The ''magua'' (

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

: ''olbo,'' ) was a style of jacket worn by males during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1644–1911), designed to be worn together with and over the '' manshi changshan'' () as part of the

Qizhuang (), also known as () and commonly referred as Manchu clothing in English, is the traditional clothing of the Manchu people. in the broad sense refers to the clothing system of the Manchu people, which includes their whole system of attire use ...

. Magua is at waist length, with five disc buttons on the front and slightly short, wide sleeves. The garment was available in a number of styles: singlet (), clip (), leather (), cotton yarn (), quilted () and others. It was worn by

Manchu people The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

throughout China from the reign of the Qing

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizu of Qing, personal name Fulin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China pro ...

(r. 1643–1661) until the time of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

, (r. 1661–1722), whence it became popular throughout Qing China. Rendered literally in English as "riding jacket", the magua had its origins as a simple

tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more developed ...

-like item of clothing intended to protect the

changshan (; ), also known as (), and (), is a form of , Chinese robe, which was derived from the Qing dynasty , the traditional dress of the Manchu people, which were worn by Manchu men. The was actually developed by the Han Chinese through the modi ...

during riding and normal everyday activities. However, with time the magua itself became more elaborate, becoming for officials part of their uniform of office; one variation of the magua, the

imperial yellow jacket The imperial yellow jacket () was a symbol of high honour during China's Qing dynasty. As yellow was a forbidden color, representing the Emperor, the jacket was given only to high-ranking officials and to the Emperor's body guards. Wearing the ja ...

, becoming an indication of Imperial approval of an individual. The magua is considered the predecessor of the balsam jacket (, ''fèngxiān zhuāng'') and the

tangzhuang ''Tangzhuang'' (), sometimes called Tang suit, is a kind of Chinese jacket with Manchu origins and Han influences, characterized with a mandarin collar closing at the front with frog buttons. It is an updated form of the Qing magua, itself a ...

In Chinese culture

Tujia minority

Tujia is one of the 56 recognized ethnic groups in China. Both men and women mainly wear skirts and jackets, favoring colors such as black and blue. After the 1730s, men and women started to wear clothes that would help differentiate their gender. The magua, buttoned at the center front, is worn by men over the blue long robe. It can be worn formally in black or informally in colors of red, green or gray, with wide trousers usually in a different color, often white. Men would tie sashes around their waist band to help them carry tools or accessories and wear white or black turbans. Women, on the other hand, wore wide short sleeved, long gowns that button on the left side, with decorative elements at the edge of the sleeves and the collar, accompanied with a ''bafu luoqun (''or skirt of eight widths) made of red and black checked silk, embroidered with flowers or other designs. Magua is also associated with social status, as men tried to incorporate the dress etiquettes from the Han period. The magua is accompanied by fur coats, silk gowns and skull caps. By the early 1950s, the popularity of the style decreased.

Types of Magua

* Huang magua (yellow magua)

Regional variations

Burmese ''taikpon''

The ''taikpon eingyi'' (), a

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

jacket for Burmese men, is a descendant of the ''magua''. This costume began to gain currency during the late

Konbaung dynasty The Konbaung dynasty (), also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in history of Mya ...

and became a requisite article of traditional formal attire during the colonial era.

Korean ''magoja''

The ''

magoja The ''magoja'' () is a type of long jacket worn with hanbok, the traditional clothing of Korea, and is usually worn on top of the '' jeogori'' (short jacket). It is also called ''magwae'' and while it was originally a male garment, it is now cons ...

'', a type of long jacket worn with ''

hanbok The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as (). The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Ko ...

'', the traditional clothing of Korea, is a descendant of the ''magua'', having been introduced to Koreans after

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (; 24 January 1821 – 22 February 1898) was the title of Yi Ha-eung, the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s. Until his death, he was a key political figure of late Joseon Korea. He was also ca ...

, father of King Gojong, returned from political exile in

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

in 1887.

References

{{Burmese clothing, state=expanded Jackets Qing clothing Burmese clothing 17th-century fashion 18th-century fashion 19th-century fashion 20th-century fashion 21st-century fashion