Chapter 48 Chapter IX Qing Dynasty Costumes

The official uniform system of the Qing Dynasty also reflected the characteristics of the social and political system of the Qing Dynasty.The rulers of the Qing Dynasty conquered the decadent Ming Dynasty by means of cavalry and archery force. To maintain the rule and consolidate the regime, we must not forget this fundamental.It is also reflected in the regulations and systems of clothing that "don't forget the ancestral system" is also a warning.In the second year of Huang Taiji Chongde (AD 1628), Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty told the kings and Baylor: "Our country takes riding and archery as its business. If we follow the customs of the Han people and don't know bows and arrows, why should we practice military equipment?" Huh? Those who shoot and hunt are the law of performing martial arts; those who obey the rules are the scriptures for establishing a country. Afterwards, everyone who goes out to the teacher and hunts in the field is allowed to wear casual clothes, and the rest are all in accordance with the regulations of the early days of the country, and they still wear court clothes. And I want to make future generations not lightly abandon their ancestors "("Manuscripts of Qing History·Yufuzhi"), as the custom-made official uniforms of the Qing Dynasty recorded in the annals of history, was ordered by Emperor Qianlong, nearly a hundred years after the Qing capital Beijing.Until the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was no major change in the official uniform system.This is a set of extremely detailed and specific rules, no overstepping or violating the rules is allowed, only "dress according to the rules" is allowed.From the emperor, concubine, down to civil and military officials, Jinshi, Juren, etc., all must be taken according to the grade.

There are many types of ceremony crowns in the official uniforms of the Qing Dynasty. There are court crowns for sacrificial ceremonies;There are two types of hats: winter and summer. The hats worn in winter are called warm hats, and the hats worn in summer are called cool hats. The emperor faces the crown, and smoked mink and black fox are used as warm hats in winter.The warm hat is round, the top of the hat is domed, the brim of the hat is folded upwards, and the hat is decorated with red wefts. The top has three layers, and it is connected by four golden dragons.The cool hat is made of jade grass or rattan and bamboo silk, wrapped with yellow or white silk, shaped like a bamboo hat, with a golden Buddha on the front of the hat, Shelin on the back of the hat, and red wefts on the hat, decorated with oriental beads. Caps are the same.The imperial crowns of princes, princes, and dukes of the state are generally similar in shape to those of the emperor, except that the number of layers on the top of the hat and the number of ornaments such as pearls are reduced according to the grade.The emperor's auspicious clothing crowns are worn by sea dragons, sables, and sables in winter, and they are worn at different times.The hat is also decorated with red tassels, the top of the hat is a golden seat full of flowers, and a big pearl is held on it.Summer hats are still made of jade grass or rattan and bamboo silk, with red gauze silk lining, azurite pieces and gold edges, and the top of the hat is the same as the winter auspicious clothing crown.The difference between the regular clothes crown is that the cap is a red velvet knot, commonly known as the abacus knot, without a beam, and the rest is the same as the auspicious costume crown.Wearing crowns, black fox or black sheepskin, green velvet are used in winter, and other crowns are worn as usual.In summer, rattan and bamboo silk is used as a hat, and the inner edge of red gauze.Embellished with red yak.The crown and beam of the hat are yellow, and there is a pearl on the front.

