Mongolian Costume
01 · Historical Records
Mongolian clothing is one of the most representative types of dress among the northern nomadic peoples of China. It achieved unprecedented development in the Yuan dynasty, becoming attire that was lavish and gorgeous, grand and imposing, luxurious and refined.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
As society changed continuously, the various Mongolian tribes gained independent room for development, the types and varieties of Mongolian clothing steadily increased, and the dress of each tribe formed its own distinctive characteristics, which have continued to the present day. The dress of each Mongolian tribe distinguishes between men and women, old and young, and married and unmarried, as well as among seasonal, ceremonial and everyday garments. It mainly comprises robes (single-layer robes, lined robes, quilted robes, fur robes with an outer facing, raw-hide fur robes, smoked-hide fur robes), vests (aoji, aojimuge), boots (felt boots, scented oxhide boots, mahai boots), and headwear and accessories (flints, satchels, fragrant sachets). The Mongolian people have long lived on the grasslands north of the Great Wall. The harsh, cold plateau climate, together with a way of life characterized by nomadic herding and many long hours spent on horseback, meant that their clothing had to provide strong protection against cold while being convenient for riding; long robes, vests, leather hats and leather boots naturally became their first choice of dress, giving it a strong grassland character. Long robes are mostly made of leather, wool, cotton and silk fabrics, according to the season; the robe body is loose and full, the sleeves are long, and the hem is not slit. The collar, cuffs and garment edges of Mongolian robes are often trimmed with brocade lace, and the color of the robe varies with the sex and age of the wearer. Red, white, blue, yellow and green are especially favored; color matching is sometimes strongly contrasting and vividly bright, sometimes quietly elegant and harmoniously subdued. The belt is very long, and men's belts are often hung with ornaments such as a knife, a flint and a snuffbox. Women's headwear is mostly made from jewelry, gold, silver and jade, dazzling and brilliantly magnificent. In terms of garment style, Mongolian dress has ample upper garments and broad sashes; it is graceful and luxurious, elegant and dignified, expressing both the curvaceous beauty of Mongolian women and the heroic, magnanimous and rugged character of herders. Among these, religious vestments and Mongolian wrestling costumes also have their own distinctive features and uses. Mongolian clothing integrates cutting and sewing, precious-metal working and ornament making; it is an inseparable component of Mongolian culture, embodies the wisdom of the Mongolian people, displays rich cultural connotations, and has research value in history, ethnology, aesthetics and other fields.
Cutting the robe and edging the borders
Robe panels are cut wide with long sleeves and a closed hem, then edged with brocade trim applied inch by inch.
Vest and horsehair fabric in use
The vest is worn over the robe for wind protection, and horsehair cloth gives light warmth while riding.
Restoring what hangs from the sash
Knives, firesteels and snuff boxes hang from the men's long sash; women carry sachets and silver bowls, each placed by convention.
Changing into ceremonial dress for weddings and birthdays
Ceremonial dress changes with age, marital status and occasion; jewellery is layered to match each step of the rite.
Production in the family workshop
Family workshops in Ordos pair tailoring with the making of men's accessories and women's jewellery.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In China, Mongolian clothing is distributed mainly within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as well as in Mongolian settlements in the provinces and autonomous regions of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Mongolian Costume · Mongolian Costume · Mongolian Costume · Mongolian Costume.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Siqingbalamu (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Female, Mongolian, born in January 1941, a native of Uxin Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. From childhood she loved the tailoring craft; at the age of eight she began learning from her mother Buletege'er the cutting, hem-stitching and embroidery of Mongolian clothing, as well as the techniques for making Mongolian men's accessories and women's jewelry. Under her mother's careful instruction she quickly mastered the making techniques of Mongolian robes for men and women of different ages, fabrics and grades, and of boots and hats for different seasons, and at the same time learned to sew men's accessories such as tobacco pouches and to make women's headdresses. From 1978 onward she devoted all her energy to the study and making of Ordos Mongolian clothing, and established a family workshop. She is a representative inheritor of Mongolian clothing, a fourth-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project. While training apprentices, she has hand-sewn and produced more than one thousand Ordos garments and over forty Ordos women's headdresses. Balagarima (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Female, Mongolian, born in July 1959, a native of Ar Horqin Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. At the age of twelve she learned the sewing craft; at the age of twenty she taught herself garment making and processing, and applied herself to traditional Mongolian embroidery. In 2000 she formally took up the making of Mongolian clothing, and registered and established a Mongolian clothing limited company, dealing mainly in all kinds of traditional handmade embroidered Mongolian garments, boots, hats and accessories. She actively participated in the skilled-hands training classes organized by the Women's Federation, imparting the traditional techniques without reservation, and inspired several hundred sewing enthusiasts who came from all over the country to study. Her works are highly creative and have won growing recognition in society, influencing more people to devote themselves to the cause of transmission. She is a representative inheritor of Mongolian clothing, a fifth-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Siqingbalamu 04-1981
- Mideke 04-1982
- Balagarima 05-3042
- Qimuge 05-3043
- Narenqiqige 05-3044
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript; it mirrors the bilingual dossier. 阅读中文版，或返回 英文名录。