Interesting Facts about Yuan Dynasty Clothing

 

Interesting Facts about Yuan Dynasty Clothing

 

In a yurt on the banks of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, Burmese musician Dorje and his friends Agudenba, Azhuo, Chu Sanxing, Dawa and Xiang Qima chatted about Manchu folk customs and his daughter Ya Dan said to his father: "Can you tell me something about the costumes of the Mongolians in the Yuan Dynasty? I would like to know some knowledge in this area."

Dawa and Xiangqima smiled and said: We also like to hear it!

Mr. Dorje said:

The Yuan Dynasty was ruled by the Mongols, so the costumes of the Yuan Dynasty were also quite special.

Mongolian clothing is mostly "wide robes with big sleeves". The wide robes not only fit the tall stature of Mongolians, but are also very suitable for riding horses or grazing. From this perspective, Mongolian clothing is mostly practical. Of course, Mongolian nobles or relatives of the emperor are another matter.

The Mongolian clothes are mainly "Zhisunfu", which is a shorter robe, tighter and narrower, with many pleats at the waist. This kind of clothes is mainly designed to make it easier to get on and off the horse. Mongolian clothing inherited the Jurchen tradition and advocated white in the early days. Due to the needs of hunting life, both men and women wear robes.

The main features of Mongolian robes are round collar, narrow sleeves, twisted placket, buckle tabs, and garment connection. The front end of the narrow sleeves is connected with a half-moon-shaped sleeve head. Because the shape resembles a horseshoe, it is commonly known as horseshoe sleeves, also known as arrow sleeves. The sleeves are usually rolled up when worn and put down when fighting or hunting. It can also protect against the cold in winter.

Mongolians usually also wear a short double-breasted jacket that is as long as the navel outside their robes. Because it was originally worn when riding horses and fighting, it is called a mandarin jacket. The sleeveless one is called a vest or waistcoat. It is mainly the "military uniform" of the Eight Banners. With the implementation of the policy of changing clothes in the Qing Dynasty, it became generally popular in the middle period and became "dress".

Mongolian robes and mandarin jackets have also evolved into cheongsam and Tang suit in modern times, and are regarded as one of the representatives of Chinese elements. Mongolians wearing traditional costumes can still be seen in Northeastern settlements or at celebrations of some traditional festivals.

Duoji also talked about Mongolian women’s clothing in the Yuan Dynasty:

Women's clothing in the Yuan Dynasty also includes clothing worn by Mongolian women and Han women. The style of women's robes is roughly the same as that of men, but with more decorations. At that time, Han women still maintained the dress system of the Song Dynasty. Their tops had slim backs, shirt jackets, cloud shoulders, etc., and they wore pleated skirts underneath, and they usually wore hairpins on their heads. Later, influenced by the clothing of Mongolian women, more and more people wore a robe made of dark brown coarse cloth or silk with a left fold, narrow sleeves and a large belt around the waist.

In addition, during the Yuan Dynasty, various single and quilted double-breasted jackets and half-sleeved jackets were also popular among women. In particular, the clothing of Mongolian women clearly bears the clothing characteristics of their own nation. At that time, Mongolian aristocratic women wore robes as formal attires. The main styles of robes included red brocade, Jibei brocade, Meng Rong, and Zoli. These were all noble robe styles and were often worn by concubines. The colors are mainly red, yellow, brown, carmine, and cockscomb purple. The shape of the robe is wide and long, with the right coat folded over the collar. The sleeves were large but narrow at the cuffs, equivalent to the form of today's bat shirts.

During the period outside the customs, fur products were the main products, but the materials of the clothes were very different from those of the Han people. The clothes of the Han people are mostly made of cotton, mulberry, linen, and silk, while the Mongolian winter clothes are made of animal skins. Even summer clothes were decorated with animal skins. After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, it was divided into four materials: single, folder, leather and cotton.

