Woman's Skirt
Chinese Mamianqun

Clothing and Dress

Woman's Skirt
Chinese Mamianqun

20th century

The two pieces are identical in dimensions

Skirt length is 38.25 inches (97.1 cm)
Skirt waistband width is 5.75 inches (14.6 cm)
Skirt waistband length is 26.125 inches (66.3 cm)

Circumference of skirt when pieces are attached is approximately 32.5 inches (82.5 cm)

Circumference at hem, pleated, is approximately 42.875 inches (108.7 cm)

The land of China has a history that spans over many millennia under a plethora of different empires. It was not until 1644 that the people of the Manchuria region became rulers, starting the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The beliefs, style, and way of life of the Manchurian people differed from that of the ethnic Han who coexisted in China at the time. Across the Qing dynasty, and the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) that existed for nearly three centuries before, their dress was very decorative and displayed social rank and/or virtues through symbolism.

Accession number 2007.18.06a/b is a two-piece pleated skirt. The accession notes state this skirt to be from the early-mid 20th century, meaning it could have been from the Qing dynasty, if not slightly after. The skirt is made from a silk damask, originally a purple color, but now most of the fabric has faded to light gray. Within the folds of the pleats and the overlap of the two pieces the original purple color is still very vibrant. The front and back rectangular panels and hem are decorated with wide bands of embroidered ribbon, the outermost having a vibrant blue ground and the inner a black ground. Both bands are embroidered with different imagery. The pleated sides have vertically aligned narrow ribbons of silk, edged with either black or blue fabric, all decorated with fine embroidery. Much of the embroidery is accented in white, blue, light purple, and green.

Each piece of skirt has a wide blue waistband. One piece has three loops attached to the center front outer side of the waistband, with a third loop sewn at one end, and three knotted buttons on the opposite end for fastening. The second piece has three loops attached to the center back on the inside of the waistband, with an additional loop at one end, and three knotted buttons on the opposite end for fastening. When connected, the rectangular panels fall at the front and back with the pleats on each side of the wearer.

Miscroscopic fiber identification was not done on the damask, embroidery floss or waistband fabric. The damask is probably silk, as is the embroidery thread. The fabric used in the waistband is unknown but likely a bast fiber. Due to its soft nature and fineness in the fiber, it could potentially be ramie. The inside of the garment is entirely lined in a fabric very similar to the waistband.

The embroidery across the garment is stitched in silk thread, using the traditional satin stitch. The other major stitch used is couching. Much of the large bands of trim are edged with a gold-metallic thread couched onto the fabric. The gold-metallic thread is made by wrapping a silk core thread with a flat strip of gold. It is difficult to embroider into a fabric with metallic thread as it cannot penetrate the fabric, so couching makes tiny stitches over the metallic floss to secure it to the ground; here the metallic yarns are secured with a white silk thread.

The skirt was donated by Dr. Margaret Ordoñez, a former faculty member at the University of Rhode Island. Ordoñez, a textile conservator, taught graduate-level conservation classes at the university. As an accomplished conservator, Ordoñez not only grew the collection with her own donations but maintained it and taught students how to do so as well.

Though donated by a different person, the Collection contains a second similar skirt, also a two-piece, paired skirt with the same type of closures. Made from red silk damask fabric, the skirt has flat panels at the front and back with pleats on each side. Each panel is edged with wide embroidered ribbon while within the pleated sides are smaller embroidered bands. Though there are two in the Collection at URI, the two-piece skirt is difficult to find in others.

This type of skirt is deemed a Mamianqun, which directly translates to “horse-face skirt”. Skirts such as these are considered to be a part of Hanfu, the traditional styles of dress worn by the Han Chinese. The skirt is often worn with a Ru jacket, with a high neck closing right over left, or robe. For more formal occasions, the skirt would be used to cover a pair of trousers (John Vollmer, 1977). The jacket’s elongated silhouette covered much of the skirt, with its hem falling well below the hips. Due to this, on many of these skirts, the embroidery would be visible only below the jacket’s hem, as to not cover any of the detailing.

The Manchurian leaders tried to abolish the wearing of Hanfu at the dawn of the new Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Because they were different ethnic groups, the Manchu people tried to assert their dominance by forcing the Han people to abandon their traditional clothing (Tianwei Zhang, 2020). This effort existed for centuries, but Hanfu was never fully forgotten. As these ideals began to fade in the 20th century, the Mamianqun and other Han dress began to appear once again.

