How The Qing Dynasty Changed China's Fashion

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Introduction
The Qing dynasty prospered in arts and culture. Traditional forms of arts flourished: including the delicate and exquisite ceramics and Chinese porcelain.

On a smaller scale, however, the most symbolic feature traveled through to the present from the Qing dynasty would be women’s fashion in the imperial palace. Women’s fashion not only depicted their status, but also reflected their beliefs and culture. As an enthusiast of the Qing dynasty, I often spot both accurate and inaccurate traces of Qing’s fashion from televisions and runways.

The Qing dynasty changed China’s history, and influenced China’s fashion everlastingly. But what is it about these clothing designs that is so alluring? Why is it that costume and fashion designers …show more content…

Stringent and elaborate rules were made for women in the palace to follow. Yellow was reserved for the queen and emperor, other bright colours are only available for higher class empresses and faded shades were available for concubines of lower class(please refer to the colour chart in the appendix for further information). Yellow also is the dominant colour of Buddhism, thus it represents freedom from worldly cares. Red is used for celebration of events such as births, weddings and holidays. In general, darker colours were favoured over lighter ones in traditional Chinese clothing because they seemed more formal and expensive. Women from social groups like peasants or slaves wore lighter colored clothing more frequently as they were not royal.

However, when the Qing Dynasty began approaching its end, the concept of beauty was influenced by foreign cultures. The imperial family bought imported materials and invited foreign designers whenever the family, especially the women, needed new sets of clothing. Rich colours no longer dominated the mindset of designers. Foreign designers added accents to the empresses’ clothing and altered the standards of

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