Manchu Traditional Costumes

Evolution of apparel discloses the historical change, economic development and of cultural and aesthetic transmutation. Chinese apparel, after several thousand years of succession, development and innovation, has revealed the colorful patterns.Over centuries, Manchurian ancestors lived in Northeast China of short frost-free season with fishing and hunting being their main economic sources instead of planting. Some 3000 years ago, the "meat-eating and fur-wearing" life style of Sushen People had developed gown-type garment with tightened body and narrowed sleeves in the period of Nuchen, representing the characters of the apparels of nomadic people in North China. Up to Qing Dynasty, the consolidation of Qing's regime and flourishing of economy led to unprecedented development of apparel to the height of prosperity for Chinese ancient apparel.After Manchurian people accessed Central China from their birthplace in Northeast China for taking over the national regime, their political position was tremendously changed, while the emperors at early period of the Dynasty believed that the system of clothes and hat did matter to the rise and fall of a nationality. Emperor Qianlong further realized that it is attributable to substitution of national custom with the clothes and hat of Han and Tang Dynasties that the dynasties of Liao, Jin and Yuan perished soon after they took the regime. To that end, an all-way-round nationwide reform of apparel was carried out from hairstyle to clothes by strengthening the essentiality of traditional Manchurian apparel. During this process, despite of long-term co-habitation with Han Nationality and mutual influence of apparel to a certain extent, the fundamental constitution of Manchurian apparel remained unchanged with successive optimization, and ultimately formed a system of institutions in which the Manchurian apparel elements of rebato and horse-shoe-like cuff reserved.Furthermore, the apparel is the symbol of status and social position. In Qing Dynasty, there was a strict regulation on the hierarchical system of clothes and hat from emperor to officials, and from empress to womengranted with imperial titles and ranks. It is also classified by function into court dress, ceremonial dress, mufti and traveling dress with relevant ornaments. Long gown, mandarin jacket and waistcoat were the typical Manchurian clothes. Men had their hair cut at the front part with a pigtail reserved at the back part, while the women had a Manchurian hairstyle. The officials had winter hat for cold winter days and summer hat for hot summer days, while the common people had skullcap and terai. For footwear, men would wear boots while women had Manchurian shoes. The ornaments might vary from time to time, including court beads, chaplet-like collar adornment, ornamental ribbon, mini-crown, longitudinal hairpin and etc.The designs and outside material selection of embroideries, silks and satins for the apparel of Qing Dynasty highlight the enriched composition of pictures, brilliant colors and magnificent and noble characters with luxury enhanced by pearl and jade beads and ornaments. The great variety of ornaments and the exquisite workmanship constitute the evidences of the advanced handcraft industry at that time.With a historical perspective of Manchurian people, they had been following a national development vein to pass their nationalism from generation to generation under a political, economic and cultural pattern of development. In an apparel sense, Manchurian people had formed unique cultural gem that was distinctive from yet integrated with other nationalities.This article discusses the history of the development of Manchurian apparel and the apparel reform of Qing Dynasty under the historical background, provides an detailed description of the apparels of emperors, empress, officials and common people in Qing Dynasty, and sets forth the writer's personal idea on the national apparel that represents the cultural level of the nation and expresses the national spirit of pride and self-improvement in view...