National Museum exhibition reviews evolution of Chinese costume culture

Costumes and objects of adornment show technical progress and aesthetic changes over time. They also stand as testimony to the cultures, social values and hierarchy of society.

Ancient Chinese Culture: Costume and Adornment, an exhibition newly opened at the National Museum of China, traces the evolution of techniques, aesthetic perspectives, social culture and the values of the country's feudal period embodied in centuries-old clothes, shoes, hats, garments and sewing tools.

Also on show are pottery and classical paintings which offer perspectives into the fashions of ancient China.

The exhibits come from the collections of various museums across the country, and date as early as the Neolithic period and through the end of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), China's last feudal empire.

The exhibition will run for a year through February 2022.