(), which can also be referred as (), also known as "chest-high ruqun", is a set of attire in , the

traditional Chinese clothing Chinese clothing includes both the traditional hanfu and modern variations of indigenous Chinese dress as recorded by the artifacts and some traditional arts of Chinese culture. Chinese clothing has been shaped through its dynastic traditions, as ...

worn by 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 ...

. The is a unique style of (), which is characterized with a high waistline , Chinese skirt. The used in the is generally tied above the bust level. It was worn by women during the

Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

and

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

. The style was also revived in the early and middle

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 ...

. Since the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

and

Jin (Chinese state) Jin (, Old Chinese: ''*''), originally known as Tang (唐), was a major state during the middle part of the Zhou dynasty, based near the centre of what was then China, on the lands attributed to the legendary Xia dynasty: the southern part ...

, the waist of the skirt has typically been tied on the waist, while in the

and

Five Dynasties The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

, the waistband of the dress was much higher, many of which were usually above the chest or under the armpit. Some records of clothing history refer to it as the ''high-waist ruqun''. Later, it was renamed to '','' according to the current inspection and certification by people. The was a typical form of women

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 ...

in the

. The ' of the

was also introduced in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

during the

Silla period Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of Ko ...

, and was also introduced in

Balhae Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It wa ...

. This form of high-waist skirt which ties to the

chest The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

can still be seen in the '' chima'' worn in present days

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

women's

hanbok The (; term used in South Korean standard language, South Korea), also called () n North Korean standard language, North Korea and China, is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term which is used to refer to traditional ethnic Koreans, Korean ...

; it is also likely that the current women's hanbok has been derived from the Tang dynasty's high-waisted skirt with a short ''ru'' (襦) or from a later revival of the Tang dynasty fashion. ''Qixiong ruqun'' was also adopted by the Khitan women and continued to be worn in

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

even after the fall of the

Terminology

The ' was named after its location on its wearer's body. It is distinguished from the ''gaoyao ruqun'' (高腰襦裙; ''high-waisted ruqun)'', which is attached below the chest and above the waist. ''Qiyao ruqun'' (齐腰襦裙; ''waist ruqun'') is tied at the waist while ''qixiong ruqun'' is tied under the armpit. In ancient times, ''ruqun'' dresses for women were not very high waisted, but ruqun dresses with very high waists appeared from the

Northern and Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...

to the

and

. Some clothing history records call it the ''high-waisted ruqun'', and it was later changed to ''qixiong ruqun'' according to the current people's examination and certification of it.

History

Tomb_of_Northern_Qi_Dynasty_in_Jiuyuangang,_Xinzhou,_Mural,_Building

The first appeared in the

. The ''qixiong ruqun'' was worn during the

, and

Five dynasties The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

, until the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

, when, upon

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Wa ...

's rise, the fashion of Tang dynasty faded.

Northern and Southern dynasties

Prior to the Putong period (520–527 AD) of the

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

, the waistline of the women's

ruqun (;) is a set of attire in which consists of a short jacket typically called () worn under a long Chinese skirt called (). However, when use as a general term, can broadly describe a set of attire which consists of a separated upper garment a ...

were located at the waist. During the

, the women's ''ruqun'' evolved and was tied higher. Their ''ruqun'' belt line became higher and the skirt was attached at the chest level. Their ''ru'' (襦) had open necklines. The ''ru'' (襦) with open neckline started since the Datong period (527–529 AD); prior to that, the collars of the women's ru were designed to be tight-fitting from the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502 AD) to the

Sui and Tang dynasties

During the

and

, blouses were generally worn as short ''ru'' ( 襦);

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 ...

( 半臂) (i.e. short-sleeved upper garment) and ''pibo'' (an accessory which looked like a long shawl) both constituted an integral part of

at the time.

