( zh, t= 雜裾垂髾服, s=杂裾垂髾服, zhu=ㄗㄚˊ ㄐㄩㄔㄨㄟˊ ㄕㄠㄈㄨˊ, w=tsa2-chü1 chʻui2-shao1 fu2, p=zájū chuíshāo fú, first=t), also called (), and sometimes referred as "Swallow-tailed Hems and Flying Ribbons clothing" or "swallow tail" clothing for short in English, is a form of set of attire in which was worn by Chinese women. The can be traced back to the pre-Han period and appears to have originated the () of the

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 ...

; it then became popular during the Han,

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties. It was a common form of aristocratic costumes in the Han and Wei dynasties and was also a style of formal attire for elite women. The can be further divided into two categories of clothing style based on its cut and construction: the , and the (or ). The falls in the category of (long

robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...

); however, some Chinese scholars also classify it as being a type of . On the other hand, the follows (or ) system consisting of a , an upper garment, and a , a long

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 ar ...

. The was multi-layered and was decorated with an apron-like decorative cloth at the waist with triangular-strips at the bottom and with pieces of ribbons worn underneath the apron which would hung down from the waist. The popularity of ribbons later fell and the decorative hems were eventually enlarged. This form of attire also spread to

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

, where it is depicted in the tomb murals found in the Anak Tomb No.3.

Terminology

The Chinese character 《》in the term () refers to the shape of its hanging part which is broad at the top region but becomes narrow at the bottom making it look like a , an ancient measuring tool for

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

, in appearance.

History

The term was recorded prior to the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

in the ''Ode to Goddess'' written by

Song Yu Song Yu (; 298–263 BC) was a Chinese poet from the late Warring States period, and is known as the traditional author of a number of poems in the ''Verses of Chu (Chu ci'' 楚辭'')''. Among the ''Verses of Chu'' poems usually attributed to ...

, a Chinese poet from the late

Warring States Period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

, which demonstrates that the originated earlier than the Han dynasty. The , which is a form of in the broad sense, appears to have originated from one of the Queen's ceremonial clothing dating from the

called (). According to some Chinese scholars, the attire called in the Han dynasty was in the style of the . However, according In the Han and Wei period, the was one of the common aristocratic costumes.

Han dynasty

The type of , which was worn in the

, was in the form of a ''.'' In the Han dynasty, the silk decorations were cut into the shapes of arch; these originated from the recorded in the

Rites of Zhou The ''Rites of Zhou'' (), originally known as "Officers of Zhou" () is a work on bureaucracy and organizational theory. It was renamed by Liu Xin to differentiate it from a chapter in the '' Book of History'' by the same name. To replace a lost ...

. The ' was popular in the Han dynasty, but its popularity started to fade in the late Eastern Han dynasty. The which follows the system also appeared in the Han dynasty, where it was called or .

Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties

On the whole, the costumes of the

Wei Wei or WEI may refer to: States * Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States * Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...

and Jin period still followed the patterns of Qin and Han dynasties. However, the clothing of women in this period were generally large and loose. The carefree lifestyle brought about the development of women's garments in the direction of extravagant and ornate beauty. This carefree lifestyle, which was reflected in the garment and apparel of the people living in this period, can be explained by the historical circumstances which impacted the mood of the people: during 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 a ...

was a period of volatility, the barbarians invaded Central Plain, thus, various wars and battles occurred. The once dominant laws and orders collapsed, so did the once unchallenged power of

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

. At the meantime, the philosophy of

Laozi Laozi (), also known by numerous other names, was a semilegendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher. Laozi ( zh, ) is a Chinese honorific, generally translated as "the Old Master". Traditional accounts say he was born as in the state ...

and Zhuangzi became popular.

