Consummate Craft
The decorative features on ancient undergarments demanded high embroidery, stitching, pasting, patching, embellishing and rolling expertise. Stitches had to be of an even tension and the slightest crease or tear in the material was out of the question.
The only underwear deemed fit to be worn was smooth, fine, light, soft and leveled off. Added features included flower designs on laced sections of the fabric in various styles of embroidery and pasted on feathers or fur for greater effect.
Underwear was considered a showcase for the wearer's taste and needlework – attributes highly valued in women of ancient China.
Varieties of Chinese Women's Underwear
1. Moxiong, a one-piece underwear garment binding breasts which first appeared in the Northern Dynasties (420AD-589AD) and was popular during the Tang (618AD-907AD) and Song Dynasties (960AD-1279AD).
2. The zhuyao ("zhu" meaning button) was a style of embroidered underwear favored by Qing Dynasty (1644AD-1911AD) court ladies.
3.The xieyi was a tunic-style undergarment first worn in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Xie in Chinese means frivolity. The term xieyi hence implies the prevailingly evasive attitude towards even the mention of underwear.
4. The dudou, also called the doudu, was either a square or diamond shaped apron-style garment, often embroidered, covering the bust and belly which fastened at the back. The dudou often incorporated a pocket in which to keep ginger, musk or other Chinese medicinal herbs believed to keep the belly warm.
Editor: Feng Hui
Source: womenofchina.cn
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