The crowns of civil and military officials are roughly the same in style, and the difference in grades lies in the different materials of the fur used on the winter crowns, and the more important difference is the difference in the crown beads on the carved gold seat and the feather branches under the crown beads. .This is the "Dingdai Hualing" used by officials in the Qing Dynasty to show their status.The material and color of the top beads vary according to the rank of officials.The first grade is made of ruby, the second grade is made of coral, the third grade is made of sapphire, the fourth grade is made of lapis lazuli, the fifth grade is made of crystal stone, the sixth grade is made of giant clams [chequ chequ, a large shellfish produced in the South China Sea, known as one of the seven treasures in ancient times], and the seventh grade is made of clams. Plain gold is used for the eighth grade, the Yin pattern of the eighth grade is engraved, the gold top has no decoration, and the ninth grade is carved with Yang patterns, and the gold top.In the eighth year of Yongzheng (1730 A.D.), the official crown system was changed, and gemstones were replaced with glass of the same color.After Qianlong, the top beads of these crowns were basically replaced by transparent or opaque glass, called bright tops and nirvana tops.For example, the first grade is called bright red top, the second grade is Nirvana red top, the third grade is bright blue top, the fourth grade is Nirvana blue top, the fifth grade is bright white top, and the sixth grade is Nirvana white top.As for the plain gold roof of the seventh rank, it was also replaced by brass.Under the top bead, there is a two-inch long feather tube made of jade, emerald, enamel, or flower porcelain, for placing feather branches.Ling is different from blue Ling and Hualing.Blue feathers are made of pheasant feathers, blue, long and eyeless, and lower in grade than flower feathers.Hua Ling is a peacock feather with "eye-dizziness". "Mu halo" is commonly known as "eye". At the end of the feathers, there are single eyes, double eyes, and three eyes. Those with more eyes are the most expensive.In the eighteenth year of Shunzhi (1661 A.D.), regulations were made on Hualing, that is, princes, county kings, Baylors, and clans were not allowed to wear Hualings, but they could be worn below Beizi.It will be formulated later: Beizi wears three-eyed feathers; the Duke of the State and Heshuo's forehead wear double-eyed feathers; internal ministers, first, second, third, and fourth guards, forwards, and commanders of the guards all wear one-eye feathers.

In the early Qing Dynasty, flower feathers were extremely valuable, and only those who made meritorious deeds and mondeen could wear them.During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Shi Lang, the admiral of Fujian, was the first to pacify Taiwan, and he was granted the title of Marquis of Jinghai, and the hereditary remains unchanged.But Shi Lang sent a short resignation to the Marquis, imploring Dai Hualing to be given according to the example of the Minister of Internal Affairs.According to the Ministry's discussion, the generals and admirals abroad did not give Ling a precedent.In the end, Emperor Kangxi issued a special decree to wear it.The exchange of a hereditary marquis for a plume shows the preciousness of the flower feather at that time.And "Ding Dai Hualing" became the symbol of the Qing Dynasty officials' prominence.After the middle of Qing Dynasty, Hualing gradually depreciated.After Daoguang and Xianfeng, the country’s finances were scarce. In order to open up financial resources, officials were sold openly. As long as the donors were willing to pay, they could donate to a certain level of official title, wear appropriate official uniforms, glorify the family, and oppress the local area.In Qing Dynasty novels, after the death of Qin Keqing, Jia Zhen donated 1,000 taels of silver to Jia Rong, because Jia Rong was just a "supervisor of the school [honghong]", and it was not very good-looking to write on the spirit banner. The forbidden captain made the funeral a lot more beautiful (chapter 13).Lingzhi, which was extremely rare in the early Qing Dynasty, was also clearly marked for sale at this time.At the beginning, Wu Chongyao and Pan Shicheng, Guangdong foreign merchants (businessmen specializing in foreign trade), donated tens of thousands of gold, but the imperial court had nothing to reward them, so they rewarded Dai Hualing.Afterwards, with the rise of the Haijiang army, the wind of donating feathers became more popular. The real silver of flower feathers was 10,000 taels, and that of blue feathers was 5,000 taels.Later, according to the discount for donating officials, the amount was very small, so there were many donors.In the ninth year of Xianfeng (AD 1859), Tiaozuo donated feathers were changed to real silver, and discounts were not allowed. Flower feathers were 7,000 taels, and blue feathers were 4,000 taels.At this time, Dingdai Hualing has actually changed his taste.But its role as a symbol of honor still exists.Until the late Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang was rewarded by Cixi for wearing three-eyed feathers for his meritorious service in foreign affairs.