Buddhist scriptures Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts a ...

were translated,

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

was developed, and

Humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

ideology emerged among the aristocrats. However, all these posed a threat to the conservative and imperial power, which tried to crush them by force. These policies forced these scholars to seek comfort and relief in life. They were interested in various kinds of

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

and studied a lot of the " mysterious learning". They preferred a life of truth and freedom. They dressed themselves in free and casual elegance. Female figure dressed in Tsa-chü-ch'ui-shao clothing

Female figure dressed in Tsa-chü-ch'ui-shao clothing

The (or ), which was worn in the Wei, Jin, Northern, and Southern dynasties, was quite different from the style worn in the Han dynasty. It had evolved from the one-piece long robe, either from the or the worn in the

, and had wide sleeves. The are depicted with in the paintings of

Gu Kaizhi Gu Kaizhi (; c. 344–406), courtesy name Changkang (), was a Chinese painter and politician. He was a celebrated painter of ancient China.Cihai: Page 1846. He was born in Wuxi and first painted at Nanjing in 364. In 366, he became an officer (Da ...

. The eventually became more popular than the ' during this period as the set of attire itself had become more popular. The also evolved in terms of shape in the Northern and Southern dynasties when the long ribbons were no longer seen and the swallow-tailed corner became bigger; as a result the flying ribbons and the swallow-tailed corners were combined into one. These changes can be found in the paintings '' Wise and Benevolent Women'' and '' Nymph of the Luo River'' by

, as well as the lacquered paintings unearthed from the

Sima Jinlong Sima Jinlong (; after 420-484), courtesy name Rongze (榮則), was a Han– Xianbei prince and general of the Xianbei-led Northern Wei dynasty of China, whose tomb was discovered in the village of Shijia, Datong, Shanxi. Sima Jinlong was of mix ...

tomb in Datong and the Goguryeo tomb murals from the

Anak Tomb No. 3 Anak Tomb No. 3 is a chamber tomb of Goguryeo located in Anak, South Hwanghae, North Korea. It is known for mural paintings and an epitaph. It is part of the Complex of Koguryo Tombs. It was discovered in 1949 with valuable treasures stolen, but ...

Construction and Formation

Typically the was decorated with "xian" () and "shao" (). The Shao refers to pieces of silk cloth sewn onto the lower hem of the dress, which were wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, so that triangles were formed overlapping each other. "Xian" refers to some relatively long, silk ribbons which extended from the short-cut skirt. While the wearer was walking, these lengthy ribbons made the sharp corners and the lower hem wave like a flying swallow, hence the Chinese phrase "beautiful ribbons and flying swallowtail" (). There are also two types of . The which follows the 'one-piece system' is called while the other form of , (or ), follows the 'separate system', consisting of which is a set of attire composed of a , an upper garment, and a as a long skirt. The change in the shape and structure of the reflects the historical trend of the fading popularity of in the late Eastern Han and the increase popularity of the (or ) which eventually became the mainstream style in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties. In the , the upper garment was opened at the front and was tied at the waist. The sleeves were broad and fringed at the cuffs with decorative borders of a different colour. The skirt had spaced coloured stripes and was tied with a white silk band at the waist. There was also an apron between the upper garment and skirt for the purpose of fastening the waist. Apart from wearing a multi-coloured skirt, women also wore other kinds such as the crimson gauze-covered skirt, the red-blue striped gauze double skirt, and the barrel-shaped red gauze skirt. Many of these styles are mentioned in historical records. Wide sleeves and long robes, flying ribbons and floating skirts, elegant and majestic hair ornaments, all these became the fashion style of Wei and Jin female appearance. During the

, the underwent further changes in style. The long flying ribbons were no longer seen and the swallow-tailed corners became enlarged; as a result, the flying ribbons and swallow-tailed corners were combined into one.

