Old Chinese

Old+Chinese

Homespun Chinese Miao clothes reflects the splendid culture and history

Who are the Miao?

More than 100 various Miao minority groups live in the mountainous areas of southern and southwestern China. Every group has its own different clothes, and the elaborately designed women's garments are peculiarly enchanting. Embroidery, batik, and beautiful silver jewelry are all indispensable additions to Miao style.

Clothes for the holidays

During holidays, weddings, and other large ceremonies, Miao women usually wear a short jacket with beautiful, embroidered patterns on the narrow sleeves, shoulders, and collar. In some areas, their jackets are characterized by the sparkling silver pieces sewed everywhere. So people call it a silver jacket.

Their elegant pleated skirt can have 40 layers with more than 500 pleats. Some Miao women wear long skirt which reaches directly to their feet. Their short skirt stops at the knees.

An embroidered apron dropping in front of the skirt also comes to the knees or feet. Flying behind the apron, the long and beautiful waistbands seem like a pheasant's colorful tail feathers. Leggings and beautifully embroidered shoes are also indispensable to some Miao women.

With extraordinary silver ornaments, like big silver headdress, neckbands, earrings, and silver bracelets to go with these clothes, many Miao women can proudly claim they are the most beautiful women in the world.

Miao clothes usually have five colors: yellow, blue, red, white, and black. Many of their clothes are made by Miao women themselves by weaving, dying, sewing, and embroidering.

Casual suits

Miao casual suits look simple and light, but they are still very beautiful. Jackets, shirts, aprons, and pants all have beautiful embroidered patterns on them.

On informal occasions, Miao women only wear a simple embroidered handkerchief on their head.

Embroidery

Girls start to learn how to embroider from their mother when they are only seven or eight years old. At the age of 14 or 15, they have become an expert on embroidery. To prepare a dowry, a suit of embroidered clothes is need, which will take them 3-5 years to make before they are ready to get married.

The excellent Miao embroidery work reflects their culture, history, and religion. You always can see the design of mountains, water waves, butterflies, flowers, and dragons on their embroidery.

Without a written language for thousand of years, the Miao use their embroidered garments to record history.You can read many old stories in the embroidered patterns that have been handed down for years. In fact, almost every piece of Miao embroidery holds a fascinating legend.

Batik

Techniques for making batik, a durable cloth with remarkable colors and designs, have been around for more than 1,000 years.

First, an artist will make a design on a sheet of white cloth with a knife dipped in hot wax. Then five various colors are used to dye the cloth in a big vat. After dyeing, the cloth is rinsed and boiled.

Chinese Miao batik art is quite interesting and unique. C. Liu has spent many years studying and researching the fascinating Miao culture. Go to her website to learn more about Miao batick and other fascinating arts like beautiful Miao silver ornaments.