Threading culture and skill into garments of beauty

Museum dedicated to ethnic clothing presents an image of countrywide grace and elegance.

For tourists exploring the enchanting landscapes of Beijing's architectural wonders such as the Forbidden City, they are captivated by the vision of young women adorned in the intricate Manchu attire once donned by royal ladies of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Their presence evokes a vibrant reinterpretation of traditional Chinese art, defying the oppressive heat with grace.

These dresses are part of the imperial fashion called qizhuang (costumes of the bannermen) of the Manchu ethnic group. They are but one part of the traditional garments worn by China's 56 ethnic groups.

For people who are interested in all the colorful costumes, a must-see venue is the Ethnic Costume Museum that draws their attention to the lesser-known, yet equally captivating garments of the country's other ethnic groups.

Nestled in the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology is the museum, a treasure trove of cultural heritage. It was officially set up in 2000 as China's premier institution for clothing culture. It has amassed more than 10,000 items, including clothing, jewelry, fabrics, batik and embroidery from various ethnic groups, and displays nearly a thousand photographs from the 1920s and '30s that document the traditional dresses of ethnic groups, such as the Yi, Tibetan, and Qiang people.

The quest to collect these ethnic costumes was daunting. While Han attire is widely available, the clothing of the 55 other ethnic groups, some residing in remote or distant areas all across the country, posed a challenge in terms of its collection and preservation.