Yunjian

Yunjian
MET DP14331
Yunjian (Cloud collar garment), Qing dynasty
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese雲肩
Simplified Chinese云肩
Literal meaningCloud shoulder
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYúnjiān
English name
EnglishCloud collar/ Phoenix collar

Yunjian (simplified Chinese: 云肩; traditional Chinese: 雲肩; pinyin: Yúnjiān; lit. 'cloud shoulder'), also known as Cloud collar in English[1]: 51 [2] and sometimes referred as châr-qâb,[3]: 47  is a Chinese term which can either to a four-lobed motif (more rarely an 8-lobed motif),[4] or to a traditional Chinese garment accessory item in Hanfu, the Traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, which is typically found in the form of a detachable collar with cloud patterns[5][6] and is worn over the shoulders area,[7][4] similar to a shawl. As an garment accessory, the yunjian is also typically found in four-lobed design although multi-lobed design also existed throughout history.[8] The yunjian could also be applied directly on garments, where it would fall around the collar of robes onto the chest and shoulder region,[1]: 51 or as a clothing appliqué.[7] In China, the yunjian has both ceremonial and practical uses when used in clothing.[7] As a garment item, the yunjian was an important clothing element for Chinese women, especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties;[9] its usage was spread across China where it became associated with the Han Chinese's wedding clothing.[7] In Henan, brides would wear yunjian decorated with hanging ribbons and bells.[7] It also had the practical use of preventing clothing from being dirty and oily by covering up the clothes and by covering up the stains.[7] The yunjian is used in Peranakan wedding;[10][11] the multi-layered yunjian worn by Chinese (and Chinese descents) brides on the day of their wedding is sometimes known as "phoenix collar".[12] The yunjian also started to be worn by the Non-Chinese, the Tartars of northern China and Manchuria in the later medieval period.[4]

The yunjian motif was also used in Chinese ceramic work around the necks of vases and jars;[4] mainly in the ceramics of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasty period.[5] It was used to decorate blue and white porcelain.[6]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Kadoi, Yuka (2009). Islamic chinoiserie : the art of Mongol Iran. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7486-3583-2. OCLC 608497183.
  3. ^ Hartmut Walravens; Barbara Kellner-Heinkele; Oliver Corff, eds. (2018). Statehood in the Altaic World. 59th Annual Meeting of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), Ardahan, Turkey, June 26-July 1, 2016. Norderstedt. ISBN 978-3-7528-0263-4. OCLC 1048453773.
  4. ^ a b c d Cammann, Schuyler (1951). "The Symbolism of the Cloud Collar Motif". The Art Bulletin. 33 (1): 1–9. doi:10.2307/3047324. JSTOR 3047324.
  5. ^ a b Yang, Shaorong (2004). Traditional Chinese clothing : costumes, adornments & culture (1st ed.). San Francisco: Long River Press. p. 41. ISBN 1-59265-019-8. OCLC 52775158.
  6. ^ a b Liu, Ke Yan (2013-09-18). "Analysis on the Cloud Shoulder Pattern of the Yuan Dynasty Fabrics". Advanced Materials Research. 821–822: 823–828. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.821-822.823. ISSN 1662-8985. S2CID 135673789.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Silberstein, Rachel (2020). A fashionable century : textile artistry and commerce in the late Qing. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 33–35. ISBN 978-0-295-74719-4. OCLC 1121420666.
  8. ^ Garrett, Valery (2012). Chinese Dress : From the Qing Dynasty to the Present. New York: Tuttle Pub. ISBN 978-1-4629-0694-9. OCLC 794664023.
  9. ^ Li, Wen-Jiao; Tao, Hui (2017). "Relationship between Cloud Pattern and Female during the Ming and Qing Dynasties". Proceedings of the 3rd Annual International Conference on Social Science and Contemporary Humanity Development. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. Vol. 90. Atlantis Press. pp. 90–94. doi:10.2991/sschd-17.2017.18. ISBN 978-94-6252-401-9.
  10. ^ "Wedding fit for an empress". The Straits Times. 2019-03-16. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  11. ^ "Cloud collar". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  12. ^ "Chinese Bride's Phoenix Collar". emuseum.aberdeencity.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-17.