CNST 213 Chinese Traditional Dress

Traditional Chinese Apparel

Background
1644 was a turning point in Chinese costume history. The Manchus, a race of tribesmen who lived north of the Great Wall, overthrew the Chinese Ming dynasty. They named their new empire Qing, which meant "pure".
During the 267-year Qing (Ch'ing) dynasty, the more conspicuous forms of Manchu cultural expression were used to signal both ethnicity and political control. These included:

language - A bilingual policy required all official documents to be written in both Chinese and Manchurian.
custom - All males, whether Manchu or Han Chinese were required to shave their foreheads and wear their back hair braided into a Manchu-style queue.
dress - As part of their political strategy, the Manchu demanded that Manchu-style clothing be worn by anyone engaged in government service. Thus, in appearance, the Han Chinese became Manchu. Official court wardrobe was regulated by laws which were strictly enforced. However, non-official clothing was not regulated, so the Manchu and Han each had separate non-official wardrobes.

Dress in the Ch'ing Dynasty

Chinese Apparel in Transition

References
Scott, A. C. (1958). Chinese Costume in Transition. Singapore: Donald Moore
Steele, V. (1982). Fashion in China. Dress, 8-15.
Vollmer, J. E. (1983). Decoding Dragons: Status garments in Ch'ing Dynasty China. Eugene, OR:
University of Oregon Museum of Art.

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