Ethnic Costume Museum of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology
Website: http://www.biftmuseum.com/
China is a unified, multiethnic nation, and unity amid diversity is one of its distinct features. Chinese history is essentially the history of various ethnic groups converging and integrating into a unified yet diverse Chinese nation. It is also a history of these ethnic groups jointly creating, developing, and consolidating our great, unified motherland.
Unfolding the scroll of history, from King Wuling of Zhao's adoption of nomadic attire and mounted archery, to Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei's reforms for Sinicization; from the widespread popularity of nomadic music in Luoyang households, to Qiang people singing Han melodies across vast distances as recorded in Tang poetry;
from frontier ethnic groups adopting traditional Han attire and Confucian rituals, to the Central Plains embracing trousers, jackets, and hats of nomadic styles—all vividly demonstrate the mutual exchange and integration among the diverse cultures of China's ethnic groups.
Following preparatory work since 1988, the Ethnic Costume Museum of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology was officially established in 2000 with approval from the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau. As China's first specialized costume museum, it integrates collection, exhibition, research, and education into a single cultural research institution. The museum aims to serve society by providing specialized resources for teaching and academic research, becoming a repository of Chinese ethnic costume culture, conveying the richness and depth of China's excellent traditional culture to the world, and serving as an outstanding platform for the exchange, research, and display of Chinese costume culture.
The museum's collection comprises over 10,000 pieces of clothing, accessories, textiles, batiks and embroideries from China's diverse ethnic groups. It also holds nearly a thousand rare photographs depicting the attire for daily life of the ethnic groups such as the Yi, Tibetan, and Qiang ethnic groups, taken during the 1920s and 1930s. These collections and photos serve as important symbols to the mutual exchange and integration among China's ethnic cultures.
The museum covers an exhibition space of 2,000 square meters, featuring seven galleries, including Ethnic Minority Costume Hall and Metal working Jewelry Hall. Additionally, there is a multifunctional hall available for teaching and academic exchanges, as well as a traditional Chinese ethnic costume and craft training hall that enables audience interaction.
The museum engages in activities related to ethnic costume culture, modern design education, and academic research. It explores innovative approaches to integrating museum research with teaching and design practices through costume culture studies, design research, and traditional craft workshops. The museum hosts master's degree programs in "Chinese Ethnic Minority Art" and "Museum Studies" and serves as a research and practical base for Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology's doctoral programs.
The Ethnic Costume Museum is free for all visitors. It has been officially awarded with honorary titles such as Beijing Patriotic Education Base, Beijing Science Popularization Education Base, and Beijing Youth International Exchange Base. Additionally, it serves as a Social Classroom Resource Unit for Primary and Secondary School Students in Beijing, one of the first batch of museums in Beijing offering free admission, a Model Unit for Ethnic Unity and Progress in Beijing, and an Educational and Practical Base for Strengthening the Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation. Through these roles, the museum plays a vital part in inheriting, innovating, and promoting traditional Chinese culture.
Ethnic Minority Costume Hall
The excellent traditional cultures of China's ethnic groups constitute an integral part of Chinese culture. Long robes with elaborate decorations are prominent features of northern ethnic costumes. Costumes from northern ethnic groups associated with plains culture tend to have a unified style, primarily consisting of generously cut, thick robes with front or side closures, crafted mainly from fur, felt, woolen fabrics, and brocade, and adorned with precious materials like gold, silver, pearls, jade, coral, and turquoise. In contrast, ethnic groups from southern mountain cultures commonly adopt a two-piece style with separate upper garments and lower skirts, predominantly made of cotton and linen. Their costumes exhibit remarkable diversity and ornamentation, such as the exquisite silver-decorated embroidered outfits of the Miao ethnic group in Shidong Town, the ancient pull-over garments of the Li and Wa ethnic groups, the elegant short tops and tube skirts of the Dai ethnic group, and the richly adorned attire of Hani-Aini maiden with any beautiful natural items like flowers, grass beads, seashells, and feathers as decoration. These vibrant and diversified ethnic costumes embody the original forms and developmental trajectory of Chinese costume, showcasing, elevating, and transforming China's excellent traditional culture. Collectively, they constitute a profound and extensive Chinese costume culture, praised as "a living history of costume development" and recognized as one of the representative cultural symbols of the Chinese nation.