Sui dynasty

During the

, the dress code of the Han dynasty was revised and a clothing system with the characteristic of the

was established. In this period, the ru ( 襦) with short sleeves became a popular trend for the time. File:Sui Figurines of Musicians - b.jpg, Musicians wearing qixiong ruqun,

figurines. File:Dinastia sui, donne da kuche, 581-618 dc ca.jpg, Sui dynasty female attendants wearing qixiong ruqun. File:Sui Painted Pottery Attendant 04.jpg, Sui Painted Pottery Attendant

Tang dynasty

The

was the heyday of economic, cultural, artistic and diplomatic history in Chinese history. It also created the characteristics of this dynasty's freedom, gracefulness, and colourful clothing. Tang dynasty people wore short sleeved ''ru'' ( 襦) and a floor-length

skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are fi ...

, but after the heyday of the Tang dynasty, the aristocratic costumes turned to become large and complex. ''Qixiong ruqun'' is a representative costume of the

and was very popular among Tang dynasty ladies. In the Tang dynasty, ''qixiong ruqun'' was typically worn long a wide-sleeved blouse, long-full skirt, and long silk scarves with painted motifs as part of the set of attire. It was typically worn by noble ladies or female attendants who served in high status households, such as in important families and even the royal family. During the High Tang period, women were less constrained by feudal ideas and wore clothing which would allowed the exposure of cleavage. The traditional form of

worn in the previous dynasties was maintained in the Tang dynasty, but the "V" collar of the ''ru'' was deepened to the point that the cleavage was exposed. The skirt waistband being tied at the chest or at the armpits allowed the neck and chest regions to be exposed. Dinastia tang, dama con chignon a doppia conchiglia, cina del nord, VIII sec

Dinastia tang, dama con chignon a doppia conchiglia, cina del nord, VIII sec

When the skirt (

qun (), referred as () prior to the Han dynasty, () and (), and sometimes referred as apron in English even though they are not apron as defined in the Dictionary, English dictionary, is a generic term which refers to the Chinese skirts used in , ...

, 裙), ru ( 襦), and pibo ( 披帛) are paired together, the woman's grace and temperament in the Tang dynasty were fully presented, showing a poetic beauty and rhythm. The styles of qixiong ruqun with shoulder straps are often found in pottery figurines or paintings unearthed before the Tang dynasty. The ''qixiong ruqun'' with shoulder straps appeared to have been rarely used in China during the Tang dynasty. Until the development of the Kaiyuan ( 开元) period of the Tang dynasty, when the style became fixed under the armpit. The ''ru'' ( 襦) neckline varied, and the most popular one was

daxiushan (), also referred as (), (), (), is a form of , a traditional Chinese upper garment, with broad sleeves in . It was most popular during the Tang dynasty, particularly among the members of royalty. The was mainly worn for special ceremonial oc ...

( 大袖衫), which was full of the spirit of the people's ideological emancipation during the Tang dynasty. There were variety of skirts during the Tang dynasty. At the beginning of the Tang dynasty, the skirts were narrow but became looser in the High Tang period. The style of the skirt is stitched with four fabrics, the upper part is narrow, the lower part is loose, and the hem hangs down to the ground. Silk is used at the waist of the skirt, and laces are sewn at both ends. Skirt (qun; 裙) fabrics were mainly silk fabrics. The more expensive the materials, the better. The design of the waist of the skirt was much improved. The dresses of this period are brightly coloured, the most popular of which were dark red, purple, moon green, grass green, etc. For example: # Striped skirt (''jianqun''): High-waisted striped skirts became mainstream since the Northern dynasties and lasted until the Sui-Tang dynasties. #Pomegranate skirt (''Shiliuqun:'' 石榴裙): the colour pomegranate red was famous for the longest time. # ''Bainiao skirt:''

Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (26 November 656 – 3 July 710), personal name Li Xian, and at other times Li Zhe or Wu Xian, was the fourth Emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710. During the first pe ...

’s daughter,

Princess Anle Princess Anle (; 684? – 21 July 710), personal name Li Guo'er (), was a Chinese princess of the Tang Dynasty. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Zhongzong and his wife Empress Wei. Popular history holds that she was doted upon heavily by ...

