In Qing society, garment decoration, such as embroidered and woven motifs, were often embedded with meaning, signalling the wearer’s values, identity, and their social and political status. The upper classes were familiar with and able to both convey and read the iconography of embroidery and woven decoration that adorned their garments and accessories.
Fig. 1. A woven rank panel with the design of a bird (crane) facing towards a red sun. China, 19th century (TRC 2016.2363).
The meaning of the decoration was determined by the subject matter or motifs depicted, and the layout or framework in which the motifs were placed. The placement of the imagery on the garment, together with its content, signify how the motifs are to be interpreted. Compositions in the Qing dynasty can be categorised into four styles: bordered, dispersed, consolidated, and integrated.
Fig. 2. An example of Suzhou (Su Xiu) embroidery with a depiction of two cranes on the branches of a tree, along with a branch of cherry blossoms. China, early 21st century (TRC 2024.2940).Qing dynasty decoration is able to visually convey messages about the garment and its wearer, often to a precise degree, through a relatively small number of motifs arranged in various ways. For example, a pheasant means literary success, and a quail means peace and safety.
When combined in an image they form a pun rebus that wishes ‘permanent good order and peace on the country’, by playing on homophone characters. The pictorial imagery used in embroidery can generally be placed into six groups: imperial, faunal, figural, floral, scenic, and emblematic.
Over the course of my time as an intern at the TRC, I have been going through the Chinese collection, ensuring it is in order. The animal motifs have always stood out to me, and I often cannot help but wonder why the maker/wearer decided to use that particular animal or what it meant to them. So, today I will be exploring the symbolism of some faunal Chinese embroidery at the TRC.
Symbolism varied between different ethnic groups and over time, yet often overlapped. Though the pieces presented here are often from after the Qing dynasty, the interpretations presented here follow the traditions of both Manchu and Han Chinese upper class groups of the Qing dynasty,
Fig. 3. Detail of a woman's decorative badge, applied to the front of the surcoat, that signified a 5th rank civil official's wife in Qing China. Late 19th century (TRC 2010.0139b).
The faunal category includes images of both mythological creatures and animals found in nature. They were used in non-official contexts to convey various meanings as well as in imperial iconography to showcase court rank.
Fig. 4. Detail of a woman's shawl with a central dragon chasing a flaming pearl. China, early 20th century (TRC 2012.0282).For example, the Manchurian crane is depicted on the insignia of 1st degree civil officials (Fig. 1. TRC 2016.2363) and, on a more general symbolic level, it conveys long life, as the white colour of the crane is linked to high age and cranes were thought to live for 10,000 years.
The Manchurian crane, also known as the red-crowned crane, is also depicted on the embroidery piece tagged as TRC 2024.2940 (Fig. 2), alongside a cherry blossom tree branch.
Fig. 5. Rectangular panel with a stylised dragon in metal thread, plus red, white, blue and pink (floss) sik threads, China, before 1930 (TRC 2012.0084).Whereas the crane is for 1st degree officials, the silver pheasant depicted on this rank badge (Fig. 3. TRC 2010.0139b) is for 5th degree civil officials. The panel is split down the middle so the two pieces can be placed on two sides of a court surcoat.
Each rank at court has their own rank badge depicting a specific animal motif that signals their position, a system dating back to the Ming dynasty. This particular rank badge would have been for an official’s wife, as women’s garments faced the wearer’s left side, and the men’s faced the right side. Silver pheasants have also been reported to symbolise beauty and good fortune.
The dragon can perhaps not be categorised as ‘faunal’ in the typical sense, but is a very symbolic creature depicted in many Chinese embroidery pieces. Dragons are the personal emblem of the emperor, with the word ‘dragon’ itself being used to describe items connected to its position in court. For example, the emperor’s writing tool was referred to by those in court as ‘the dragon’s brush’.
Fig. 6. Back of a gown in dark brown with woven designs of flying red-headed cranes and smaller motifs including circles, clouds, flowers and bats. China, 19th century (TRC 2018.2841).The five-clawed dragon in particular (as featured in TRC 2012.0282 and TRC 2012.0084; Figs. 4-5) signifies the sovereign authority and divine status as ‘son of heaven’ of the emperor. Only the emperor and his immediate family were originally permitted to wear robes with the five-clawed dragon.
The dragon is also considered a benevolent rain spirit who appear as a rain shower when they come out of hibernation. Chinese emperors are responsible for the rainfall needed for crops as they are considered ‘rain makers’ and thus linked to dragons.
The 19th century gown (Fig. 6. TRC 2018.2841) pictured here is a beautiful example of various faunal motifs in a Chinese textile (although they are woven rather than embroidered). In the centre and along the bottom on the back are five-clawed dragons.
Fig. 7. Full length gown decorated with embroidered dragons, cloud motifs, bats, birds and flowers, in mainly gold coloured thread, and silk threads in various shades of blue. China, 20th century (TRC 2023.0934).Also woven into the robe are Manchurian cranes, five large ones and eight smaller along the sleeves. The number of motifs is also often significant in its meaning. For example, the number eight can be used to represent the progression of time and space. And when a pair of things was represented it emulated the fundamental of yin-yang dualism, implying unity through a balance of opposites.
Also shown on the gown are bats. The Chinese character for ‘Bat’ is a homophone for the character which means ‘abundance and happiness’. Whereas a bat carrying a peach means wishes for happiness and long life, showing the potential complexity of symbolism to those unfamiliar with it. Stylised bats are also embroidered in gold thread on this gown (Fig. 7. TRC 2023.0934) and onto a pair of (lotus) boots (Fig. 8. TRC 2023.1242).
Fig. 8. One of a pair of miniature ('lotus') boots in blue with green piping, as well as panels of embroidery with stylised bats, flowers and leaves in various colours. China, early 20th century (TRC 2023.1242a b).The skirt in the Mamianqun style (Fig. 9. TRC 2025.0763), characterised by the structure of its panels and pleats, is richly embroidered with various animals, including dragons, bats, crabs, cranes, roosters, fish, butterflies, and pheasants.
Fig. 9. Skirt in the Mamianqun style, in various shades of blue, green, pink, red, and white. China (TRC 2025.0763).The red panel (Fig. 10. TRC 2022.2694) is also embroidered with a number of airborne animals, including a phoenix, swallows, and butterflies. Butterflies are often symbolic for joy and summer, originating from the story of the Taoist philosopher Zhuangzhi having a dream of being a butterfly, and as a result questioning his existence.
The butterfly is also associated with weddings, as it is symbolic for romantic bliss, originating from the legend of the Butterfly Lovers (Liang Zhu). In the legend, two young lovers are scorned by their disapproving families, and parted by death. But they are reunited in eternal bliss as a pair of butterflies.
These are just a few examples of the many faunal motifs I have come across during my time at the TRC. It has been a fascinating, yet complex research process to find out what the motifs could have meant, looking at sources as varied as Taoist symbolism, Chinese mythology and officer ranking systems.
Exploring the meaning of symbols can aid in finding out why a textile was made and what or who it may have been used for. It is another facet of the Language of Dress and the extensive research being done at the TRC.
Fig. 10. Detail of a cloth with an embroidered pattern of stylised floral motifs and birds (including phoenixes) worked in various colours. China, early 20th century (TRC 2022.2694).
