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Iconographic Meaning

The identification of the costume is indicated by its shape: the centre front closing and the multiple long tabs at the bottom.

Description

Woman's palace robe (gongzhuang), ecru coloured with wide sleeves, centre front opening, short, standing collar with brass buttons and panel skirt. Butterfly, peony, chrysanthemum, lotus, narcissus and hsi motifs on the front and back in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple on an ecru background. Sleeve bands with a flower and symbol motif in red, orange, yellow, green and blue on ecru ground. There are mirrors on the sleeves. The inside lining is white linen on the upper portion and blue linen on the skirt panels.

History Of Use

Woman’s palace robe (gongzhuang) are fashioned after the ceremonial court robes of the Ming era. They are symmetrical in design and feature colourful skirt panels that sway freely with movements. The robes also have long, flowing sleeves that magnify the performer’s hand gestures. The sleeves could be held in different gestures to express ideals of femininity and/or emotions such as affection, bashfulness or distaste.

Cultural Context

theatre

Narrative

A large group of Cantonese opera costumes, musical instruments, props, trunks, and stage fittings was left with the Jin Wah Sing Musical Association, apparently by some of the many itinerant troupes visiting Vancouver to perform in the Chinatown theatres in the pre-World War II period. There is no certain knowledge of why these materials were not taken back to China by them. They were used by the Jin Wah Sing Musical Association in their performances until they became too dated. The association continued to preserve them carefully, storing them in their headquarters and in the basement of the Chinese Freemasons building until several groups of materials were sold and donated to the Museum of Anthropology.

Specific Techniques

Embroidery is done with long satin stitches, following a pattern marked on the fabric. Floral patterned braid at hip line is machine-woven. Seams are invisible except for those at centre back and collar, which are done by hand. Wear on other costumes made of the same type of fabric reveals that it was woven with a silk warp and cotton weft, or vice versa.