Maweiqun

(, ), also called (; ) is a form of underskirt, which was made of woven horsetail. It was tied inside the undergarments of its wearer. The function of the was similar to a crinoline making the outer skirt appearing wider.

The wearing of was a popular male fashion in the Ming dynasty, China. It was popular for a few years from the mid-to-late 15th century during the reign of Emperor Chenghua (1465 –1488) and Hongzhi (1488 – 1506). According to the historical records dating to the Ming dynasty, the originated in Joseon () and was first imported in the capital of the Ming dynasty according to the 《》by Lu Rong (1436–1494). was later produced by Ming dynasty local weavers by the late 15th century when the local weavers gained the horsetails weaving skills leading to the theft of tails from the horses owned by officials in order to supply themselves with the necessary materials to produce the underskirt. This form of fashion was however perceived as exotic rather than Chinese. Despite its popularity, the was considered () or deviant, and was eventually banned in the early reigning years of Emperor Hongzhi during the times of Lu Rong. Emperor Hongzhi's ban led to the end of the popularity of the and to its disappearance.

There is no record of the term in the historical records found in the Joseon dynasty dating to the fifteenth century, such as the '' Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty'', the ''Private records of diplomatic envoys''《使行錄》, or in the ''Written collections''《文集》written by the scholars-officials. The popularity of the in the Ming dynasty during this period was not recorded by the Joseon envoys in Beijing, the capital of the Ming dynasty nor was it recorded in the range of items lists which had be sent to Han Kyeran, a Joseon-born woman sent to the Ming dynasty as a female tribute who eventually became an imperial concubine of Emperor Xuande and who raised the Emperor Chenghua. There is currently no or any skirt similar to the in form which had been detected in the unearthed garment items excavated from the early Joseon period. There is a high possibly that the actually did not originate from Joseon and that its Joseon origin was a rumour which left Lu Rong with inaccurate information when the latter wrote his collection. It is, however, proposed by Doyoung Koo, a research Fellow at the Northeast Asian History Foundation, that the might be a Joseon garment item called (), which can be found in the ''Veritable Records of the Joseon dynasty.'' According to a conversation between King Sojong of Joseon and Yu Chakwang in 1490, the weaving of was also illegal and banned in Joseon as horsehair tail and mane were cut off and were taken away. Doyoung Koo also proposed that the were produced and circulated in Jeju island, a large horse breeding region, and were introduced in Jiangnan where it became popular instead of Beijing, thus explaining that there is no records of in Joseon records.

Terminology

() is literally translated as 'horsetail skirt'. The term is composed of the characters () which means 'horsetail' and ' () which means 'skirt'. The term ' was used by Lu Rong in the 《》.

Faqun (发裙) is literally translated as 'hair skirt'. The term is composed of two characters ''fa'' (发) which means 'hair' and ''qun'' (裙) which means 'skirt'. The term ''faqun'' was used in the ''Yubu biji'' (寓圃笔记) by a Ming dynasty scholar during the reign of Hongzhi named Wang Qi (王锜).

In the ''Gujin Xiaoshi'' (古今笑史) by Feng Menglong, it was referred as ''maweichenqun'' (马尾衬裙). The term is composed of the characters ''mawei'' (马尾) which means 'horsetail' and ''chenqun'' (衬裙) which means ' petticoat'.

In the ''Mingshilu Xiaozongshilu'' (明實錄孝宗實錄), it was referred as ''maweifu'' (马尾服), which is literally translatted as 'horsetail dress'.

Construction and design

According to Wang Qi, a Ming dynasty scholar, the faqun could be tied inside the undergarments in order to "expand the skirt to look like an umbrella",'''' akin to a crinoline. According to Wang Qi, when people were fat, they would wear one faqun, but when they were thin, they would wear two or three faqun. The use of horsehair would provide structure and stiffness which would make an outerskirt spread outwards making it look like an umbrella.

History in Chinese records

The skill of weaving of horse-hair was rare in China. According to the 《》by Lu Rong (1436–1494), was originally imported in the capital of the Ming dynasty from Joseon where people could buy them, but at that time, no one in the capital had the ability to weave them. Upon its introduction in the capital, the was initially only worn by rich merchants, youth of nobility, and singing courtesans; but eventually, it was later worn by many military officials. Later on, it is only when some people in the capital of the Ming dynasty started to produce it and sell it that more people to wear it regardless of social status and become widely accepted. According to Lu Rong, many court officials (朝官) were wearing it in the late years of reign of Chenghua.

According to Chen Hongmo, another Ming dynasty scholar, the popularity of the during the Chenghua and Hongzhi period led to people pulling off the tails of some military horses. According to Feng Menglong in the ''Gujin Xiaoshi'' (古今笑史), an official gave the advice to ban the maweiqun in the early days of Hongzhi as the liking of the maweiqun among the literati in the capital led to the stealth of tails of horses. The maweiqun was banned in the early Hongzhi era (1487-1505) according to the ''Shuyuan zaji'' and to the ''Mingshilu Xiaozongshilu'' (明實錄孝宗實錄) in 1488 AD. Emperor Hongzhi's ban led to the end of the popularity of the maweiqun and to its disappearance.

Cultural significance

Although the faqun was worn by many court officials, it was criticized by some Confucian scholars who deemed it as ''fuyao'' (服妖). ''Fuyao'' is a general term with negative connotation which is employed for what is considered as being strange clothing style, or for deviant dressing styles, or for aberrance in clothing. Clothing considered as ''fuyao'' typically (i) violates ritual norms and clothing regulations, (ii) are extravagant and luxurious form of clothing, (iii) violates the yin and yang principle, and (iv) are strange and inauspicious form of clothing.

Wang Qi himself criticized it, ''"Some people wear this aqunto show off. But only vulgar officials and profligate sons of the newly rich wear it. Scholars look down on it very much because it is close to the bewitching dress (fuyao)".'' The ''Shuyuan zaji'' (椒园杂记) also refer to it as being ''fuyao''.

In the case of the maweiqun, its widened silhouette also made it ''shàngjiǎn xiàfēng'' () which reflects an inversion of Heaven and Earth, and therefore contradicts the traditional Chinese principle of ''Heaven and Earth order.'' In traditional Chinese culture, the symbolism of two-pieces garments hold great importance as it symbolizes the greater order of Heaven and Earth; in the I-Ching, upper garment represents Heaven while the lower garment represents the Earth.

See also

* Sokgot - Korean undergarments
* Mamianqun - A traditional Han Chinese skirt

Notes

References

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing
Korean clothing
Chinese clothing