LITMIR.BIZ

      Fig. 88 Two seated Manchu women at a ceremony in a country yamen where a Manchu official held office, ca. 1904.

      On non-official occasions, Manchu women wore an unusual headdress called a liang ba tou, with batwing-like shapes formed from false hair or black satin arranged over a frame which was anchored with hairpins to the natural hair (Fig. 89). Literally “two handfuls of hair,” the hair itself was originally set and shaped this way, but during the nineteenth century was replaced by black satin as being more practical and easier to maintain. As the Qing dynasty drew to a close, the headdress became larger. Artificial blossoms were placed at each side, silk tassels were hung down the sides, and the whole creation was embellished with jeweled ornaments (Fig. 90). However, older women continued to wear a smaller, less elaborate liang ba tou made of stiffened black satin formed over a cross-piece of gilded silver and mounted on a wire base.

      Most people of gentility cultivated at least one long fingernail to show that they did not engage in manual work. To preserve the treasured nail, women – though not men – wore 3 inch (7 cm] long nail guards made of gold, silver gilt, enamel, or tortoiseshell in filigree designs of coins or longevity and other auspicious symbols. Often two different pairs were worn on the third and fourth fingers of each hand (Fig. 91).

      Unlike Han Chinese women, Manchu women did not bind their feet. Instead, those from high-ranking families wore a special shoe, exaggeratedly elevated, with a concave heel in the center of the instep (Fig. 93). The bottom of the shoe was padded with layers of cotton to prevent jarring when walking. The vamp was made of silk and embroidered with designs of flowers, birds, and fruit (Fig. 92). As well as allowing the Manchu women to imitate the swaying gait resulting from bound feet, the shoes also made them tower over the diminutive Chinese: “… the shoes stand upon a sole of four or six inches [10 or 15 cm] in height, or even more. These soles, which consist of a wooden frame upon which white cotton cloth is stretched, are quite thin from the toe and heel to about the center of the foot, when they curve abruptly downwards, forming a base of two or three inches square [5 or 8 cm]. In use they are exceedingly inconvenient, but … they show the well-to-do position of the wearer. The Manchu are … a taller race than the Chinese, and the artificial increase to the height afforded by these shoes gives them at times almost startling proportions” (Hosie, 1904: 157).

      Empress Dowager Cixi is often shown raising the hem of her gown to reveal a splendidly decorated shoe. Even late in life, she retained her love of finery and the heels of her elevated shoes are dripping with strings of pearls matching her pearl collar. Shoes with concave heels must have been quite difficult to walk in, however, and for informal wear, and among the lower ranks of Manchu women, shoes with boat-shaped convex soles were worn.

      Fig. 89 “Batwing” headdress made of false hair, worn by a Manchu noble-woman.

      Fig. 90 “Batwing headdress” covered in black satin with jewels and artificial peonies, worn by a young Manchu woman.

      Fig. 91 Manchu woman in North China wearing elevated shoes and nail extenders, ca. 1910.

      Fig. 92 Uncut vamps in kesi for a pair of Manchu woman’s shoes with a finely detailed design of phoenixes and peonies.

      Fig. 93 Manchu women’s shoes with a satin vamp embroidered with flowers and cotton-covered soles.

      Fig. 94 Dragon robe for a young prince, with the Twelve Imperial Symbols and nine gold-couched five-clawed dragons embroidered onto yellow satin, ca. 1800.

Manchu Children’s Clothing

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