Across many of the Chinese regions was the shared belief of symbolism through their dress. Throughout the many panels in the skirt are small, embroidered figures. The imagery consists of winged creatures, flowers, and clouds. Some of these winged animals can be identified as cranes, butterflies, and moths. Each of these have different meanings in Chinese culture. As the only animal stitched with a couching thread, the moth is bold and stands out on the blue band of the front panel. It is embroidered with green, white, pink, and blue thread. The moth symbolizes transformation and the changes in life. In a much smaller size, around the moths are butterflies. When depicted with plum blossoms, the butterfly represents a long life and beauty.

Shown in multiple areas in different ways, the crane is described as the second most important winged animal as spirits can travel on them. Cranes are known to represent longevity and wisdom. However, shown in more detail throughout the skirt is the phoenix. Considered to be the “yin” of yin and yang, the phoenix is representative of five qualities valued in China: virtue, duty, correct behavior, humanity, and reliability (nationsonline, 2023). Each animal represents something different, and none are arbitrary to the design of an embroidered garment.

Of the flowers, many are small and indescribable, but one noticable flower, though not show in its usual pink color, is the five-petalled  plum blossom. The flower is embroidered in white and blue along the black bands of the garment. The plum blossom, as the national flower of the Republic of China, can be seen in many areas of the country's culture. Being one of the first fruit-bearing trees to bloom at the end of Winter, the flower is symbolic of new beginnings, and represents hope (Anjie Cho, 2023). Many other examples of flowers are seen throughout the embroidery, however they are too small to confidently say what they are and what they represent. 

In each bottom corner of large panels are cloud-shaped, reverse applique designs edged in black floss. This same shape can be seen in the damask of the fabric of the skirt. Clouds are a very important symbol in Chinese culture, especially in dress. Wealth was often displayed through the use of cloud collars, which were layered on top of their jackets. Clouds are symbolic of luck and good fortune, representing the rain to come and water the crops. The cloud formation in the damask is in groups of four, which is similar to the four leaf clover sign of luck in the West.

As mentioned, this style of Hanfu has existed for many centuries, and is still being seen today. As recently as 2022, the Dior company was accused of failing to give an appropriate explanation for the use of the Mamianqun in a skirt design. The label had released a skirt with large front and back panels and pleats along the sides, without any credit given to the Han people. A backlash emerged, with protestors standing outside Dior’s doors (Oscar Holland, 2022). Aside from being victims of appropriation, many Chinese traditionalists are modernizing the Mamianqun by wearing it today. Much of this revitalization comes from the Chinese youth who are trying to become more in touch with their ancestors and their history (Tianwei Zhang, 2020).

This artifact at URI is a centuries-old design coming from the Han people of China. When the people of the Manchuria region came to power in the Qing dynasty, the wearing of Hanfu and the Mamianqun became widely discouraged. Towards the end of the empire in the early 20th century, this style of dress was revitalized. This skirt was likely worn extensively by a young woman from the Han people who would have paired it with a Ru jacket. With elegant embroidery and fine detailing, symbolism is used to express values and virtues of the person. To this day, the dress of the Han people is being worn and evolving.

References

Cho, A. (2023, March 6). Meaning of the plum blossom in Feng Shui. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/plum-blossom-meaning-5270497

Gehrmann, V. (n.d.). ___ animals’ symbolism in decoration, decorative arts, Chinese beliefs, and Feng Shui. Animal Symbolism - Chinese Customs. https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/animals_symbolism.htm

Holland, O. (2022, July 29). Dior accused of “culturally appropriating” centuries-old Chinese skirt. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/dior-cultural-appropriation-accusations-chinese-skirt/index.html

Nature symbolism in Chinese art. Chinese Symbolism of natural elements. (n.d.). https://www.chinasage.info/symbols/nature.htm

Vollmer, J. E. (1977). In the presence of the dragon throne: Chʻing dynasty costume (1644-1911) in the Royal Ontario Museum. Royal Ontario Museum.

Zhang, T. (2020, November 25). Putting China’s traditional Hanfu on the world stage. WWD. https://wwd.com/feature/china-traditional-hanfu-style-fashion-1234638369/

Donor: Margaret T. Ordonez

URI 2007.18.06a, b

Craig Hobin

silk, silk damask
gold metallic yarns