From the perspective of clothing customs and culture, although Mongolian men or women usually do not pay much attention to dressing up or decoration, they have at least two leather robes that can survive the winter. Both of these fur coats are made of animal skins, and the fur coat with the fur inward is made of wolf or fox skin. Fur robes with fur facing outward are mostly made of wild animal fur, which not only protects against severe cold and wind and snow, but also keeps the body warmer. But for poor people with poor economic conditions, they can only use dog skin or sheepskin to make leather robes. Although the warmth is similar to that of beast fur, it is not beautiful in appearance.

After Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty, he moved closer to the Jin and Song Dynasties and further to the Han and Tang Dynasties. He began to regulate clothing, referring to the clothing of the Han people. However, only the clothing of the emperor, relatives, nobles, princes and ministers had some changes. Generally speaking, Mongolian clothing still retains its original style.

In terms of clothing color, due to the folk clothing of the Yuan Dynasty, colored silks were prohibited, and only dark-colored cotton, linen, Gebu and silk fabrics were allowed. Therefore, the styles and colors of folk costumes are relatively simple. Although folk clothing for men and women during this period had different styles, they were darker in color and looked dull.

Another point is that regardless of whether Mongolians are old or young, the styles and materials of their clothes are roughly the same. And most Mongolians used to wear the leftover clothes of their older brothers or sisters when they were children.

It was not until Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, established the Yuan Dynasty that the Mongols imitated the clothing culture of the Han people and formulated clothing customs and culture that were in line with Mongolian characteristics. In particular, the emperors and aristocrats of the Yuan Dynasty experienced greater changes in clothing, customs and culture. Because the costumes of their middle and lower class Mongolians have not changed much. This is similar to the Han custom of "the eldest brother wears new clothes, the second child wears old clothes, and the third child wears rags".

Duoji also talked about the hairstyle customs of the Yuan Dynasty:

In many movies and TV dramas about the Mongolian people, everyone can see the Mongolian characteristics, including language, clothing, food and hairstyles. Compared with the Han people, the Mongolians have not been taught that "the body, hair and skin are affected by their parents". Therefore, there is no habit of growing hair and beards in their minds at all.

Ever since Genghis Khan unified all Mongolian tribes, Mongolians have become popular with a hairstyle called "melting coke". Adult Mongolian men will shave the hair from the forehead to the top of the head, leaving only the hair on the sides of the head and the back of the head. But some Mongolians also have the custom of leaving a tuft of hair on their forehead. Mongolians rarely shave but do not deliberately leave beards. When beards grow on their lips and jaws, they do not shave them off. Of course, they don’t take care of their beards like the Han people.

Like other northern ethnic groups, Mongolians usually tie the hair on their foreheads into a small lock, like a peach, and braid the rest into two braids, then wrap it into two large rings hanging behind the ears, and wear hats on their heads. . The traditional hairstyle of Manchu men is also braided. The difference is that the Manchu hair style is half shaved and half grown. The surrounding hair is shaved off, leaving only the back part of the head, which is then braided. Manchu women also shaved their hair like men when they were young, and the styles were roughly the same. After adulthood, people begin to grow their hair in many styles, with two-man hair being the most common one.

The special hairstyle customs of the Mongolian people are actually closely related to their national totem worship. For example, not growing hair on the top of the head is not only a respect for the "Eternal Life", but also more in line with the external image of the nomadic people. This kind of messy and irregular hairstyle was retained from the time of Genghis Khan to the time of Emperor Yuan Shun. Mongolians’ national attributes and characteristics can be seen from their clothing and hairstyles. This is actually part of the Mongolian customs and culture during the Yuan and Mongolia periods.

Duoji also talked about the tradition of Mongolians wearing hats in the Yuan Dynasty:

Wearing a hat is a Mongolian tradition and has been worn since childhood. Whether winter or summer, they will wear hats of different materials or styles.

After entering the customs, they also absorbed the Liuhe hat of the Ming Dynasty, commonly known as "Guapi hat". In addition, there are different styles of hats such as felt hats, hoods, leather hats, and earmuffs.

