The Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty female upper clothes were three collars with narrow sleeves. The body height was over three feet, revealing the skirt only two to three inches, the so-called "Flower hat, skirt clothes with big sleeves and round collars". The skirt installs often used light colored fabrics in early Ming Dynasty. Pleated skirts were extremely popular. The Ming dynasty also had one special kind of cape. Because of its beautiful shape, it was called "pink cloud cape."

The Qing Dynasty

Manchurian-style clothing with short narrow sleeves was the popular mode of dress in the Qing dynasty. The style was slender and rectangular in form. The saddle-shaped collar was large enough to cover a person's cheeks and protect the face. The entire garment, which was not lined, was cut straight from top to bottom and did not have a waist. The box-like look of Qing dynasty clothing presented a solemn, slightly arrogant image that commanded respect. It was quite unique.

Conclusion

As an important part of ancient Chinese culture, ancient attire embodied the harmonious relationship between people and nature. In fact, ancient people's way of thinking--that man is an integral part of nature--was based on their faith in God and their adherence to high moral standards. And it was exactly because of their kindness and gracious morality that God bestowed wisdom and magnificence on them, enabling them to develop a glorious life style and living environment.

The costumes of the different dynasties all had their own distinctive features and appeared to have no close connection to each other. They represented the culture of the different dynasties and the wisdom that humans were endowed with during the different time periods. The attire of each dynasty vividly reflected and represented the life style, social status, ideology, and mentality of that time. This could be a result of the different characteristics that each dynasty possessed, as people of different dynasties came from different heavenly kingdoms.

While pondering these beautiful, fascinating wardrobes of the ancients, one feels a part of their past, and it is easy to realize the broad and profound inner nature of Chinese people.

Editor: Liu Xiongfei