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The robe embroidered with dragon patterns was made or the
exclusive use of an emperor during the Qing dynasty. The ritual of
embroidering dragon patterns on the emperor’s robe, however, dates back to
as early as the Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256 B.C.). During the Yuan and
Ming, the emperors were already wearing robes graced with dragon patterns,
but it was not until the Qing that they were named “dragon robes” and became
part of the official attire system. A dragon robe is either yellow or
apricot-yellow in color, and embroidered with nine yellow dragons and
five-hued auspicious aloud patterns. The clouds are interlaced with twelve
other patterns – the sun, the moon and stars (representing the light of the
throne), mountains (synonymous to stability), dragon (symbolizing
adaptability to changes) auspicious bird (denoting elegance and beauty)
water reeds (which represent purity and cleanness), and fire (meaning
light). According to imperial Qing rituals, the emperor’s dragon robe was a
kind of auspicious attire for lower-grade celebrations and ceremonies – it
was by no means the highest grade of imperial attire. The dragon robe that
was passed down from one emperor to another is embroidered with a dragon on
the front and the back, before or behind the knees, on the shoulders, and on
the lining of the chest. Thus a total of nine dragons are embroidered on a
dragon robe. Observed from the front or behind it, five dragons could be
seen at a glance, because in Chinese tradition the figures nine and five
tallied with the dignity of the throne. |