The costumes include Dagon clothes, court clothes, dragon robes, regular clothes, travel clothes, side covers, boa robes, make-up clothes, line jackets, etc.Dagon clothes, court clothes, and dragon robes are the emperor's dress.Dagon clothes are worn during grand ceremonies and are covered outside the dragon robe.Stone blue, embroidered with five claws and four groups of golden dragons on the front, one at the front and one at the back on each shoulder, embroidered with sun and moon patterns, and embroidered with the character "Shou" in seal script at the front and back, with five-color cloud patterns in between.This is modified from the traditional gown.Emperors of the Qing Dynasty often wore dragon robes and Dagon uniforms.For example, every year, the emperor personally farms, or goes to the empress dowager's palace to pay his respects, and grants the imperial seal of the general who goes out to conquer, and is used in auspicious ceremonies such as capture, triumph, and the emperor's longevity festival.Court clothes are used for court meetings, major military ceremonies, and pilgrimage for foreign vassals.Bright yellow is used for both winter and summer court clothes, and blue is only used when worshiping the sky. In addition to embroidering dragons, the front and back of the clothes are also embroidered with twelve chapter patterns, interspersed with five-color cloud patterns.The dragon robe is a second-class dress, bright yellow, embroidered with nine dragons, twelve chapters and five-color cloud patterns.On the bottom panel of the dragon robe, there are many curved water feet arranged diagonally. There are tumbling water waves on it, and there are mountains, stones and treasures standing on the water waves.The production of dragon robes is extremely elegant.In the Qing Dynasty, dragon robes were often carefully designed by the first-class craftsmen of the Qing Palace, and after the emperor's approval and approval, they were sent to Suzhou, Hangzhou and other places to supervise their manufacture.Sometimes it takes 190 days for a piece of robe material.Its special robes are twisted with peacock tails, embellished with large rice pearls, and embroidered with patterns of dragons and phoenixes or tufted flowers.Regular robes are clothes worn for daily government affairs, with slits on the front, back, left, and right, and random colors and patterns.Except for the emperor, all members of the clan can wear this four-slit gown, and others are not allowed to wear it without special permission.Traveling robes are clothing for patrolling and riding horses. The shape is roughly the same as ordinary robes, except that the length of the robes is slightly shorter.When not riding a horse, the missing parts can be connected with buttons, which is the same as ordinary robes.Civil and military officials all have robes.Only the robes without a skirt used by the emperor had four slits, and the imperial clan also used two slits.The end cover is a kind of leather gown with the fur facing outwards. It has a double front, a round neck, and flat sleeves. It is knee-length. It is called "snoring" in Manchu.According to the official uniform system of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor and ordinary officials had them, and they were used as lining dragon robes or boa robes for winter ceremonies or other ceremonies, as well as for court clothes.This is the reflection of the legacy of the Manchu clothes and skins in the official uniform system.According to regulations, each person uses a different fur.Emperors and princes are covered with sable leather and lined with bright yellow or golden satin; princes, county kings, Baylor, Beizi, etc. are covered with green fox leather and lined with moon white satin.As for lower-level officials, such as first-class guards, they can only wear lynx catkin [sun Sun] and the like.Since Kangxi, the black fox has been regarded as the most valuable, followed by the mink fur and the lynx cat. Therefore, it is stipulated that only princes and above can wear the black fox, and non-court ministers are not allowed to reward it.Others have end shield linings in white, blue, black, red, and other colors that are far from yellow.

Boa robes are also called "flower clothes".The shape of the python is similar to that of a dragon, but the python on the robe has one less claw than the dragon, and is in the shape of a four-clawed dragon.Boa gowns are official dress gowns.Princes, princes and other relatives, as well as officials from the first rank to the seventh rank all have python robes, depending on the color of the clothes and the number of pythons.For example, the prince's python robe is golden yellow, and the prince's robe is blue or stone blue, all embroidered with nine pythons.Officials from the first to the seventh ranks are not allowed to use golden yellow to embroider eight to five pythons according to their grades.There are no pythons below the eighth rank.All officials must wear boa robes when participating in the three major festivals, leaving a teacher, winning a victory and other big ceremonies.

