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History Of Use

Cantonese opera costume, worn by warrior.

Cultural Context

theatre

Description

Detachable collar with bat and lotus motifs in gold, pink, purple, green and yellow on a black ground. There is white fur and two brass frog fasteners. The backside lining is white cotton.

Iconographic Meaning

The dark colour indicates that is was worn to represent the “painted face”, “fa mihn”, role type, a rougher, less educated character.

Specific Techniques

All seams are enclosed. All stitching that can be seen is hand-sewn. Cotton lining is pasted to outer layer. Wear on other costumes made of similar fabric suggests that it is silk warp with cotton weft, or vice-versa. Embroidered sections are done with long satin stitches.

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.