, had a skirt made up of the feathers of many types of birds, called ''bainiao skirt'' (qun 裙), which can be called a famous work in the history of Chinese weaving. The colour of the skirt changed accordingly to sunlight, #

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

's bell skirt: A skirt which was decorated with twelve bells at the four corners of the dress. When people walked, they made a "jingle" noise, which was seen as very graceful and beautiful. Many unearthed cultural relics and antique paintings have record of the ''qixiong ruqun''. For example, the famous picture

Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk ''Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk'' is a silk painting attributed to Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty. It is the only extant copy of a lost original ''Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Wilk'' by Chinese artist Zhang Xuan. The paintin ...

in the heyday of the Tang dynasty shows similar costumes. File:A Group of T'ang Dynasty Musicians from the Tomb of Li Shou (李壽).jpg, A Group of Tang Dynasty Musicians from the Tomb of Li Shou. File:新城公主墓壁畫1.JPG, Tang dynasty painting. File:執扇仕女.jpg, Tang dynasty painting. File:Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk (捣练图) by Emperor Huizong (1082–1135).jpg,

(捣练图). File:Chou Fang 002.jpg, Tang dynasty women. File:A palace concert.jpg, One-piece and two-piece style qixiong ruqun depicted in Tang dynasty painting "A palace concert". File:揮扇仕女圖（局部）.jpg, Tang dynasty painting. File:Chou Fang 003.jpg, Tang dynasty women. File:Noble Ladies Worshiping Buddha.jpg, Noble Ladies Worshipping Buddha, Tang dynasty painting.

Five dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period to Song dynasty

''Qixiong ruqun'' continued to be worn in the

Five dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

. During the

, the fashion of Song was different from the fashion of the Tang dynasty. With the rise of Neo-Confucianism, Song dynasty women were encouraged to reject the extravagant fashion of the Tang dynasty. The clothing of the Tang dynasty which emphasized on body curves and the low-cut garments which exposed cleaved and was once favoured by the Tang dynasty women was perceived as sensual and obscene by the Song dynasty women. The ''qixiong ruqun'' however continued to be depicted in the paintings of the Song dynasty. File:Shanghai Museum 2006 10-21.jpg, A lady, Five Dynasties Period (907-979). File:Buddhist donatress Chang, Mo-kao Caves.jpg, Buddhist donatress Chang (張氏供養人), painting from Mo-kao Caves, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. File:Buddhist donatress, Yü-lin Caves.jpg, Buddhist donatress, Yü-lin Caves 19,

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen concu ...

, d.926 AD. File:王處直墓壁畫1.jpg, Mural Painting of a woman from Tomb of Wang Ch'u-chih (王處直),

. File:Detail of a Mural Painting from Tomb of Wang Ch'u-chih (王處直).jpg, Detail of a Mural Painting from Tomb of Wang Ch'u-chih (王處直),

. File:王處直墓壁畫6.jpg, Mural Painting of a woman from Tomb of Wang Ch'u-chih (王處直),

. File:Buddhist donors from Cave 98 at Mo-kao.jpg, Buddhist donors from Cave 98 at Mo-kao,

or early

Northern Song dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

. File:Buddhist donors, early Northern Sung dynasty.jpg, Buddhist donors in ''qixiong ruqun'', early

, 983 A.D. File:Looking in a Mirror by an Ornamental Box by Wang Shên (王詵《繡櫳曉鏡圖》) (cropped).jpg, Qixiong ruqun,

Southern Song The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. ...

painting by Wang Shên.

Ming dynasty

The Tang dynasty-style high-waisted skirt which tied to the chest area (just below the bust-line) and was worn with a short and very tight sleeved jacket was revived in the early and middle Ming dynasty when it was especially worn by young women. This strongly influenced the development of the Korean hanbok. File:Qiu Ying - Spring Morning in the Han Palace - Walters 3548 - View I.jpg, Spring Morning in the Han Palace, by the

painter

Qiu Ying Qiu Ying (; 1494 – 1552)Cihai page 211. was a Chinese painter of the Ming dynasty who specialised in the ''gongbi'' brush technique. Early life Qiu Ying's courtesy name was Shifu (), and his art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name) ...