A Tibetan Female Robe with Cloud Dragon Pattern Brocade and Sable Fur Lining
Pieced Together, Stitched as Clothes—Museum Collection Exhibition of Patchwork Art
Since ancient times, China has revered the traditional virtue of frugality and cherishing resources, deeply valuing both natural resources and human labor. Yuan Zhen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, depicted the hardships of weaving workers in his poem Song of the Weaver : "Silkworm reeling and weaving silk fabrics demand relentless toil—Altering weaves and manipulating looms becomes a torturous ordeal.".
In an era of handmade textiles, fabrics used daily by people embodied painstaking efforts, making each thread exceptionally precious, too valuable to waste. Fabric remnants leftover from garment-making, initially deemed useless, became treasured again as they were carefully collected and skillfully pieced together, transforming waste into beauty through creative design and meticulous stitching. Thus, the art of patchwork came into being. Every stitch in patchwork art carries precious craftsmanship and embodies profound human sentiments shared by people of various ethnic groups. It represents not only a cultural gem within Chinese costume culture but also a living testament to the enduring traditional virtues of the Chinese nation.
With the topic of "Pieced Together, Stitched as Clothes", this exhibition uses the traditional Chinese design technique of Shared-Structure Chinese Characters for its poster typography, resonating with the visual symbolism of patchwork. It also signifies the exchange, convergence, and integration among China's diverse ethnic groups, collectively creating a brilliant ethnic culture and nurturing an exceptional national spirit. The richness, splendor, and profound depth of Chinese culture lie precisely in its inclusive nature and capacity to embrace diversity.
Miao Ethnic Group's Batik Appliqué Pleated Skirt from Yarong Village, Huishui County, Guizhou Province
Newly Adorned in Embroidered Silk—Museum Collection Exhibition of Traditional Han Women's Attire from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China
China is a unified, multiethnic nation, where unity amid diversity is a defining characteristic. Chinese history is a story of the interaction, exchange, and integration of multiple ethnic groups, ultimately forming a unified yet diverse Chinese nation. It is also a history of various ethnic groups jointly creating, developing, and strengthening a unified homeland. The outstanding traditional cultures of all ethnic groups are integral parts of Chinese culture. Just as the trunk of a tree represents the foundation of Chinese civilization, while the cultures of different ethnic groups form its branches and leaves, only with deep roots and a strong trunk can the branches flourish and leaves thrive.
The pursuit of beauty is inherent to human nature, especially for women, and clothing serves as a vital means of expressing beauty. For centuries, women from various ethnic groups have embedded their aspirations for beauty into their needlework, adorning themselves with exquisite attire. The Ethnic Costume Museum houses over a thousand sets of traditional Han women's garments from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, including both ceremonial attires worn for weddings and festivals and casual clothing for daily life. The exhibition Newly Adorned in Embroidered Silk: Museum Collection Exhibition of Traditional Han Women's Attire from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China follows the evolution of women's clothing during this period. It aims to highlight the stylistic characteristics and fashion transitions of different historical stages by selecting representative garments distinguished by their form, material, decoration, and craftsmanship. Complemented by related accessories, embroidery tools, textual explanations, and historical photographs, the exhibition provides visitors with an immersive journey through the transformation of women’s fashion from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China.
Han Ethnic’s Blue Satin Women Jacket Embroidered with Flowers and Bogu Patterns in Three Different Blue Colors
Brocade, Batik, and Embroidery Hall
General Secretary Xi Jinping once said, "For a tree to grow tall, a strong and solid root is required; for a river to reach far, an unimpeded source is necessary". China's outstanding traditional culture is the spiritual lifeline of the Chinese nation, a vital source for nurturing core socialist values, and a solid foundation for establishing a firm position in the exchange and mutual learning of world civilizations. China has a long history of textile dyeing, weaving, and embroidery. Archaeological discoveries have revealed that in 1958, silk threads, ribbons, and silk cloth fragments, silk weaving and plain weaving unearthed at the Qianshanyang site of the Liangzhu culture in Zhejiang Province can date back over 4,800 years. Over the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, the Chinese people have created four renowned types of brocade—Yunjin (Nanjing brocade), Shujin (Sichuan brocade), Songjin (Song brocade), and Zhuangjin (Zhuang brocade)—as well as four famous embroidery styles—Shu embroidery, Su embroidery, Xiang embroidery, and Yue embroidery. These artistic achievements have served as cultural bridges, linking the northern and southern routes of the Silk Road.
