During the Yuan and Ming, the emperors were already wearing robes graced with dragon patterns, but it was not until the Qing that they were named “dragon robes” and became part of the official attire system. A dragon robe is either yellow or apricot-yellow dragons in color, and embroidered with nine yellow dragons and five-hued auspicious cloud patterns.
The clouds are interlaced with twelve other patterns—the sun, the moon and stars (representing the light of the throne), mountains (synonymous to stability to changes) auspicious bird (denoting elegance and beauty) water reeds (which represent purity and cleanness), and fire (meaning light). According to imperial Qing rituals, the emperor's dragon robe was a kind of auspicious attire for lower-grade celebrations and ceremonies—it as by no means the highest grade of imperial attire.
The dragon robe that was passed down from one emperor to another is embroidered with a dragon on the front and the back, before or behind the knees, on the shoulders, and on the lining of the chest. Thus a total of nine dragons are embroidered on a dragon robe. Observed from the front or behind it, five dragons could be seen at a glance, because in Chinese tradition the figures nine and five tallied with the dignity of the throne.
In the Qing Dynasty only Emperors had the privilege of wearing the dragon robes decorative of the dragons with 12 insignia badges, whose designing include circular collar,big front,right border(opening),narrow and comprehensive sleeves with sleeve end of horse shoes shape.The demy front and back of the robe was sumptuously embroidered 9 dragons and embellished with gold, pearls and precious stones. In the front of the robe collar was embroidered with one front dragon each and at the joining of the left and right borders have decorative dragons each, while there is a front dragon at the end of horseheel-shaped sleeves. The collar and sleeves were brimmed with azurite gold satins. The clothing materials could be changed according to seasons, for instance, cotton, gauge, sandwich blend, or fur, etc.
Dragon robe and crown is a sort of costume worn by emperors on the most important occasions in ancient China. Dragon robe refers to the noble dress decorated with rolling dragons while dragon crown is the noble hat.
As a world-famous country of amenity, China has been attaching importance to various amenity-related activities since ancient times. Accordingly, costumes prepared for different amenity-related activities have developed into a clothing system exclusively possessed by China. According to archeological discoveries, crown-costume came into existence early in the Shang Dynasty. It was a kind of grande toilette worn by the emperor and supreme officials of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty on ceremonious sacrificial occasions. Due to the enhancement of emperor's rights in later dynasties, dragon robe and crown became the costume exclusively prepared for the emperor, and even, served as a token of the emperor. In the feudal society with rigid hierarchy, costume was an important symbol for distinguishing the noble and humble as well as class differences. For this reason, dragon robe and crown acted as a symbol of imperial power other than a top-grade dress. Making dragon robe and crown privately at that time was perceived to be a crime as serious as rebellion.
Exquisite dragon robe and crown is a prime of Chinese ancient costume with rich cultural context. The dragon embroidered on the robe demonstrates the worship of dragon totem in ancient China, while the shape of the crown (slightly round front and square rear) contains the cultural content of "Round heaven and square earth". The exquisite and graceful dragon robes and crowns preserved in the Palace Museum are an embodiment of supreme dressmaking technique in ancient China. Moreover, they can reflect the aesthetic consciousness in traditional Chinese culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment