A Manchu Chinese New Year

Dressing in traditional Chinese costumes during Chinese New Year (CNY) has made a come back in recent years.  Usually parents dressed their little girls in cheongsam or modernised cheongsam.  I myself have sewn a few for my girls in previous.  This year, I decided to make something out of the norm, the Manchu court costumes.

The Manchus is the tribe who ruled China from 1644 to 1912.   The era of their ruling is called the Qing dynasty, the last dynasty in China.  The Qing dynasty was succeeded by the Republic of China

The Manchu court costumes consist of a long robe, which is not as figure hugging as cheongsam.  During cold months, a sleeveless jacket is worn in addition to the long robe.   An elaborate head dress complete the look.  In the Manchu prime era, the head dress is an indication of the rank of the wearer.  Servants wear it very simple and bare.  Higher rank servants may decorate it with some flowers or cheap jewelry.  Women with rank wore very elaborate head dress, decorated heavily with jade and jewelries.  The style of the head dress however, differ from each reign of the Qing emperors.

Empress Cixi of Qing Dynasty

The Manchus, unlike the Han Chinese, did not bind the feet of their women.  The Manchu women wore elevated shoes instead.  Together with the heavy head dress, the Manchu women stood tall and poised.

Elevated shoes of the Manchu Women

I made some modifications to the costume, to cater for the tropical weather that we have here.  The girls look absolutely adorable in their costumes.  The head dress made them look very tall indeed, which was just what the Manchus set to accomplished with the head dress and elevated shoes.