Motives
Peony
Peony is a very common design for Chinese ladies' clothing.
Chinese people love peony since more than 5000 years and it
is the most favoured flower in China. So peony was choosed
as Chinese National Flower. Peony symbolizes richness and
prosperity.
Lotus
Chinese people - and other people in the world too - love
the Lotus flower. In Tibet even Lotus is a sacred flower.
It is worshiped by the people of Tibet because it stands for
purity and holiness. In China's culture there is a legend
about a Lotus Fairy, an outstanding beautiful and charming
lady who always gave a helping hand to people. Lotus symbolizes
beauty and purity and so you can find the Lotus motive very
often on Chinese clothes.
Chrysanthemum
In Chinese culture Chrysanthemum symbolizes longevity. Therefore
Chrysanthemum is another frequently used motive on Chinese
clothes for ladies.
Fish
In ancient Chinese culture the fish is a symbol for prosperity:
The pronunciation of the corresponding Chinese character sounds
"Yu" and this means the same as prosperity. You
often can find the fish motive on Chinese clothes to express
someones wish for a future full of prosperity.
Dragon
The (male) dragon is a frequently used motive on clothes
of Chinese Mandarin people. Dragon symbolizes "Supreme
Power". But not only the Chinese emperor wore dragon
motives. There had been some rules about wearing this motive:
A facing out head of the dragon marked the initiation of the
tradition for the emperor, while the most favoured courtiers
wore dragons that faced the onlooker. Other noblemen and officials
wore profile dragons.
Phoenix
The (female) phoenix was a frequently used motive on Chinese
ladies' clothing within the imperial family. Actually the
Empress wore Dragon designs often and the Phoenix was worn
by imperial concubines, wives of princes and princesses. Other
important ladies like wives of dukes, marquises, earls, and
first- and second-rank officials wore tartar pheasants motives.
The peacock was the motive for wives of third- and fourth-rank
officials. The mandarin duck design was for wives of fifth-rank
officials. The paradise flycatcher was used as motive for
the wives of sixth- and seventh- rank officials. All these
are symbols of beauty and purity.
Other motives
There are other typical motives on Chinese dresses, e.g.
the Happiness Motif, the Longevity Motif, the Five Blessing
Motif, Cherry Blossom, and more.
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