• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.307-313
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• 2004

The Purpose of this study is to investigated characteristics of many pleated skirt of Miao women's Guizhou province in China. The method of this study is referd to sundry recordes and demonstrated traditional clothing of several region in Guizhou province. The most important characteristic of the costume of the Miao is the many pleated skirt, worn by most but not all groups. Pleats are pulled into place with a sharp pointed instrument and sprinkled constantly with starch. The length of the pleated skirt depends on the group. The long skirts reach to the ankle, the medium-sized to the shank and the short ones not below the knee. The design of the pleated skirt is simple but most pleated skirt ornamented with fine, cross-stiched or batic designs of geometrical figures. The figures decorated on the pleated skirt has been handed down with little change from generation to generation and has become an important mark of Miao women's each area. Seeing the many pleated skirt of Miaos investigated in these several respects by the standard of contemporary beauty, it is thought that it has the infinite possibility of being used in contemporary fashion design on account of the characteristics of almost perfect costume.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2003

Hair styles vary greatly and are an integral part of the Miao women's costume, often denoting marital status. The hair style was expressed in various styles by using Kokye. Chukye and Byunbal. Hair is swept in to buns and knots of varying size or arranged in huge structures supported with extra hair or wooden pieces. The hair ornament was expressed in various styles turban and hat. Some groups use a turban as an integral part of the style that is wrapped round the head in a specific way. Silver ornaments occupy an important position in the bright and colorful attire and personal adorment of Miao women's in Guizhou. Silver horns, silver crowns, silver hats are peculiar to Miao women's hair style. They are also indispensable hair ornaments of Miao women's. festive dress in Guizhou.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.44
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• pp.215-233
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• 1999

The Miaos have their own peculiar and luxurious transtional culture a they have experienced repeated fusion into and resistance againt the Han Race or the chinese in their long and old history. And the traditional culture of the Miaos is abundant and diverse in several respects. Because it has taken root in foundation of their simple and native environment. it is embracing abundant and diverse contents. They largely used as the theme of patterns factual materials such as natural objects easily accessible in the natural environment. those related to marratives reflective of ethnicity, animals and plants symbolic of auspicious omen, peace, happiness and good harrest with prosperity and abundance. And they not only crossornamented natural patterns and geometrical patterns by combining them but also geometric patterns alone. It can be seen that Miaos represented patterns with exaggerated formation, overlapping and modification and the comprehensive, fomation of natural forms, abstract formation etc. Seeing the ethnic costume of Miaos investigated in these several respects by the standard of contemporary beauty it is thought that it has the infinite possibility of being used in contemporary fashion design on account of the characteristic of almost perfect costume.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.21-36
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• 2002

The Miaos have their own unique and luxurious culture traditional and modern formed as they have experienced repeated fusion into and resistance against the Han Race or the Chinese in their long and old history. Taijiang County of Guizhou Provice, in which whey have been living, is endowed with natural beauty. Thus their culture enjoys abundant and diverse contents of artificial and natural character. Naturally, their costume reflects cultural and natural features in abundance and variety. This dissertation aims to investigate the artistic character of Miaos' traditional costume as reflected in patterns for their embroidery. As for the artistic character of the patterns for embroidery, the following were found. To begin with, the space in the Miaos' embroidery is, unlike the measurable three-dimensional space found in Greek art, unmeasurable and fantastic with its beauty, majesty and peculiarity. It is as if immersed in limitless space, they were in communion with gods and universe. Another characteristic is the use of image construction beyond mere imitation. Their mode of image construction was realistic in that patterns as a whole reveal an abstract form or meaning but separately they portray visual representations of concrete thins in nature. Still another is that sense of motion conveyed by the basic curve line is full of life. It was the result of using light rhythm breaking stereotypic balance and symmetry. Finally, the colouring was abstract, and a strong contrast between black and white was gorgeous and fantastic.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2002

The analysis revealed that the pattern represent the function of written language, the Miao's idea of nature as tie object of worship and exorcism, and their primitive thinking. The patterns are chiefly embroidered collars, shoulders of blouse, waist blind and hem lines of skirt. The design of patterns are animals and plants and geometrical figured. Most of patterns are dragon, fishes, birds, butterflies, which are liked by the Miao people. The patterns are highly imaginative and true to life, and are made with strong national and popular features.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.71-75
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• 1998

The Miaos who is the minority people mainly living in the southwestern part of China, expressed their indicator and solidarity through the costume in order to maintain their racial character while experiencing numerous adversities over thousands of years, where the costume has served as a source of cohesion as well as a primitive religious thought, and also showed their faith, desire, longing and aspiration. This study examined the Miao's traditional costume by classifying it into the following; hair style, headdress, upper and lower garments, and other costume. And the silver ornaments used for attire and their symbolic meaning were examined. The result of the study is summarized as follows. 1. The reason that types of the costume has been diversified is because there was promise of ancestors who intended to differently express the type of a kind as symbol of the racial branch that is the Miao's special type of society. Thus, the costume type could tell where a tribe live. Another reason is because only marriage between families with different surname but the same type of costume was accepted. 2. As women made and wore the costume themselves, it also served as a means of being proud of their skill or wealth, they tried to make it more beautiful and it was also used as a token of marriage or love between relatively enlightened men and women. 3. The design used on the costume was expressed as a symbolic meaning of indicator to strengthen the racial solidarity because it connoted worship to ancestors who had experienced lots of adversities. 4. The hair style was expressed in various styles by using Kache such as Chukye, Byunbal and Kokye. It is likely that ornaments used on the head of women in the form of cow's horn or silver crown were used as one of the methods to stress the valuableness of the cattle that were essential to agricultural life. In addition, various styles of turbans were used to indicate the respective regions. 5. Cock's feather ornaments or silver ornaments in the form of pheasant's feather on the edge of women's skirts, peasant's feathers that men wore on their head, or Baekjoui and men wore resulted from the Miaos' thought of adoration for birds, which implied a primitive religious meaning. 6. As the region where the Miaos live yields much silver, the silver ornaments were mostly used to be proud of wealth, which symbolized light and pureness.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.956-970
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• 2006