The sleeves of dresses in the Qing Dynasty also have their own characteristics. The sleeve ends are made into a horseshoe shape, commonly known as "horseshoe sleeves".When wearing ordinary clothes instead of formal clothes, horseshoe sleeves need to be made separately and connected to the cuffs with buttons.Both men and women of the Eight Banners use it. The other kind of official dress is the patched gown, also called the patched gown, which is shorter than the gown and longer than the gown. It is the main clothing in the official uniform of the Qing Dynasty.The gown is worn outside the robe, which is easy to add and remove. It is a custom of the Manchus and another feature of official uniforms in the Qing Dynasty.There are two kinds of supplements, round and square.Circles are used for mending above shellfish, and squares are used for mending below Guogong.Supplementary decorations are divided into Zhenglong, Xinglong, Zhengmang, and Xingmang according to the level of each person.Inherited from the Ming Dynasty, the mending gowns of officials were also embroidered with patterns of birds and beasts to indicate the rank of officials.For civil servants, first-rank embroidered cranes, second-rank golden pheasants, third-rank peacocks, fourth-rank geese, fifth-rank white pheasants, sixth-rank egrets, seventh-rank embroidered quails, eighth-rank embroidered quails, ninth-rank embroidered sparrows; The first-rank embroidered unicorn, the second-rank embroidered lion, the third-rank embroidered leopard, the fourth-rank embroidered tiger, the fifth-rank embroidered bear, the sixth-rank embroidered tiger, the seventh-rank and eighth-rank embroidered rhinoceros, and the ninth-rank embroidered seahorse.Fandu censor (first rank), deputy capital censor (third rank), Gishizhong (fifth rank), supervisory censor (from fifth rank), according to the history of inspection, and supplementary embroidered Xiezhi of each way.Mending gowns are the hallmark of a high-ranking officer and should not be used in combination.During the Qianlong period, the deputy governor (second rank of military officer) acted as the servant of the household department (second rank of civil official) on gold slips. He thought he had both civil and military duties, so he came up with an idea to embroider a small golden pheasant at the end of the lion's tail of the mending gown of the second rank of military officer. stand on it.Emperor Qianlong laughed when he saw it, and then issued an order to severely reprimand him, saying that he was making a ceremony privately (Xu Ke's "Qing Barnyard Banknotes").Ordinary officials also have regular gowns and gowns, which are worn in daily life, and the colors and patterns are not limited.The gowns worn by general officials are shorter than the regular gowns, with sleeves reaching to the elbow, and are stone-blue in color, and can be worn by retinues as well.

There is also a yellow mandarin jacket in the Qing Dynasty, which is the clothing of the more honored and favored.The patrolling ministers, such as the former imperial ministers, the inner ministers, the inner court king ministers, and the head of the bodyguards, were all allowed to wear yellow mandarin jackets, which were bright yellow.The mandarin jackets of Zhenghuang Banner officials are golden yellow.The emperors of the Qing Dynasty paid special attention to the "yellow mandarin jacket", and often used it to reward ministers, senior generals with military merits, and civilian officials who commanded troops. Those who were rewarded also regarded it as a great honor.Rewarding yellow jackets can also be divided into "rewarding yellow jackets" and "rewarding wearing yellow jackets". "Reward" is limited to one item of reward, while "reward wear" can be eaten by oneself on time, not limited to one item of reward.For example, during the Qianlong period, Duan Xiulin, the admiral, was rewarded with a yellow jacket.Duan Xiulin was an official in Gubeikou, and he once followed Rehe. When Emperor Qianlong summoned him, he saw that he had white beard and hair, so he asked him if he could still ride and shoot.Duan Xiulin replied: "Riding and archery is the job of a military official. Although he is old, he can still cross the saddle and bend the arc. He is the first soldier." Emperor Qianlong hung a swan in front of the palace gate and ordered Duan to try shooting.Duan Xiulin hit the target with one arrow, and Qianlong was overjoyed.In order to reward his martial arts, he was rewarded with a yellow jacket.In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, there were many people who won this honor, and Seng Gelinqin, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, etc. were all rewarded with grace.