Mongolian hats are not only different for men and women, but also for winter and summer. According to the cold and heat, they are divided into two types: warm hats and cool hats, with red tassels on the top of the hat. Winter hats include leather hats and felt hats, which are divided into domes and pointed ones. The dome has a back eaves, like a skip-shaped hat. In summer, a felt hat is worn, which is shaped like a cymbal and is also called a cymbal hat. The brim is very wide to block the sun. A cloth strip is attached to the back to protect the neck from wind, sand, mosquitoes and flies. There is a top bead or pheasant tail on the top of the hat.

At first, the hats worn by the Mongols had no front brim. Kublai Khan could not open his eyes due to the strong sunlight. He often suffered from riding and shooting, so he told Queen Chabi, who then added a front brim to his hat. Mongolian women wear fur hats in winter and gauze scarves in summer.

At that time, aristocratic women in the Yuan Dynasty often wore a tall, long, and strange-looking hat on their head. This kind of hat was called a "獟狟冠". It is a cylindrical hat with a wide top and thin waist, protruding from the front, a wing-shaped earring hanging on each side, and several green flower feathers sticking out from the top.

Mongolian women have a custom of "one ear and three pincers". To this day, the traditional style of one ear and three pincers can still be seen among older Manchu women. The jewelry worn by other women is similar to that of Han people. Men also have the habit of piercing their ears. There is a saying that it is easier to make a living by piercing your ears when you are young. Unlike women, men generally only have one piercing and a copper ring, but most of them no longer wear it when they reach adulthood.

Due to the custom of riding and shooting, Mongolian men also wear spanners. Before entering the customs, they mainly used deer bone spanners, and those with eyes were the most valuable. After entering the customs, it gradually developed into pure accessories, and added materials such as jade and ivory. At that time, the Mongolians attached great importance to the thumb ring, and almost everyone had one.

The Mongolians living in Inner Mongolia today still retain many customs and culture from the ancient Mongolian period. The more typical ones are riding horses, bowing and archery, eating mutton, dairy products, and drinking milk or mare's milk.

During important solar terms, Inner Mongolians living in modern society will still wear Mongolian costumes and celebrate the festival with singing and dancing.

However, the makeup of women in the Yuan Dynasty basically inherited the style of the Song Dynasty, which was mainly elegant and natural. Even the makeup of aristocratic women with status is only slightly thicker. The eyebrows, red lips, and red-purple eye shadow vaguely reveal the noble aura of an aristocratic woman.

Duoji sang a Mongolian song "Great Qianyuan":

 

The sound of galloping horses' hooves shook the Central Plains,

Temujin swept across Western Liao with a whip,

Dali lost power in the Xixia and Jin Dynasties.

Then he recruited and surrendered the Tubo tribes.

From then on, all Mongolian tribes were unified.

Great Mongolia is on the big stage.

 

Mongolia began to split due to the struggle for the throne of Khan.

Kublai Khan used his whip to expand his territory and expand his territory;

Destroyed the small imperial court in exile in the Southern Song Dynasty,

The Great Mongolian Kingdom thus changed its name.

The country was named Dayuan and its capital was in Dadu.

It means that the Qianyuan Dynasty prospered the world.

 

The territory of the Yuan Dynasty surpassed that of previous kings.

It reaches Liaozuo in the east and is powerful in the Sea of Japan.

The sea surface of South Vietnam reaches directly into the South China Sea.

To the west is the vast prairie of the Tianshan Mountains,

North Vietnam’s Yinshan Mountains and Lake Baikal,

The Qin, Han, Tang and Song dynasties were beyond comparison.

 

In the Yuan Dynasty, the provincial system was implemented in local areas.

Retain the three powers of government, military and supervision,

It pioneered the provincial system in China.

commodity economy and overseas trade,

Frequent diplomatic exchanges with various countries,

Tang poetry, Song lyrics and Yuan music all compete for beauty.

 

In the middle period, the succession to the throne caused chaos.

In the later period, many powerful officials were corrupted in politics.

Ethnic conflicts are getting more and more serious.

Leading to the peasant uprising in the late Yuan Dynasty,

Great, Qianyuan is gone and will never come back.

The Ming Dynasty has been in power ever since.