Hello! I love your blog - I've especially enjoyed your recent posts on Mianfu! I was wondering if you have any pictures of what ruqun clothing from the Han dynasty looked like? Also do you know what the standard footwear was for that time? Thanks again!

Hi, I’m glad you love my blog, and thanks for the questions!



The two-piece ruqun/襦裙 style of clothing emerged very early on in Chinese history. During the Han dynasty, the one-piece shenyi/深衣 style of clothing (e.g. quju, zhiju) became popular among the upper class, and aristocratic women began wearing ruqun less. Nevertheless, Han dynasty women still wore ruqun, as can be seen in this Eastern Han painting:



As depicted above, the top (“ru”) of the ruqun during the Han dynasty was generally very short, reaching just the waist. Meanwhile, the skirt (“qun”) was very long, drooping to the ground.

Here are some historical recreations of Han dynasty ruqun from 裝束复原 and 朝代復原体验:

Shoes:



There were many types of shoes during the Han dynasty, with the most important being Lǚ, Xue, Xi, and Ji.

Lǚ/履:

Lǚ were single-soled shoes, made of a variety of materials including hemp, leather, and silk. The materials a shoe was made of reflected its use, as well as the status of the wearer. During the Han dynasty, people mostly wore Lǚ made of silk. They were often decorated with woven or embroidered designs and had an upturned, forked toe. One reason for having an upturned toe was to have it hold the hem of the dress up off the ground, as people didn’t want to bother gathering their dresses up themselves (and it was considered ungainly to do that in ancient China, especially for women).

Xue/靴:



Xue were boots, considered most suitable for horse riding. They originated with the nomads of the Eurasian steppes and were introduced into the Central Plains. Long boots were mostly worn by officers. They were decorated with gorgeous patterns, such as sawtooth lines, grass leaves, and cirrus patterns. Short boots were mostly worn by the cavalry.

Xi/舄:



Xi were shoes with wooden soles, usually worn on occasions of court or ceremonial proceedings.

Ji/屐:

Ji were wooden clogs with two wooden “teeth” underneath. They were commonly worn during the Han dynasty, and mostly used for walking on long roads. Men wore Ji with square heads, and women wore Ji with round heads.

Wa/袜:



Footwear was often worn with socks called Wa, which were made of leather, silk, or cloth. Each sock had, at its back, a slit opening with a garter to tie it up. People mostly wore white socks, but red socks were worn during worship to show respect for the gods and ancestors. The socks worn by the royal family and nobles were mostly made of crepe and embroidered with patterns.

For more references, please see my Han Dynasty tag and Shoes tag.

Hope this helps!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5