Silver Ornaments of the Miao Ethnic Group

The Miao girls fancy silver ornaments, and wherever they live, their dresses, especially their silver jewelries, will become the local highlights and cultural sight. The silver ornament civilization of Miao has been handed down ever since the Qin and Han Dynasties, and today it is ever more colorful.

The Miao women usually wear their silver crown, circlet, clothes, bracelets and chains all over their body, the more and heavier the better, to show off their beauty and wealth. The silver ornaments on a Miao woman in magnificent costume can be as heavy as 10 to 15 kilograms. The ornaments can also be used as token of love promise and mascot for children to ward off evil forces, or even tradable or stored directly as money. Therefore, the silver ornaments of Miao are not only decorations, but also a cultural carrier rooted in the social life of the Miaos.

The silver ornaments of Miao are also in large varieties, which are particularly represented by that of the Miaos in Guizhou and west Hunan, including silver crown, horn, comb, danglers, ear columns and drops, circlet, necklace, collar stand, bracelet, finger ring and foot ring, etc. Casting, beating, knitting, chiseling and carving are the usual techniques for making silver ornaments, and the patterns adopted are mostly animals and plants such as dragon, phoenix, flowers and birds, which are lifelike and exquisite. 

Chinese silk

Silk is a kind of fabric elaborately made of the natural protein fibrin of pods. Products made of silk have bright luster and soft touch; silk clothes are very comfortable and soft, and has the function of adjusting body heat and moisture, and preventing ultraviolet radiation.

China is the earliest country raising silkworms and weaving silk. It is said the silkworm was first raised by Lei Zu, wife of the Yellow Emperor. According to archaeological speculation, the Chinese have begun to raise silkworms, and pull and weave silk since the middle Neolithic Period 5000-6000 years ago. Silk, due to its delicate, comfortable and rare characteristics, is very popular among the aristocrats in European palaces. The silk trade promoted the further development of economic and cultural exchanges between China and her neighbor countries, forming the famous prosperous "Silk Road". 

The invention of silk made the silkworm weaving a relatively important handicraft industry in ancient China, and exerted a great influence on China in terms of ancient poetry culture and folk-customs.  Silk is not only a noble costuming, but a precious artwork. It contains abundant cultural meanings and historical values, representing China's age-old splendid culture. The silk trade promoted the large-scale economic and cultural exchange between the West and East, and made a great contribution to the development of human culture.

Chinese paper cutting

Today, Chinese paper-cuts are used for religious and ceremonial purposes. They are buried with the dead and burned at funerals. They were also used as offerings to ancestors and the gods.
Additionally, paper-cuts are chiefly used as decorations. They are also to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery and lacquer wears. They can also adorn walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes. Chinese people believe that the red paper-cuts on the door can bring good luck and happiness to the whole family. The paper-cuts are more often seen during traditional Chinese festivals, particularly in Chinese New Year, the Spring Festival. They are also given as presents or gifts to good friends or other family members. In Chinese traditional culture, paper-cuts can reflect many aspects of life such as prosperity, health, or harvest.

During the Spring Festival, the character “ Fu (福)” is pasted upside down on the door to express people’s wish for the coming of happiness.

When a man and woman get married, the red paper-cuts with the character “Xi (囍)” is a traditional decoration. It is believed that this paper-cut will bring the new couple happiness.

At a birthday party of an older person, paper-cuts with the character “Shou (寿)” are often seen.

Paper cut in fashion design

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Beijing opera costumes (3)

Beijing Opera in the use of modern design.

 

Beijing opera costumes (2)

Rules of Costume Tradition

(1) Anachronisms are allowable. A performer's costume primarily designates his or her role on the stage no matter when or where the action takes place. Characters, whether they are from ancient times or in pre-modern China, appear on the Chinese opera stage wearing costumes suitable to their roles.

(2) Regardless of which season is being depicted in performance, the opera costume is the same. Weather is described in every scene and must be made clear by the actor's movements, rather than his clothing.

(3) Beijing Opera costumes must enable the audience to distinguish a character's sex and status at first glance. In terms of symbolism, Beijing Opera costumes have its social hierarchy -- noble or humble, civilian or military, official or private citizens.

(4) By means of a subtle difference, opera costumes often give expression to sharp distinctions between good and evil or, preferably, loyal and wicked characters. Oblong Wings (chizi) attached to a gauze hat indicate a loyal official. In contrast, a corrupt official is made to wear a gauze hat with rhomboidal wings.

(5) Baldrics, though apparently of little or no account as compared with such principal items as crowns and robes, may nevertheless function to bring about more dramatic effects on the stage. For instance, the wings attached to a hat, the plumes (lingzi) pinned to a helmet and the cascading sleeves (shuixiu) sewn to a garment accentuate movement even if they have little practical use.

In the early days, opera costumes were mainly made of wool or coarse cloth; later, satin, crepe and silk were used, decorated with various meticulously embroidered patterns. The making of opera costumes is a special and unique stagecraft. The costume box first appeared in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was greatly improved in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Lavish Costumes

(1) Headdress: Designated by the general term Toukui, opera headdress comprises such items as crown, helmet, hat and scarf. Crowns are for the emperor and nobles; military people wear marshals, helmets; ordinary folks wear soft scarves or straw hats. Some headgear, such as crowns, is rigid, while others are soft.

(2) Costume: There are 20 major kinds of costumes, including the ceremonial robe, or Mang; the informal robe, or Pei; and the armor, or Kao, for soldiers. Ten colors are used, half of which are the five primary colors (or shang wu se), namely, red, green, yellow, white and black, in contrast to the other group of pink, blue, purple, pale-brown and pale-blue, all of which are labeled secondary colors (xia wu se).

Many details should be paid attention to, for example, Mang is the general costume for the emperor and nobles, but there are differences between these costumes. There is a dragon, opening its mouth on the Mang for the emperor, while the dragon on the Mang for the ministers and generals having its mouth closed. The dragons on the costume of the civil officials are gentle and quiet, while the ones on the costume of the martial officials are bold and mighty. There are clear distinctions between the use of colors, for example, the red Mang stands for majestic and noble, the green Mang indicates mighty and bold, the white one fits the handsome young people, and the black one is for the upright and unconstrained people. Besides, there are simplified Mang and Mang specifically made for the female actress, the Laodan, and the palace eunuch.

Beijing opera costumes (1)

Beijing opera or Peking opera is a kind of Chinese opera and has a 200-year-long history. Its main melodies originated from Xipi and Erhuang in Anhui and Hubei respectively, It is believed that Beijing Opera gradually came into being after 1790 when the famous four Anhui opera troupes came to Beijing. Beijing Opera underwent fast development during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi under the imperial patron, eventually becoming more accessible to the common people.

There are four roles in Beijing Opera - Sheng(a male role, usually a leading one), Dan(female roles), Jing(painted-face roles) and Chou(Clown role). These roles have the natural features of age and sex, as well as social status, and are artificially exaggerated by makeup, costume and gestures. All but the second portray a male or masculine character. Until recently, even that of the female or feminine character was played by a male actor.

Costumes are an integral part of the Beijing Opera performance. That are called Xingtou or Xifu in Chinese. In the early days, opera costumes were mainly made of wool or coarse cloth; later, satin, crepe and silk were used, decorated with various meticulously embroidered patterns. The making of opera costumes is a special and unique stagecraft. The costume box first appeared in the Ming Dynasty, and was greatly improved in the Qing Dynasty.