. File:Qiu Ying - Spring Morning in the Han Palace - Walters 3548 - View E.jpg, Spring Morning in the Han Palace, by the

painter

. File:Mingrenwu58a.jpg

Modern time

In modern times with the increasing popularity of

and driven by the hanfu movement, the ''qixiong ruqun'' gained high popularity among young women. The modern ''qixiong ruqun'' is controversial due to the rarity of unearthed historical clothing. The modern ''qixiong ruqun'' which is found on the current market comes into two forms: # one-piece style, and # two-piece style with a slit under the waist. The former is well accepted as being an authentic shape as such form of skirt was unearthed in archeological findings; thus proving the correctness of the one-piece style ''qixiong ruqun'' whereas the latter is controversial as it is a style which (so far) can only be found in ancient paintings, such as the

"A palace concert" painting.

How to wear the modern qixiong ruqun

How to Wear a Traditional Chinese Garment Called 'Qixiong Ruqun'

The qixiong ruqun can be found into a one-piece and two-pieces skirts. The one-piece style qixiong ruqun is a traditional Chinese one-piece skirt which is tied like a wrap-skirt. The two-piece style qixiong ruqun consists of two pieces of fabrics. It is presented as two pieces of fabric incompletely sewn together on the side to form a rear and a front section and with two sets of ties. The method to tie the two-piece qixiong ruqun is different from the traditional one-piece skirt: first, the rear section is tied, and then the front section is tied.

Influences and derivatives

Khitan Liao dynasty

From at least the

until the Mongol period, Non-Han Chinese women (regardless of social status or cultural identity) who lived in Han dynasty territories wore

Han Chinese clothing ''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 ...

. During the Tang dynasty, Central Asian women also were depicted wearing Han Chinese style clothing. After the fall of the

, the Tang-style Han Chinese clothing continued to be worn in the Liao. The Khitans inherited the

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 ...

from the Later Jin dynasty; the clothing of the Later Jin were actually clothing from the Tang dynasty. File:Pao-Shan Tomb Wall-Painting of Liao Dynasty (寳山遼墓壁畫：頌經圗).jpg, Qixiong ruqun,

. File:Pao-Shan Tomb Wall-Painting of Liao Dynasty (寳山遼墓壁畫：降眞圗).jpg, Qixiong ruqun,

. File:Preparing drinks 1, mural from Tomb in Aohan, Liao Dynasty.jpg, A female attendant wearing qixiong ruqun, mural tomb in Aohan, Liao dynasty.

Khotan

Dunhuang Dunhuang () is a county-level city in Northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Dunhuang was a major ...

, the clothing fashion of the 8th and 9th century AD closely followed the Tang dynasty's fashion. This trend later changed in the 10th century AD when the Uyghur clothing and Sino-Uygur headdress became more prominent. File:Khotanese donor ladies. Dunhuang cave 61.jpg, Khotanese donor ladies, Dunhuang cave 61. File:Dunhuang Mogao cave Cao donor figures.jpg, Wife of a Khotanese ruler (right) and a Uyghur lady in Uygur clothing (left), Mogao cave 61.

Korea

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

, the clothing of Korean women were influenced by the fashion of the

due to the cultural interactions. Chinese-style clothing and Chinese fashion was introduced in the Unified Silla period. Some clay figures found in that period shows the high-waist line skirt worn over the jacket and appears to have shoulder straps attached to it. The skirts worn over the jackets was a distinctive clothing style of the Tang dynasty's women. Under the Tang dynasty influence, the skirts in Silla were similarly worn at chest-level and was tied with long ribbons. The ''qixiong ruqun'' with shoulder straps was also worn in China, but they appeared to have been rarely used in China during the Tang dynasty. When Balhae established peaceful diplomatic relations with the

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

was vigorously introduced by the Balhae court.

also adopted the women clothing of the Tang dynasty and assimilated the clothing of the Tang dynasty. Some excavated Balhae relics show that women in Balhae wore a narrow sleeved blouse with low cut neckline under a long skirt which was tied above the bust, which is a typical form of clothing style of Tang dynasty. Other relics also show the ornamental differences between the Balhae and Tang dynasty women in the use of different types of

shawl A shawl (from fa, شال ''shāl'',) is a simple item of clothing from Kashmir, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded ...

