National Museum exhibition reviews evolution of Chinese costume culture
2021-02-09
A delicate gown once worn by Kangxi Emperor of Qing Dynasty. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Costumes and objects of adornment show technical progress and aesthetic changes over time. They also stand as testimony to the cultures, social values and hierarchy of society.
Ancient Chinese Culture: Costume and Adornment, an exhibition newly opened at the National Museum of China, traces the evolution of techniques, aesthetic perspectives, social culture and the values of the country's feudal period embodied in centuries-old clothes, shoes, hats, garments and sewing tools.
Also on show are pottery and classical paintings which offer perspectives into the fashions of ancient China.
The exhibits come from the collections of various museums across the country, and date as early as the Neolithic period and through the end of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), China's last feudal empire.
The exhibition will run for a year through February 2022.
A gold
zan hair accessory of Ming Dynasty on show. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]
A Ming Dynasty gold hanger. [Photo/Courtesy of National Museum of China]
A Neolithic pottery vessel in the shape of a boot found in Qinghai province. [Photo/Courtesy of Qinghai Provincial Museum]
A pair of gold belt buckles made in the Western Han Dynasty. [Photo/Courtesy of Xuzhou Museum]
A portrait of Zhu Fonyu, an elder sister of Zhu Yuanzhang the founding emperor of Ming Dynasty. [Photo/Courtesy of National Museum of China]
A set of jade pendants dated to the Warring States Period. [Photo/Courtesy of National Museum of China]
A Tang Dynasty sancai ceramic figure on show. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]
Life-size models wearing Qing Dynasty costumes on show. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]
