Bijia () is a long, sleeveless jacket of

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

origins which has opened side slits. The bijia started to be worn in the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

when it was designed by Empress Chabi. The ''bijia'' eventually became one of the most typical form of women's clothing item in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. It is also a type of

hanfu ''Hanfu'' () is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of ''hanfu'', such as the (an upper-body garment with a long outer skirt), the (an upper-body garment with a long underskirt ...

which has been revived in present days.

History

Yuan dynasty

The bijia originated from a long-length Mongol

vest A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. ...

. According to the ''Yuan shi'', the invention of bijiia is attributed to Empress Chabi during the

. Empress Chabi designed the bijia so that it would be a convenient form of attire while riding horses and shooting arrows. The front region of the bijia designed by Empress Chabi was made of 1-piece of fabric, and its back region was twice longer than the front region. It was collarless and sleeveless, and there were two loop straps which attached to it. It also had no lapels. The bijia was first worn by the Yuan dynasty emperor but it later became popular among commoners.

Ming dynasty

After the fall of the Yuan dynasty, Mongol fashion of the Yuan dynasty continued to influence some styles of clothing worn in the

; this included the persisting usage of bijia. The bijia became a type of women clothing in the Ming dynasty, and by the middle of the Ming dynasty it had become a favourite form of dress for women, especially young women. In the

, the bijia was long in length and would reach below the knee level. It was embroidered on woven textile and a jade ornament would be attached at the front of the bijia as a front closure. Bijia created an illusion of slenderness, which women in the Ming dynasty sought after.

Qing dynasty

In the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

women were allowed to continue the

clothing customs. The bijia remained very popular in Qing dynasty, and it was one of the most common forms of female clothing worn in the 17th and 18th century. File:Amorous Meeting in a Room Interior, Freer Gallery of Art.jpg, Woman wearing bijia (right). Woman wearing

beizi Beizi (), also known as beizi () and chuozi (), is an item worn in traditional Chinese attire common to both men and women; it is typically a large loose outer coat with loose and long sleeves. It was most popular during the Song Dynasty, Ming Dy ...

(left). From the painting ''Amorous Meeting in a Room Interior,'' late 18th century Qing Dynasty.

21st Century

In the 21st century, the bijia regained popularity and is widely worn as a

item. File:Hanfu bijia.jpg, Waist-length modern bijia (green), 2013. File:People wearing Hanfu at IDO32 (20200118144012).jpg, Woman wearing a long, yellow bijia (middle), 2020.

Influences and derivatives

Theatrical beixin

The Chinese opera beixin (), also known as kanjian, majia, and beida, were sleeveless

vests A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. I ...

which originated from both the Ming dynasty's long-length bijia worn by women from the lower-middle class and from the Qing dynasty's majia (), a type of vest which were worn by the

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

. File:清戯衣女尼背心-Theatrical vest for a female Buddhist priest MET 62 27 3 F.jpeg, Theatrical beixin for a female Buddhist priest (front view). File:清戯衣女尼背心-Theatrical vest for a female Buddhist priest MET 173967.jpg, Theatrical beixin for a female Buddhist priest (back view).

Majia

The majia (), the sleeveless riding vest of the Qing dynasty, evolved from the bijia which was popular among women during the Ming and Qing dynasties. File:MET 45 125 14 F.jpg, Sleeveless Jacket with Flowering Vine Pattern and Bands (front), late 19th–early 20th century File:MET 45 125 14 B.jpg, Sleeveless Jacket with Flowering Vine Pattern and Bands (back), late 19th–early 20th century File:MET 46 190 O1.jpg, Sleeveless Jacket, 19th century.

Similar looking garments

Banbi (), also known as () and sometimes referred as () or half-beizi (i.e. short-sleeved beizi) before the term beizi eventually came to refer to a long-sleeved beizi in the Song dynasty, and referred as in the Yuan dynasty, is an upper garment ite ...

* Song dynasty beixin - Sleeveless and translucent vests, which became a popular female fashion in the Southern Song. * Dahu * Zhaojia (罩甲) *

Baeja Baeja (; ) is a type of traditional Korean vest which is worn over the jeogori by both men and women. It is generally sleeveless; however some baeja may have short sleeves. It was worn during the Joseon period and continues to be worn in present ...

- A sleeveless or very short-sleeved vest in Korea File:Gauze Garment, Southern Song (33548384501).jpg, Beixin, Song dynasty File:宣宗出獵圖軸（局部）.jpg, Zhaojia, Ming dynasty

References

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing Clothing Mongolian fashion Chinese traditional clothing