. This form of high-waisted skirt which ties to the

can still be seen in the '' chima'' worn in the modern days

women's

. It is also likely that the current women's hanbok has been derived from the

's high-waisted skirt with a short '' ru'' (襦) or from a later revival of the Tang dynasty fashion. Although there were influences from the previous dynasties, the clothing worn in

was gradually altered during the

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

until its forms became what is now known as hanbok. Nowadays women hanbok is modelled after the Joseon aristocratic women hanbok.

Design and construction

Buddhist donors in T'ang costume, Mo-kao Cave

Tang dynasty was a dynasty with a prosperous economy and relatively open social fashion. Its costumes tended to be bright, colourful, and diverse. Qixiong ruqun is divided into two kinds: # Duijin qixiong ruqun (parallel collar type) - Duijin qixiong ruqun was and is generally more widely used. #

Jiaoling Jiaoling County ( postal: Chiuling; ) is a county in the northeast of Guangdong Province, China, bordering Fujian province to the north. Under the jurisdiction of Meizhou City, it was previously known as the Zhenping County ( postal: Chenping). ...

Qixiong ruqun (crossed collar type).

Composition of Qixiong ruqun

Qixiong Ruqun is a style of

. Ruqun consists of a ru ( 襦) and a skirt (qun, 裙; also known as Chang, 裳), it is a typical upper and lower garment system. Because it must match the Qixiong skirt that was worn, the ru were usually very short. The patterns on clothes also had different requirements according to the characteristics of different dynasties, for example, flowers and plants were often used as patterns in Tang dynasty.

Qixiong ruqun accessories

Hezi ( 诃子)

The hezi is a corset-like garment that is attributed to

Yang Guifei Yang Yuhuan (; 26 June, 719 – 15 July 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bingshen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the Zhide era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on t ...

. The hezi is tied from the back to the front, and the lower part has a rope so that the waist part of the skirt can be tied at the same time. This accessory bears resemblance to the Qing dynasty

Dudou A ''dudou'' (; also known by other names) is a traditional Chinese form of the bodice, originally worn as an undershirt with medicinal properties. With the opening of China, it is sometimes encountered in Western and modern Chinese fashion as a ...

( 肚兜). Hezi is worn in the Tang dynasty, Song dynasty and

. Hezi can be seen in ancient Chinese frescoes and cultural relics, for example, the famous

( 敦煌) Mural.

Pibo ( 披帛)

Pibo is often used as decoration for ''qixiong ruqun''. Pibo evolved from a long shawl, and later gradually became a ribbon between the arms, this is the typical costume of ancient Chinese ladies. Pibo often appears in the murals of

and

, and Tang dynasty is the most popular period. It is made of silver or gold chiffon,中国服装史
/ref>披帛
/ref> one end of which is fixed on the belt of the half arm then draped over the shoulder and wound around the arms. There are two kinds of pibo: one type of banner is broader and shorter, which is mostly used by married women. Another can reach more than two meters in length, primarily used by unmarried women. Women's clothing styles in the middle and late Tang dynasty tend to be more and more loose and elegant, so most of them are decorated with pibo. It is a type of decoration that influenced the

dupatta The dupattā is a Hindu shawl traditionally worn by women in Indian subcontinent to cover the head and shoulders. The dupatta is currently used most commonly as part of the women's shalwar kameez outfit, and worn over the kurta and the gharara. ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Daxiushan ( 大袖衫)

Daxiushan (), also referred as (), (), (), is a form of , a traditional Chinese upper garment, with broad sleeves in . It was most popular during the Tang dynasty, particularly among the members of royalty. The was mainly worn for special ceremonial oc ...

is also used to match the dress with the skirt. In ancient times, qixiong ruqun with a

can be worn as a formal dress. The material of daxiushan upper garment is compared commonly flimsy. Its lace-up position is located in the lower part of clothing. This kind of dress can be seen in the Tang dynasty cultural relics silk painting "court ladies adorning their hair with flowers", this work is from Zhou Fang, who was a very influential painter in the middle Tang dynasty. The cuff of

upper garment has 4.37 feet above commonly. Many costumes can be used with daxiushan, which is commonly seen with narrow sleeves, straight sleeves and wide sleeves blouse ( ru).

