Dong Costume
01 · Historical Records
Dong costume in southeastern Guizhou has a long history; it is recorded in documents of the Tang dynasty. In the Ming dynasty, Dong costume-making techniques developed considerably. In the Qing dynasty, Dong brocade work became famous far and near, the brocade produced in Liping being of the finest quality.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Dong costume in southeastern Guizhou is transmitted mainly in the counties of Congjiang, Rongjiang, Liping, Jinping, Tianzhu, Zhenyuan, and Jianhe in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou, with Liping and Rongjiang as the core areas; it is also found in the Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County of Guangxi and the Tongdao Dong Autonomous County of Hunan. Dong costume in southeastern Guizhou is richly varied; according to incomplete statistics, everyday and formal dress for men, women, the old, and the young comes to nearly one hundred kinds, and women's formal Dong dress alone comprises nearly forty different types. Among them, the "Seventy-two Stockades" costume of Rongjiang and the "Forty-eight Stockades" costume of Liping are the most representative, with brilliant colors, exquisite embroidered patterns, and superb workmanship; women's Dong dress is especially renowned. The everyday women's dress of the Forty-eight Stockades and the Seventy-two Stockades is broadly similar, with slight differences. Women's formal dress consists mainly of an outer garment, a chest cloth, an undergarment, a shawl, an apron, floating ribbons (rear apron), a pleated skirt, leg wrappings, floral shoes, a floral head cloth, and silver ornaments; its structure is complex, its layers rich, its patterns dignified, and its style magnificent. It is generally worn at gaitang communal singing gatherings, when going out to sing, at weddings, and when visiting relatives and friends. To complete one fine set of formal dress generally requires more than twenty major process steps and about five months of work. Dong costume in southeastern Guizhou is made chiefly of cotton cloth that the household itself weaves, dyes, and produces; Dong women cut, sew, embroider, and weave the brocade themselves. The main crafts include weaving, dyeing, sewing, embroidery, brocade weaving, and the inlay and attachment of ornaments. Its choice of materials, cutting, pattern design, color matching, and embroidery all reflect the consummate artistic skill of Dong women, while also embodying the deep historical culture of Dong costume.
Cloth woven and dyed at home
The material is home-spun and home-dyed cotton, so a Dong costume begins at the crop and carries no imported fibre at all.
The many parts of a woman’s festive dress
A festive dress of more than ten layered pieces, from outer robe and bust cloth through aprons, pleated skirt and leggings to shoes, kerchief and silver, richly worked at every level.
The seventy-two and forty-eight village styles
The seventy-two village and forty-eight village styles of Rongjiang and Liping share an origin but differ in detail, and are the most celebrated for women’s embroidery.
Festive dress at the song terrace
Festive dress is worn at the song terrace, on singing journeys, at weddings and on visits, where the full silver and embroidered banding is displayed.
Twenty processes and five months
A full festive dress passes through more than twenty processes and takes about five months, with most of that time given to weaving and embroidery.
Local variation within the major styles
Styles are grouped into some ten named local categories across the prefecture, each of which contains further differences, so dress alone will name a wearer’s village.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Broadly speaking, they divide into major local categories such as the Seventy-two Stockades costume and the Chejiang costume of Rongjiang County; the Forty-eight Stockades, Liudong, and Hongzhou costumes of Liping; the Gaozeng-Xiaohuang and Jiudong costumes of Congjiang; the Jiuzhai costume of Jinping; the Sanmentang costume of Tianzhu; and the Baojing costume of Zhenyuan. Differences also exist within each major category.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Dong costume in southeastern Guizhou contains rich ethnic cultural connotations, displaying the cultural accumulation and aesthetic pursuits of the Dong people over thousands of years and reflecting their varied scenes of production, daily life, and social surroundings; it is an important cultural symbol of ethnic identity and holds considerable artistic and socio-cultural value.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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