Manchu Clothes
In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Manchus all wear cheongsams. Cheongsams in the early period were inlaid with a welt of about 1 inch wide. The real cheongsams at that time were wide and fat, convenient for wearing in hunting. Later cheongsams for males were developed into long gowns, while those for females became more close-fitting and the welt was removed. By the time of the Republic of China, cheongsams had turned into long skirts fitting to the figure. And, short cheongsams emerged during this period. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Manchu costume became the same as the Han's.
In the past, Manchu men plaited their hair, and wore horse hoof-shaped robes and gowns. Women wore wide pailform cheongsams, did not practice foot-binding, and wore embroidered shoes. In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu-style clothes were once prevalent nationwide. Manchu people wore cheongsams in all seasons, which were neatly cut and round-collared, and had wide front pieces, narrow sleeves for convenience of shooting arrows, and long slits for convenience of riding horses.
Since Manchu people gradually broke away from the hunting life, horse hoof-shaped sleeves had become a decoration, but laying down the horse hoof-shaped sleeves was still the etiquette of showing respect to elders and seniors. Women's cheongsams featured more decorative patterns than men's and the collars, front pieces and cuffs were all inlaid with decorative embroidery. With the passing of time, the style of cheongsams witnessed great changes. The previous four slits were reduced to two slits only, which can better demonstrate the good figure and curve of women.
On the early period, Mahchu people, no matter women or men, loved to wear luggings, which were made of leather at the beginning, and cloth later. The lugging only included two trouser legs without the crotch; it could prevent the trouser legs of farmers working on the field from fraying, and old people from cold. Female and male, old and young, all wore elaborately made cloth bellybands. Bellybands for children were embroidered with characters like "Chang Ming Bai Sui" (longevity); for adult men, characters like "Ji Xiang Ru Yi" (happiness); for young women, flower patterns; and old women, a special pattern.