Other depictions

Chinese paintings of later centuries

The ''qixiong ruqun'' and/or ''qixiong ruqun-style clothing'' continued to be depicted in the paintings and/or illustrations of the

and

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 ...

. File:Northern Western Wing 1 7.png, llustration by

Chen Hongshou Chen Hongshou (1598–1652), formerly romanized as Ch'en Hung-shou, was a Chinese painter of the late Ming dynasty. Life Chen was born in Zhuji, Zhejiang province in 1598, during the Ming dynasty. His courtesy name was Zhanghou (章侯), and hi ...

, late

. File:Zhang Shengzhi Xiansheng Zhengbei Xixiang Miben.jpg, Illustration by

, late

. File:Qing Dynasty Magu.jpg, Magu (the goddess of flowers),

painting. File:Ren xiong 1.jpg, Painting by late

painting,

Ren Xiong Ren Xiong (; July 19, 1823 – November 23, 1857) was a Chinese painter from Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, active during the late Qing dynasty. Ren belonged to the Shanghai School in Chinese painting and is known for his bold and innovative style. His b ...

Entertainment

''Qixiong ruqun'' and/or ''qixiong ruqun-style'' clothing is occasionally depicted in the costumes worn by actors in

Chinese television drama Chinese television dramas ( Simplified Chinese: 中国电视连续剧), sometimes colloquially known as C-dramas, are television dramas originating from China or the Greater China region. China produces more television dramas than any other countr ...

s, in movies, and other forms of entertainment. They are also sometimes depicted in

Korean drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

Media depictions

Qixiong ruqun has been depicted in films and television series, including ''

Curse of the Golden Flower ''Curse of the Golden Flower'' () is a 2006 Chinese epic wuxia drama film written and directed by Zhang Yimou. The Mandarin Chinese title of the movie is taken from the last line of the Qi dynasty poem written by the rebel leader Huang Chao who ...

'' (2006), ''

Jumong Chumo (Hangul: 추모, Hanja: 鄒牟), posthumously Chumo the Holy (Hangul: 추모성왕, Hanja: 鄒牟聖王), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. ''Chumo ...

'' (2006), ''

Queen Seondeok Queen Seondeok of Silla ( ko, 선덕여왕 ; 595~610 – 17 February 647/January 8, Lunar Calendar) reigned as Queen Regnant of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647. She was Silla's twenty-seventh ruler, and its first re ...

'' (2009), ''

The Empress of China ''The Empress of China'' () is a 2014 Chinese television series based on events in 7th and 8th-century Tang dynasty, starring producer Fan Bingbing as the titular character Wu Zetian—the only female emperor (empress regnant) in Chinese histo ...

'' (2014), '' Wu Xin: The Monster Killer'' (2015), ''

The Story of Minglan ''The Story of Minglan'' () is a 2018 Chinese television series adapted from an eponymous novel written under the pseudonym ''Guanxin Zeluan''. It stars Zhao Liying, Feng Shaofeng and Zhu Yilong. The series premiered on December 25, 2018, on Hunan ...

'' (2018), ''

The Longest Day in Chang'an ''The Longest Day in Chang'an'' () is a 2019 Chinese historical suspense drama directed by Cao Dun and written by Paw Studio. The series stars Lei Jiayin and Jackson Yee. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ma Boyong. ''The Longest Day ...

'' (2019), '' The Untamed'' (2019), ''

Court Lady ''Court Lady'' () is a 2021 Chinese television series produced by Yu Zheng, starring Xu Kai and Li Yitong. Once renowned as Chang’an’s number one hedonist, Sheng Chumu could barely ride on a horse without falling off. Now, he has fallen head ...

'' (2021) and ''

The Long Ballad ''The Long Ballad'' (Chinese: 长歌行), also known as ''Chang Ge Xing'', is a 2021 Chinese historical series based on the 2011 manhua of the same name by Xia Da. It is directed by Zhu Ruibin and stars Dilraba Dilmurat, Leo Wu, Zhao Lusi and Liu ...

'' (2021).

References

{{reflist Chinese traditional clothing