Bijia Explained

C:比甲
Piccap:A woman wearing a Ming dynasty bijia.
P:Bǐjiǎ

Bijia is a long, sleeveless jacket of Mongol origins which has opened side slits.[1] The bijia started to be worn in the Yuan dynasty when it was designed by Empress Chabi.[2] The bijia eventually became one of the most typical form of women's clothing item in the Ming dynasty[3] and in the Qing dynasty.[4] It is also a type of hanfu which has been revived in present days.[5]

History

Yuan dynasty

The bijia originated from a long-length Mongol vest.[6] According to the Yuan shi, the invention of bijiia is attributed to Empress Chabi during the Yuan dynasty.[7] Empress Chabi designed the bijia so that it would be a convenient form of attire while riding horses and shooting arrows. The front region of the bijia designed by Empress Chabi was made of 1-piece of fabric, and its back region was twice longer than the front region.[8] It was collarless and sleeveless, and there were two loop straps which attached to it. It also had no lapels. The bijia was first worn by the Yuan dynasty emperor but it later became popular among commoners.[9]

Ming dynasty

After the fall of the Yuan dynasty, Mongol fashion of the Yuan dynasty continued to influence some styles of clothing worn in the Ming dynasty; this included the persisting usage of bijia. The bijia became a type of women clothing in the Ming dynasty, and by the middle of the Ming dynasty it had become a favourite form of dress for women, especially young women.

In the Ming dynasty, the bijia was long in length and would reach below the knee level. It was embroidered on woven textile and a jade ornament would be attached at the front of the bijia as a front closure. Bijia created an illusion of slenderness, which women in the Ming dynasty sought after.

Qing dynasty

In the Qing dynasty, Han Chinese women were allowed to continue the Ming dynasty clothing customs. The bijia remained very popular in Qing dynasty, and it was one of the most common forms of female clothing worn in the 17th and 18th century.

21st Century

In the 21st century, the bijia regained popularity and is widely worn as a hanfu item.[10]

Influences and derivatives

Theatrical beixin

See also: Chinese opera costume. The Chinese opera beixin, also known as kanjian, majia, and beida, were sleeveless vests which originated from both the Ming dynasty's long-length bijia worn by women from the lower-middle class and from the Qing dynasty's majia,[11] a type of vest which were worn by the Manchu.[12]

Majia

See also: Qizhuang.

The majia, the sleeveless riding vest of the Qing dynasty, evolved from the bijia which was popular among women during the Ming and Qing dynasties.[13]

Similar looking garments

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Finnane, Antonia . Changing clothes in China : fashion, history, nation . 2008 . Columbia University Press . 978-0-231-14350-9 . New York . 84903948.
  2. Book: Zhao, George Qingzhi. Marriage as political strategy and cultural expression : Mongolian royal marriages from world empire to Yuan dynasty. 2008. Peter Lang Pub. 978-1-4331-0275-2. New York. 240–241. 192134589.
  3. Book: Hua, Mei. Chinese clothing. 2011. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-18689-6. Updated. Cambridge, United Kingdom. 41. 781020660.
  4. Wang. Anita Xiaoming. 2018. The Idealised Lives of Women: Visions of Beauty in Chinese Popular Prints of the Qing Dynasty. Arts Asiatiques. 73. 61–80. 10.3406/arasi.2018.1993 . 26585538 . 0004-3958.
  5. Web site: 2020-02-16. A Brief History of Chinese Outfit for Girl - Bijia (vest) - 2021. live. 2021-06-23. www.newhanfu.com. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226034030/https://www.newhanfu.com/3398.html . 2021-02-26 .
  6. Book: Schlesinger, Jonathan. A world trimmed with fur : wild things, pristine places, and the natural fringes of Qing rule. 2017. 978-1-5036-0068-3. Stanford, California. 31. 949669739.
  7. Book: Shea, Eiren L.. Mongol court dress, identity formation, and global exchange. 2020. 978-0-429-34065-9. New York, NY. 89. 1139920835.
  8. Book: Lee, Lily Xiao Hong. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II : Tang Through Ming 618-1644.. 2015. Taylor and Francis. Sue Wiles. 978-1-317-51562-3. Hoboken. 25. 905984401.
  9. Book: 5000 years of Chinese costumes. 1987. China Books & Periodicals. Xun Zhou, Chunming Gao, 周汛, Shanghai Shi xi qu xue xiao. Zhongguo fu zhuang shi yan jiu zu. 0-8351-1822-3. San Francisco, CA. 164. 19814728.
  10. Web site: 2020-02-16. A Brief History of Chinese Outfit for Girl - Bijia (vest) - 2021. live. 2021-07-03. www.newhanfu.com. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226034030/https://www.newhanfu.com/3398.html . 2021-02-26 .
  11. Book: Ye, Tan. Historical dictionary of Chinese theater. 2020. 978-1-5381-2064-4. Second. Lanham. 352. 1128888776.
  12. Web site: Woman's domestic vest (majia). 2021-07-30. collections.mfa.org. en.
  13. Constructing Chinese America in Hawaiʻi: the Narcissus Festival, ethnic identity, and community transformation, 1949-2005. 2005. Thesis. en-US. Jinzhao. Li. 10125/12055 .
  14. Book: Kuhn, Dieter . The age of Confucian rule : the Song transformation of China . 2009 . Belknap Press of Harvard University Press . 978-0-674-03146-3 . Cambridge, Mass. . 192050158.

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