Written by Sabrina Bennis
China is home to 56 different ethnic groups, giving place to a great variety of different wedding customs and rituals. Although nowadays it is frequent that couples decide to wear modern Western wedding clothes, many preserve their tradition and cultural background. Let us look at some of the most beautiful wedding gowns of five Chinese ethnic minorities.
The Miao
The main feature of the Miao’s wedding attire is the finely embroidered dress and the intricate silver ornaments. Embroidery is a traditional Miao skill that girls are taught by their mothers since a young age. The first work of embroidery that a girl undertakes, at the age of seven or eight, is her wedding dress, which she will finish the day of her marriage. In the Miao culture, the ability of a woman to produce beautiful embroidery is as important a marriageable asset.
The bride’s finely embroidered wedding dress is complemented by silver jewelry. It is comprised of silver tiara hairpins, combs and earrings, a silver collar and chains, silver chaplets and necklaces, as well as rings and bangles worn on the wrist and the ankles. Parents start collecting silver jewelry for their daughter’s wedding as infants. On the day she gets married, a Miao woman can wear up to 10 kg of exquisitely fashioned silver. The more the merrier, as these ornaments are not only a symbol of feminine beauty but also a sign of social status representing the bride’s family wealth.
The Hmong
The Hmong people are a sub-group of the Miao ethnic group. Wedding attires of this minority are very colorful and are usually made of pleated batik with appliqué decorations. Women typically wear a skirt and a jacket, both of which are covered with an apron that is worn in front of them and tied at the back. The jacket and the apron are decorated with multicolored beads. The bride also wears a big embroidered headdress that is also adorned with colorful beads hanging from it.
The Qiang
The Qiang people mainly live in mountainous regions in the northwestern part of Sichuan province. The female wedding attire is an ankle-long red dress and an apron tied around the waist. Embroidery has a deep cultural value for the Qiang people, and just as it is the case with the Miao, women get taught this skill from a young age. Therefore, the wedding dresses are decorated with rich embroidery, usually flowery patterns. The colors most used are red, blue, yellow, green, and pink.
Brides also wear a vertically-inclined embroidered headdress with plum blossom ornamentation. Qiang people wear YunYun shoes, a kind of handmade cloth shoe that has the shape of a boat and has cloud pattern on it.
The Bai
Just as in the Western culture, Bai brides wear white at their wedding. However, instead of a long dress, they wear a top and pants. White is the favorite color of this ethnic minority, representing dignity and a high social status. The other dominant color of the Bai wedding attire is red. Over these garments, Bai women wear a delicate and finely embroidered waistcoat and apron, which tend to be red, green, light blue and rose; and are adorned with camellia flowers because they are believed to symbolize beauty.
Depending on the area, Bai women also wear charming headdresses that nicely match with their clothes. Although the traditional Bai wedding attire has some colorful touches, it maintains a simple yet elegant style.
The Mongols
Mongolian couples wear traditional clothing called Del which is made from cotton and silk with patterns. Typically, the groom wears dark colored Del and the bride lighter colors such as red and pink. The female tunic is long-sleeved and is decorated with intricate appliqué brocade.
Brides also wear elaborated traditional jewelry around their neck and hanging from their hair. Gemstones and semi-precious stones such as Turquoise and Sapphires are favorites of the Mongolian people. A headdress is worn by both the groom and the bride, but its shape and adornments vary from place to place.
About Interact China
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“A Social Enterprise in E-commerce Promoting Oriental Aesthetic Worldwide”
Aileen & Norman co-founded Interact China in 2004 with specialization in fine Oriental Aesthetic products handmade by ethnic minorities & Han Chinese. Having direct partnerships with artisans, designers, craft masters and tailors, along with 10 years solid experience in e-commerce via InteractChina.com, we position well to bridge talented artisans in the East with the rest of the world, and bring you direct finely selected products that are of good quality and aesthetic taste.
So far we carry 3000+ goods covering Ladies Fashion, Kungfu Clothing, Home Furnishings, Babies & Kids, Painting Arts, Textile Arts, Carving Arts, Tribal Jewelry Art, Wall Masks and Musical Instruments. Our team speak English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, and serve customers worldwide with passion and hearts.
