Longhua (龍華) were white, scarf-like collars worn by
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 ...
women in the early to mid-
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 was worn all year around when robes without collar were worn.
History
Robes and jackets in the Qing dynasty were generally round-necked.
Clothing with
high collars or neckbands already existed since the late
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 ...
, however, in Qing, high collar clothing were only worn on an occasional basis.
Detachable collars were therefore produced and sold separately from the garments.
They were then used for decorative purposes, for keeping its wearer warm and in formal official attire.
During the late Qing, the high collar was eventually integrated to both the clothing of the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
and 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 ...
as standard features.
With the rise of collars in garments, longhua slowly disappeared in use.
Gallery
File:行乐图.jpg, Painting of a Manchurian Family, 1800.
File:Worthy Lady Chun.JPG, Imperial portrait of the Worthy Lady Chun of Emperor Xianfeng wearing longhua, mid 1800s.
File:《玫贵妃春贵人行乐图》.jpg, Concubines of the Xianfeng Emperor
The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), or by temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing (), given name Yizhu (), was the eighth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1850 t ...
fishing at a pond.
File:Ladies of Imperial Chinese Court.jpg, Two ladies of Qing Chinese Imperial Court wearing longhua with Qizhuang, pre-1911.
See also
*
Chaozhu (Court necklace)
*
Mandarin collar
*
Yunjian
(), also known as Cloud collar in English and sometimes referred as châr-qâb, is a Chinese term which can either to a four-lobed motif (more rarely an 8-lobed motif), or to a traditional Chinese garment accessory item in , the Traditional cl ...
*
Yupei
References
Qing clothing
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