The purposes of this study was to analyze the characteristics of national races' costumes in Chinese contemporary costumes. For the purpose, this researcher concentrated on the relations between national races' costumes and Chinese contemporary costumes and discuss systematically depending on references such as fashion magazines, picture albums, and historical records. The results of study were as follows: First, the formation of fashion has been influenced by Man, Uighur, and Choson races. For example, Qipao, the tight style of Man race's fashion, Uighur race's bell style sleeve and cyclic skirt are applied to women's modern fashion. Second, weaving, printing, and embroidery technique of a minority race developed more than Han race, so applied still. Recently, Chinese contemporary costumes accepted the weaving technique of Miao and Uighur race through publicizing of a minority culture. Third, a national race's costumes are famous with splendid design and applied to modern fashion directly. They are commonly made to hair pin, necklace, earing, bracelet and so on. Recently, styles from a national race's costumes and old style are becoming popular to Chinese and it's easier to found such a fashion in market.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.376-388
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine the types and characteristics of Chinese indigo dyed designs performed until today in private houses of Chinese minority races and to examine the modern value of traditional dyeing crafts of minority races by investigating the cases of utilizing modern private Chinese indigo dyed designs. As the research methodology for theoretical study about the history of Chinese traditional pattern dyeing, the origin, types and characteristics of Chinese indigo dyed designs, the preceding research data, photo data, and Internet data were utilized, and for the empirical research on Chinese traditional dyeing techniques and the cases of utilizing today Chinese indigo dyed designs, the on-site survey on Guizhou and Yunnan was conducted during February and March 2008 and the data were collected and analyzed. Based on the results of this research, it was found that Chinese indigo dyed designs represented Chinese traditional pattern dyeing, which was inherited and developed mainly in Chinese minority races and Chinese. It could be seen that according to geographical distribution and characteristics of each race, the types and characteristics of dyeing techniques were formed, which are classified into the batik of the Miao of Guizhou in the Chinese southwestern region, the tie-dyeing of Bai of Yunnan, and Chinese blue calico(resist printing) of Chinese private houses in the Hunan and Huseo regions, and these represent the three typical Chinese dyeing techniques today. Based on the results of empirical research on the utilizing cases, focusing on the traditional living handicrafts of Chinese minority races, traditional cultural articles, and artworks, the modern values such as practical, cultural, and artistic values of Chinese indigo dyed designs could be rediscovered.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.67 no.3
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• pp.66-80
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• 2017

The headdress is one of the most important clothing characters in China, as it was used to distinguish the 55 minority groups in China. Each minority group has a unique headdress culture. Among the 55 minority groups, the Zang, the Yi, and the Miao focus their ethnic costumes on the headdress, and have a more distinctive headdress culture compared to be other nationality groups. The Yi is one of the minority groups that linvd in Southwest China. They usually lived in compact communities in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region. The total population of the Yi is the sixth largest among the 55 minority groups. Modern scholars believe that the Yi people are descendants of the ancient Qiang people, which is a group that lived in Northwest China six or seven thousand years before. It is believed that the Qiang went down to the southern part of China and allied with the aboriginals in that region, and this group of people became the Yi, Due to its long history, cultural background, and the large number of people and settlements, they have produced a unique costume culture. The women's headdress culture is considered to be the one of the most important characteristics of their costume culture. There are four forming element of the Yi women's headdress, religious faith, myths, geographical distribution and customs & festivals. The first three elements play an important role in the protection and spread of headdress, while the fourth element provides potential for the modern headdress development. Because of much influence factors, more than 100 types of Yi women headdresses have developed. Depends on categories, Yi woman headdress can be divided into kerchief, hat, fascinator and other accessories wore on the hand. This study investigated the development of the Yi women's headwear, and screened and analyzed representative Yi women accessories, such as the headscarf, hat, and fascinator. This analysis will provide basic materials for further studies of Yi women's headdress or costume.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.39
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• pp.59-77
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• 1998

This paper is focused on the traditional sash weaving handicraft of‘She’ethnic group, which is located in Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong province of China. This research is main-ly based on the field work, analyzed and inter-preted the traditional sash in systematic and reasoned way. The summary of this study are as follows : 1. On its technological aspect, weaving structure of the traditional sash is made of warp rod backed weaving. The used tool is primitive one but the weaving process includes scientific method. 2. From the social-cultural point of view, the sash ha been the symbol of love towards her lover. Every woman of this group had taken training for this sash weaving from a child. 3. On its ethnological aspect, it has been long history and has interchanged with other ethnic group like Miao, Han and also Okinawa country of Japan. The pattern inside this sash are almost looks like characters, but they are not Chinese characters whereas are the inde-pendent code of‘She’ group and have been inherent from ancestors and which will be tran-smitted to their posterity. These independent code of‘She’group are the traditional message to their later generation implicating their natural circumstances, human relationship, ethnic myth, spirit etc. 4. I recognize that the pattern inside the sash is defined as the communicative code and in comparison to language, it is more repetition and less apparent as close code. Nowadays China has been developed es-pecially in the economical fields rapidly. Under the circumstances traditional weaving culture of ethnic groups has been facing a crisis of disappearance, which will be a great loss for the country as well as the human beings. For this reason, I emphasize that it is very immediate to make co-researches into the material culture of Chinese ethnic groups.