Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 16. (Budapest, 1997)

FAJCSÁK Györgyi-Z. FIKÓ Katalin: Kínai szoknya a 19. század végéről - Restaurálás és dokumentáció

GYÖRGYI FAJCSÁK & KATALIN Z.FIKÓ A CHINESE SKIRT FROM THE LATE 19TH CENTURY (Restoration work and documentation) I. Chinese women's attire in the late 19th century Manchu armies invading China from the north founded the Qing dynasty in 1644. The Manchus, nomadic horsemen known to be descended from the Tunguz, governed the Middle Empire (Chinese: Zhang guo) up until to 1911, in the course of the centuries gradually adjusting their customs and way of life to those of the Chinese. Surviving women's garments from the Qing dynasty period attest to two cultures of dressing, cultures which subtly blended into each other. Manchu women, both the highborn and those of lower rank, wore long gowns reaching down to their ankles and covering the entire figure, while the Chinese (han) ladies preferred shorter gowns and skirts which went with these. Important items of Chinese women's attire were trousers, worn by aristocratic ladies under their skirts in such a way that only the embellished bands on the lower parts of the trouser legs could be glimpsed below the skirts. Only the poor women working in the fields wore just trousers together with short tunics. The most characteristic garment in Manchu women's attire was the long gown (gi pao), done up on the right side and often covering the feet. This straight-cut garment, following the figure at the back and left loose at the front, was decorated with embroidery. The loose, gradually flaring sleeves were edged with thin borders, as were the front and back of the garment. The sleeveless version of the gown (Chinese: hei xin or ma chia), which was also worn lined or padded for winter, was popular too. Under the gown a thin shirt or little coat was worn. In the case of Manchu women's garments the gown covered the skirt worn beneath it, the ornamented bands of which could be seen only when the wearer was walking or sitting. These bands were cut and patterned in such a way that the pattern of the skirt accorded with the order of the embellishment used on the gown, when the gown opened and the pattern on the skirt became visible. Chinese (han) women's attire in the Qing period represented a direct continuation of the dressing culture of the Ming dynasty. On the top, ladies wore shirts and short gowns, while below they wore skirts and beneath them trousers too, perhaps. As a result of Manchu influence, these garments were supplemented with a longer waistcoat or a sleeveless coat. The once loose and long sleeves of the dresses gradually became narrower (approx. 30 cms), and shorter. In the 19th century, in the second half of the Qing period, embroidered trousers visible from below the long gowns came into fashion. By the 19th century the difference between Manchu and Chinese women's attire was hardly noticeable: the stock of garments of both Manchu and Chinese ladies featured longer or shorter gowns, skirts, trousers, waistcoats and sleeveless coats. Undoubtedly, silk was the most favoured textile, embellished with embroidery and appliqué work in accordance with the type of garment and the age of the lady wearing it.