historical Materials and Chinese Style Empirical Research" of the major research project of the Ministry of Education.The project applies cross-disciplinary research methodologies and perspectives from history,archaeology,anthropology,folklore,and other related fields to study design as the primary perspective.The research paradigm of "object(physical sample),text(documentary and historical material),and figure(heirloom portrait)" intersects and corroborates each other,systematically organizing and scientifically studying the artistic value of women’s costumes excavated from Ming Dynasty tombs in the Jiangnan area of the Grand Canal.This project selects the female costumes excavated from the tombs of the Ming Dynasty in the Jiangnan area of the Grand Canal for research.On the premise of clarifying the social development background of the Ming Dynasty and the current development of female costumes,the physical examples of female costumes excavated from the tombs of the Ming Dynasty in the Jiangnan area of the Grand Canal are organized and summarized,and in-depth research is conducted:First of all,the female costumes excavated from the tombs of the Ming Dynasty in the Jiangnan Basin of the Grand Canal were categorized and organized,and the form and structural characteristics of the five selected costume categories: robe,jacket,undergarment(undershirt,main waist),skirt,and pants were studied from "surface to point," and the overall shape and local details were fully elaborated.The evolution characteristics of Ming Dynasty female costumes were summarized in terms of wearing,function,and shape,and the way of wearing a jacket(shirt)and skirt was the mainstream of local female costumes,and the structural details of the costumes after the middle of the Ming Dynasty were more abundant compared to those of the early Ming Dynasty.Second,representative female physical samples are selected for structural restoration.The two physical restorations of women’s clothing selected in the paper are more about the recording and transmission of traditional clothing.Through the interpretation and dissection of the structure of the jacket and skirt,it is found that the Ming Dynasty female jacket of the Grand Canal Jiangnan Basin continues the idea of making the best use of things,and the wearing style of a cross collar left overlapping and the densely pleated horse-faced skirt of the Wuxi area,which is different from other areas of the Grand Canal Jiangnan Basin,highlights the aesthetic thought of the literati and the burial culture of the Wuxi scholars.Although a large number of Ming Dynasty female dress objects have been excavated from Ming Dynasty tombs in the Jiangnan basin of the Grand Canal,the lack of complete physical data,the limited number of objects that can be observed up close,and many other conditions have made it difficult to study the physical recovery of local Ming Dynasty women’s dress.Therefore,it is important to conduct an in-depth study of the Ming female costume culture in the region.Furthermore,from the perspective of dressing and ritual transgressions,the dress transgressions of women excavated from the tombs of the Ming Dynasty in the Jiangnan Basin of the Grand Canal were sorted out,and specific analyses were made of fabric transgressions and decoration transgressions.Through the analysis of the above three,it is derived that the psychological changes of women’s clothing consumption in Ming Dynasty tombs excavated in the south of the Grand Canal basin are influenced by the political system,economic development,and social customs,as well as the penetration of values,aesthetic trends,and foreign cultures.In this process,consumer demand also changed with the times.The transition from "respecting ancient and simple" in the early Ming Dynasty to "extravagant and luxurious" in the late Ming Dynasty was an outflow of women’s consumption desire in the Jiangnan basin of the Grand Canal in the Ming Dynasty,and was also the result of the rise of "individuality" and the challenge to traditional It is also the result of the rise of "individuality" and the challenge to the traditional ritual system.Finally,from the perspective of history and culture,we analyze the role of canal water culture and period factors in the evolution of women’s costumes in Ming Dynasty tombs excavated in the Jiangnan basin of the Grand Canal,where the intertwined canal water network system,as well as period concepts and social structures,drove the changes in women’s fashion and aesthetic consciousness during the Ming Dynasty.From the perspective of geographical space,the similarities and differences of Ming women’s costumes between the Jiangnan basin of the Grand Canal and other basins and regions are analyzed.The east and west,north and south are connected through the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Yangtze River respectively,and the costume cultures of the cities along the route interpenetrate each other in terms of trade and commerce exchanges,but retain their regional characteristics.At the same time,we analyze the individuality and commonality of women’s costumes in the Yuan Dynasty,Ming Dynasty,and Qing Dynasty in the south of the Grand Canal,taking the women’s skirt as an example,which evolved from a two-piece single skirt to a multi-folded horse-faced skirt and then to an appliquéd horse-faced skirt,which is a product of the continuous integration and innovation of women’s costumes in the south of the Grand Canal through the changes of the times.