19th Century Han Women's Clothing | Late Qing Dynasty: 清末汉少女装
%20(1).jpg "A collection of Han (ethnic) women's clothing of the 19th century and turn of the century~ late Qing dynasty China. The faithful rendition of the commoners and gentry's clothing gives a vital sociological insight into this tumulus age.")
Music: 抖音《赤伶(正式版) 》
Art by ★陸曼陀★ LuDanling
A collection of Han (ethnic) women's clothing of the 19th century and turn of the century~ late Qing dynasty China. The faithful rendition of the commoners and gentry's clothing gives a vital sociological insight into this tumulus age.
The Dragon Sleeps: "Empress Dowager Cixi and Four Imperial Physicians" by Huang Zhongyang. During this period, power of the Qing imperial court resides in the hands of Dowager Empress Cixi, an arch- conservative who failed to modernize Qing China during the height of European encroachment, she presided over a deeply corrupt court over a tense realm that was primed to explode into rebellion. Her provinces were governed by wolfish sycophants- each with a private army that backs his local power. Most of all, she repeatedly underestimated the west in the age of high imperialism. While China suffered what would later be named the "Century of Humiliation" she was the helmswoman during the twilight of the Qing dynasty.
The clothing are mostly based on gaudy commoners' and gentry's clothing combined with elements of folk art and folk crafts. Behind each of the portrait contained traditional folk art elements such as kites, oil-paper umbrellas, oil-paper lanterns, shadow puppets, velvet flowers, etc. It should be noted as per the tradition of footbinding; these women would have their feet bound. In contrast to Han traditions, Manchu women's were not bound.
TWLIGHT OF THE QING DYNASTY
Change was forced at gunpoint on Qing China and what followed was half a century of strife within and without it. Sensing Qing weakness after the disastrous Opium Wars, western (and soon Japan) began a feeding frenzy to insert, snip, and carve out portions of China for their own imperial interests.
Worse for the empire as a whole, despite many attempts at modernizing in their own terms, the Qing at large failed in this life or death undertaking. When at last the long- presiding Empress Dowager Cixi died 1908, change would have to come from elsewhere, and come with conspiracy and outrage.
19TH CENTURY HAN WOMEN'S CLOTHING | LATE QING
The low "Suzhou Braid" or "Suzhou Bun," is one of the common hairstyles for Han women in the late Qing Dynasty. It was named because it was popular in Suzhou and other Jiangnan areas in eastern China's coastal regions. It was mentioned in the novels of Lu Xun and Wang Zengqi. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, political corruption and national power were severely weakened by external invasions and internal rebellions. The high bun in the past was no longer fashionably worn by women, and gradually developed into a low bun.
"Baby's Breath (Gypsophila) Bangs" Bangs were often worn among women in brothels during this period and- like pigtails today became associated with youth to their guests. Because of the great chaos and social upheaval of this age, many prostitutes were indeed very young.
Peranakan beauties. Peranakans are a sub-ethnic group of south eastern chinese who migrated to the Malaysia, Indonesia in the 19th century or earlier. Their identity are distinct for their chinese-malay mix cuisine and womens clothing, use of Malay as primary language, while maintaining traditional Chinese customs. Recent DNA research among the group indicates most have South East Chinese and Malay admixture.
In the late Qing Dynasty, beaded curtains were commonly seen among southern girls.
Above: Family portrait of a Qing Mandarin official's clan. Note the beaded curtains worn by the younger women of the family. Middle: Two young girls with beaded curtains.
Thank you to my Patrons who has contributed $10 and above: You made this happen!
➢ ☯ MK Celahir
➢ ☯ Muramasa
➢ ☯ Thomas Vieira
➢ ☯ Vincent Ho (FerrumFlos1st)
➢ ☯ BurenErdene Altankhuyag
➢ ☯ Stephen D Rynerson
➢ ☯ Michael Lam
➢ ☯ Peter Hellman
➢ ☯ SunB
Comments
Qing was quite multi-ethnic but there are also distinctive differences that endured. It's also not what one might think either. For one Qing did try to reduce footbinding for several times but was fiercely resisted by the local Han for those efforts until the Manchus essentially gave up on that project. However they mandated that Manchu women- and women of other steppe people will not go through the same rigor. In a sense there really are areas of contradictions but in a way it also stemmed from organically trying to integrated various systems and have them run under Manchu leadership. Example: in the outlying regions such as Tibet they appointed Ambans etc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amban
Early Qing emperors pretty much stipulated that to rule the ruler must be erudite in the ways of the various people and act in keeping as the paragon of those people. Example: Zhongzhen Emperor as a Han Scholar:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Album_of_the_Yongzheng_Emperor_in_Costumes_2.jpg
https://picryl.com/media/album-of-the-yongzheng-emperor-in-costumes-9-b36894
https://picryl.com/media/album-of-the-yongzheng-emperor-in-costumes-6-f3aab3
Zhongzhen Emperor as Tibetan Lama
https://cdn2.picryl.com/photo/2021/01/24/album-of-the-yongzheng-emperor-in-costumes-3-08fb5d-640.jpg
Zhongzhen Emperor in Traditional Manchu clothing
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Album_of_the_Yongzheng_Emperor_in_Costumes.jpg
Et others:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Album_of_the_Yongzheng_Emperor_in_Costumes_4.jpg
This also meant that Although the empire was controlled by the Aisin Gioro clan they had many spinning plates of local systems that they had to contend with. To the Han they tried to brand themselves as steadfast administrators of the Wen and Wu tradition, scholar philosopher kings which even western thinkers (at least in the 18th century) were impressed by. To Manchus etc- proud warriors and keepers of the tradition, peerless martial rulers to other steppe peoples, and to the Tibetans benevolent sages. A Manchu friend whose much well versed with Manchu administration told me that to even be up for the candidacy of the throne the Prince must be well versed in the 5 languages and be fluent in essentially Mandarin.
One should remember in regards to the Han the Manchu rulers overcompensated to ingratiate themselves as arch Confucian conservatives- and was one of the reasons they shunned the outside world and Western ways. There is a political angle of course, Republicanism unravels their minoritarian rule but still, at the tailend of the Qing dynasty many of the reactionary anti Western Qing princes were extremely popular with the Han populace. Where as in Japan, the Meiji government's early days were vicerally hated by much of the populace- both samurais and general populace again, where in one year large swathes of newly opened western schools were burned. In a way, the Qing (even with rebellions in those decades) were popular in their conservatism to a Han populace that does not like massive change, while the Japanese who radically transformed their society were deeply hated by their populace (but ensured their strength, sovereignty, and near future.)
Late Qing Dynasty is actually very similar in so many ways to its contemporaries, the British Raj, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire where there was an ethnic elite ruling over a ramshakle multi-ethnic empire. Dinosaurs in the modern world.
^
That's just empire. Almost all empires, Roman, Incan, Chinese.
Also they are not Dinosaurs. Even today's world as well.