ON EXHIBIT
THE PALACE MUSEUM
Hair ornaments worn during the Qing period, 1644 to 1911, realistically depicted animals, people, flora and insects. The butterfly motif was popular because, threaded with copper wire, they came alive with the woman's movement. The one at right is fashioned from coral, jadeite and pearls.
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Dynasty emerges in unique exhibit
Qing-era women's garments will appear for the first time outside China
A rare exhibition opening tomorrow at the Bishop Museum will mark the first time garments and ornaments of the women of the Qing dynasty imperial court will be shown outside China.
ACUW 75th Anniversary
"Celebrating Chinese Women: Qing Dynasty to Modern Hawaii"
On view: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, tomorrow through May 21
Place: Bishop Museum
Admission: $14.95; $11.95 children; discounts for kamaaina, seniors and military
Call: 847-3511
Opening-day events: Cultural demonstrations will be presented from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. Mingxin Bao of the Fashion Art Design Institute of Donghua University will speak at 2:30 p.m.
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"Celebrating Chinese Women: Qing Dynasty to Modern Hawaii" represents a partnership between the museum and the Associated Chinese University Women, which wanted to celebrate its 75th anniversary with an exhibition celebrating women past and present.
Shown along with ornately embroidered and embellished imperial robes and accouterments from the Palace Museum of the Forbidden City in Beijing will be Manchu and Han textiles, garments and artifacts from the Chinese Costume Museum of Donghua University in Shanghai, plus gowns loaned by Hawaii's Narcissus Festival pageant winners.
The oldest piece is a green jade seal created after Empress Xiaohe's death in 1849 to celebrate her reign, and a scepter from the mid-18th to early 19th century made of plated gold with jadeite inlays, an ornament meant to bring good fortune to the women who carried them.
THE PALACE MUSEUM
The collection from the Palace Museum features formal dress, including a court robe, above, worn by a Qing empress during the late 18th century. Garments communicated the wearer's wealth and status through complex, exquisite artistry.
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Frances Goo, chairman of the ACUW 75th-anniversary committee, and Kathy Izon, project manager for Bishop Museum, said Palace Museum officials were surprised to discover an interest in the women's collection.
"They said you can get any of the empress's gowns you want," Goo said. "Previously, only the emperor's robes were loaned to Japan."
"We were able to see robes with beautiful brocade and embroidery, with heavy symbolism of dragons, clouds and phoenixes. It was the first time anyone has brought it out," said Izon. "The designs from the Donghua museum brought another component of the exhibit, showing how a lot of the details we see in today's fashion were definitely influenced by the Qing dynasty."
The Chinese museums have been generous in sending their experts as well to help install the exhibition.
"It's been a good partnership," Izon said. "They're sending artisans as well, including a master paper cutter."
THE PALACE MUSEUM
Ornamental needlework versions of lotus, above, were created by women of the imperial court who practiced needlework to pass the time.
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THE PALACE MUSEUM
Wooden clogs were popular among commoners, and women of the Manchu dynasty adopted the style, with fabric-wrapped wooden platforms adopting the shape of inverted flower pots. This pair is of cotton bearing the symbols for long life.
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THE PALACE MUSEUM
These are ornamental needlework versions of the zonzi, small rice cakes eaten during the dragon boat festival.
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The ACUW anniversary will include a health fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 30 on the museum's Great Lawn. Admission is $3 for kamaaina and military, free for museum members.