Other accessories besides the crown clothing include the shawl of the imperial clothing, the stiff collar and collar around the neck, the court beads, and the belt around the waist.Shawls, also known as shawls, were worn by the emperors, concubines, princes, ministers, civil and military officials, and wives of the Qing Dynasty. They were worn around the neck and draped over the shoulders. They are not allowed to be worn indiscriminately except for grand ceremonies.The collar is rhombus-shaped, with one corner round and concave, which is used as the neckline and tied around the neck, and the other two corners are round and sharp, draped over the shoulders.Different styles are used in winter and summer: gauze is used in summer, with a stone blue color and a golden edge; mink fur is used in winter, and different patterns are embroidered on the surface to distinguish the ranks of superiority and inferiority.The emperor and queen shawls are embroidered with two dragons.Guo Gong and others embroidered pythons.Dresses in the Qing Dynasty did not have collars, so a hard collar had to be added to the gown.In spring and autumn, lake-colored satin is used for stiff collars, yarn is used in summer, and fur or velvet is used in winter.The collar is two long pieces at the front and back that are connected under the hard collar. The front slit is like a placket, tied with buttons, and the lower end is tied around the waist.Because of its shape like a ox tongue, it is commonly known as "ox tongue".Dressy collars are brocade or embroidered.Chaozhu is a distinctive accessory in Qing Dynasty dresses.It is said that Nurhachi, Taizu of the Qing Dynasty, often held rosary beads in his early years, chanting scriptures and chanting Buddha, and the Manchu people, both men and women, wore rosary beads around their necks as decorations.After entering the customs, this custom evolved into adornments in dresses.There are also 108 pilgrimage beads, the same number as rosary beads.The difference is that a large bead is inserted into every 27 beads, called "Buddha head", usually made of coral, agate, and emerald. There are 4 large beads in a string, which are hung on the neck. , It is said to symbolize the four seasons.There are three strings of small beads named "Remembrance" on both sides of the beads.Each commemoration is decorated with 10 small beads, which symbolize the 30 days of the first, middle and last ten days of a month.The Buddha head on the top of the beads is decorated with a pagoda named "Buddha head pagoda". There is a silk ribbon hanging from the bottom and an oval jade piece connected to the top.When wearing Chaozhu, the jade piece is on the back, so it is called "back cloud".According to the provisions of the "Great Qing Huidian": from the emperor, concubine, and prince below, the civil servants are above the fifth rank, the military officers are above the fourth rank, and officials from Han Zhan, Ke Dao, bodyguards, the Ministry of Rites, Guozijian, Taichang Temple, Honglu Temple, etc. All of them can wear court beads during the ceremony, but others are not allowed.Hanging court beads, men and women are different, two strings of "memory" for men are on the left, and two strings of "memory" for women are on the right.The materials used in court beads depend on the identity of the person.The emperor's court beads use east beads, and other Buddha heads, commemorations, and clouds on the back vary according to the occasion. For example, lapis lazuli is used for worshiping the sky, honey amber is used for worshiping the ground, coral is used for the morning sun, turquoise is used for the evening moon, and bright yellow is used for silk ribbons.The queen needs to wear three sets of court beads, the middle plate is made of east beads, the left and right plates are made of coral, and the Buddha head and other jewels are used. The silk sash is bright yellow.When concubines wear court clothes, they hang three plates of court beads, the materials are reduced in order, and the silk sash is golden yellow.Other princes and ministers are not allowed to use oriental beads, pearls and bright yellow silk ribbons, other corals, agates, emeralds, amber, amber, tourmalines, etc. are not restricted.Dynasty belt, the emperor, civil and military officials need to wear a belt when wearing court clothes.The belt is woven with silk, and four metal plates are inlaid on it for decoration, and there are accessories such as purses on the belt.There are round version and square version.There are two types of imperial court, both of which are bright yellow.One is made of four round plates with dragon patterns, decorated with red, sapphire or turquoise, inlaid with oriental beads and pearls.Wear sweat towels on the left and right, or streamers, wind belts, etc., for grand ceremonies.Another style uses four gold square plates with dragon patterns, decorated with lapis lazuli for heavenly sacrifices, topaz for ground sacrifices, and also inlaid with oriental beads and other ornaments.The prince's court belt is made of golden yellow, with four gold inlaid jade square plates, four oriental beads, and a cat's eye stone embedded in the middle.Beads such as princes, county kings, Beizi, etc. are decreasing.The court belt of the pin official is cyan or blue, and the square and round plates are different at different levels, and the decorations are also different.Regulations of the Qing Dynasty: belts, members of the clan below the prince wear golden belts, Jue Luo wears red belts.It is not bestowed by God, and the belt cannot be given a different surname.The distinction between the two colors is also very strict and cannot be mixed.

There are regulations on the wearing and use of crown clothes, and the clothes are changed in four seasons, and are copied from the palace to each deployment every year.By the late Qing Dynasty, most of the prohibitions on clothing had been broken.