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Ewenki Tribe’s Dog Skin Boots · Contemporary
Ewenki Tribe’s Dog Skin Boots · Contemporary
Embroidered Shoes of Tu Ethnic Group in Qinghai Province · Contemporary
Thigh Boots of Tu Ethnic Group in Qinghai Province · Contemporary
Embroidered Shoes and Hand-sewn Soles of Maowen Qiang Ethnic Group in Sichuan Province · Contemporary
Fish Leather Shoes of the Hezhen Ethnic Group · Contemporary
Embroidered Shoes of Bai Ethnic Group · Contemporary
Black Sateen Embroidered Women’s Socks from Baoan Ethnic Group · Contemporary
Tiger Head Baby Boots · Republic of China
Tiger Head Baby Shoes · Republic of China
Children’s Lion Shoes · Republic of China
Baby’s Lion Shoes · Republic of China
Baby’s Plain-stitched Lion Pattern Pantyhose · Republic of China
Baby’s Pig Shoes · Republic of China
Baby’s Dragon Boots · Republic of China
Baby’s Cat Shoes · Republic of China
Baby’s Rabbit Shoes · Republic of China
Orange Embroidered Shoes for Bithday Celebration
Pink Embroidered Bow Shoes
Black Sole Embroidered Shoes
Flower Embroidered Bow Shoes
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Purple Flower Embroidered Shoes
Black Bats and Flowers Embroidered Bow Shoes
Red Butterflies Embroidered Bow Shoes
Pink floral high heels
Blue Bottom Floral Bow Shoes
Red and Gold Thread Embroidered Bow Shoes
Floral Embroidered High-Heeled Bow Shoes
Blue Satin Manchu Embroidered Shoes with Plum Blossoms
Manchu Women’s Light Pink Embroidered Shoes with Eight Immortals Design
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Yellow Silk Embroidered “Horse Hoof Shoes”
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Yellow Satin Floral Embroidered “Horse Hoof Shoes”
Blue Satin Embroidered Horse Hoof Shoes with Design of Covert Eight Immortals
Blue Satin Ingot-Shaped Cotton Padded Shoes
Manchu Women’s White Satin Horse Hoof Shoes
Lake Blue Satin Embroidered Ingot-Shaped Shoes with Character Designs
Blue Satin Ingot-Shaped Cotton Padded Shoes
Red Floral Ingot-Shaped Cotton Padded Shoes
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Upturned Blue Silk Shoes
Upturned Damask Shoes
Upturned Toecap Style in the Tang Dynasty
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Zi Zhong shoes, a pair of knee high boat boots from a Tibetan monk in old days
Linen Shoes
Woven Shoes · The Eastern Jin Dynasty
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Bulrush Shoes· Tang Dynasty
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The Legend of the White Snake, also known as Madame White Snake, is a Chinese legend which existed in spoken tradition long before there was any written compilation. It has since been presented in a number of major Chinese operas, films and television series.
The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid is a Chinese folk tale. The general tale is a love story between Zhinü (織女; the weaving maid, symbolizing the star Vega) and Niulang (牛郎; the cowherd, symbolizing the star Altair). Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way Galaxy). Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day. There are many variations of the story. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, which was told in a poem from the Classic of Poetry.
Wu Song Slays the Tiger is a story in Shi Naian’s “the Water Margin”. The story says that when in Liangshan the hero Wu Song was on the way to back home to visit his brother and when he was passing by the placed called Jingyanggang he drank 18 bowls of wine in the restaurant and he was drunk. He was told that a tiger on the hill would hurt people and was advised not to move on. Wu Song didn’t believe this and sure enough he met a tiger. Wu Song fought with his fists and killed it, removing the pest for the local people. Then, it became a popular tale.
The qilin (Chinese: 麒麟; pinyin: qílín) or kirin is a mythical hooved chimerical creature known of in Chinese and other East Asian cultures, it is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sageor an illustrious ruler. It is a good omen thought to show the occasions of prosperity or serenity. It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body.
Liu Hai Plays with a Toad is an ancient Chinese folk tale, derived from Taoist illusions. When Liu Hai was young he cut firewood in the mountains and rescued an injured toad with only three feet. After, the toad became a beautiful girl and married him with the skill of spitting out money and gold ingots. Therefore，in folk Chinese tales, the toad has the role of acquiring wealth and exorcising evil spirits.
Di Qing was born to a poor family in Xihe, Fenzhou (汾州西河; present-day Fenyang, Shanxi). He sported tattoos on his face and excelled in mounted archery. In 1038, during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, Di Qing was appointed as Commander (指揮使) of Yanzhou (延州; covering parts of present-day Shaanxi). He participated in the war between Song and Western Xia. Each time he went to war, he would don a bronze mask and let his hair run wild and disheveled, charging onto the battlefield. Di Qing participated in a total of 25 battles in his lifetime. Of these battles, he was best known for his night raid on the Kunlun Pass on the 15th day of the first lunar month in 1053. He died at age 48.