Influences and derivatives

Goguryeo

Depictions of women wearing can also be found in Goguryeo tomb murals, as found in the Anak Tomb No.3. The wife of the tomb owner of Anak Tomb No.3 dresses in Chinese , which may indicate the clothing style worn in the

Six dynasties Six Dynasties (; 220–589 or 222–589) is a collective term for six Han-ruled Chinese dynasties that existed from the early 3rd century AD to the late 6th century AD. The Six Dynasties period overlapped with the era of the Sixteen Kingdoms ...

. The tomb belongs to a male refugee called Dong Shou (died in 357 AD) who fled from Liaotong to Goguryeo according to Chinese scholar Yeh Pai, a conclusion which is also accepted in the formal Korean report issued in 1958 although some Korean scholars believe the tomb to belong to King Mi-chon.

Gallery

File:Tunhwang Fresco of a Woman dressing in Tsa-chü-ch'ui-shao-fu.jpg,

Mogao The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 500 temples southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu ...

fresco of a woman dressing in Swallow-tailed Hems and Flying Ribbons clothing,

Western Wei dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the wester ...

(535–557) File:Lacquer painting over wood2, Northern Wei.jpg, Virtuous women of ancient Cathay (China),

lacquer painting Lacquer painting is a form of painting with lacquer which was practised in East Asia for decoration on lacquerware, and found its way to Europe and the Western World both via Persia and the Middle East and by direct contact with Continental Asia. Th ...

File:Lacquer painting over wood, Northern Wei.jpg, Women dressing in Swallow-tailed Hems and Flying Ribbons clothing, a lacquer painting over a four-panel wooden folding screen, 5th century File:Consorte Pan y Emperador Ch'êng de Han.jpg,

Consort Ban Consort Ban (c. 48 BCE – c. 2 BCE), or Ban Jieyu (), also known as Lady Ban (Pan), was a Chinese scholar and poet during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 23 CE). ''Jieyu'' (婕妤) was a title for a third-rank palace lady, one rank below th ...

and

Emperor Cheng of Han Emperor Cheng of Han (51 BC – 17 April 7 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty ruling from 33 until 7 BC. He succeeded his father Emperor Yuan of Han. Under Emperor Cheng, the Han dynasty continued its growing disintegration as the em ...

, Consort Pan wearing a Swallow-tailed Hems and Flying Ribbons clothing File:Female figures dress in Tsa-chü-ch'ui-shao clothing. Lacquer painting over wood, Northern Wei.jpg, Female figures dressing in Swallow-tailed Hems and Flying Ribbons clothing, 5th century File:Virtuous women in Cathayan history. Lacquer painting over wood, Northern Wei.jpg, The virtuous women in Cathayan (Chinese) history, 5th century File:Admoniciones de las Institutrices del Palacio de las Damas (detalle) 2.jpg, '' Admonitions of the Court Instructress'' (detail) by

File:Admoniciones de las Institutrices del Palacio de las Damas (detalle) 4.jpg, ''Admonitions of the Court Instructress'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Admoniciones de las Institutrices del Palacio de las Damas (detalle) 6.jpg, ''Admonitions of the Court Instructress'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Admoniciones de las Institutrices del Palacio de las Damas (detalle) 7.jpg, ''Admonitions of the Court Instructress'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Ninfa del río Lo (detalle) 1.jpg, ''Nymph of the Lo River'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Ninfa del río Lo (detalle) 2.jpg, ''Nymph of the Lo River'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Ninfa del río Lo (detalle) 3.jpg, ''Nymph of the Lo River'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Ninfa del río Lo (detalle) 4.jpg, ''Nymph of the Lo River'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Nymph of the Lo River (Detail). Southern Sung Copy of the Original Work by Ku K'ai-chih. Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.jpg, ''Nymph of the Lo River'' (detail) by Gu Kaizhi File:Reconstrucción Pictórica de la Ropa Tsachüchuishao.jpg, Modern pictorial reconstruction of Swallow-tailed Hems and Flying Ribbons clothing as in ''Admonitions of the Court Instructress'' and ''Nymph of the Lo River''

References

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