This hall primarily exhibits embroidery, brocade, and batik artifacts from China's ethnic minorities. Due to differences in geography, climate, customs, economy, and culture, the textile and embroidery arts of various ethnic groups have developed distinct styles over time. These vibrant and diverse artistic expressions have become treasured gems in China’s rich textile heritage.
Tujia Ethnic Minority Brocade with Wan Character and Eight-hook Patterns
Metalworking Jewelry Hall
Silver jewelry is a highly favored and representative adornment among various ethnic groups. In traditional beliefs, silver is thought to ward off evil and symbolize auspiciousness and happiness. In modern times, it continues to reflect people's aspirations for a better life. The custom of wearing silver jewelry among different ethnic groups is rich in cultural significance. Due to differences in geography, cultural background, and lifestyle, northern and southern ethnic groups exhibit distinct decorative styles. Even within the same ethnic group, silver ornaments can vary significantly among different subgroups. For example, the Miao people wearing short-skirts in Leishan County display silver jewelry with bold, primitive designs and patterns, while the Miao people in Shidong Town besides Qingshui River, with a more developed cultural background, create intricate and delicate silver ornaments. These variations greatly enrich the diversity of silver jewelry, collectively forming the broader silver culture of the Chinese nation.
Silver jewelry can be categorized into headpieces, earrings, necklaces, chest ornaments, bracelets, rings, and decorative elements sewn onto clothing, such as silver bubbles, silver flowers, silver plaques, and silver bells. The craftsmanship of silver jewelry is highly intricate, incorporating a range of techniques. These include inlaying methods, such as embedding gemstones and jade; engraving techniques, such as carving dragons and phoenixes; filigree techniques, which involve weaving fine silver threads into floral designs; as well as welding, forging, hollowing, wire twisting, and granulation. The mastery of these skills contributes to the rich variety and exquisite beauty of silver jewelry.
Zhuang Ethnic Silver Pendant Plaque with Dragon Patterns
Dreams Woven into Attire—Photography of Zhuang Xueben and Museum Costume Exhibition
The approach of "seeking images from drawings and seeking principles from texts" has long been an essential method in costume research. Visual and textual materials provide a broader and more accurate social, historical, and cultural context for the study of clothing. Between 1934 and 1942, Zhuang Xueben, a pioneering figure in Chinese visual anthropology and a master of documentary photography, dedicated a decade to the national project of developing western China. He conducted anthropological investigations in ethnic regions across Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai, and Yunnan, documenting the daily lives, religions, costumes, local products, and geographical environments of ethnic groups such as the Qiang, Tibetan, Yi, Tu, Dongxiang, Mongol, Baoan, and Naxi ethnic groups. His legacy comprises over tens of thousands of words in field reports and diaries, along with over 3,000 photographs. Together with Ling Chunsheng’s The Hezhe People on the Lower Songhua River and An Ethnographic Report on the Miao People in the Xiangxi Area, Shi Qigui’s Field Investigation Report on the Miao People in the Xiangxi Area, and Fei Xiaotong’s Peasant Life in China, Zhuang’s work stands as a milestone in the development of anthropological fieldwork and theoretical research in 1930s China.
These materials hold immense ethnological and anthropological value while also standing as remarkable works of art. They serve as vital documentary resources for ethnic costume studies and provide compelling visual evidence of the historical interaction and integration of diverse ethnic groups, which ultimately shaped the unified and diverse Chinese nation.
Tibetan Aristocratic Maiden
Olympic Costume Hall
Civilizations flourish through exchange, growing diverse in mutual learning. Exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations serve as essential force of human progress as well as world peace and development.
The Olympic Games are currently the world's largest platform for exchanges and mutual learning in sports culture. The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics make Beijing become the only city hosting both editions of the Olympic Games in the world.
The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics captured worldwide attention, promoting Olympic ideals and showcasing the spiritual and cultural essence of the Chinese people through unique artistic designs. The school contributed to these grand sporting events by leveraging our specialized expertise and strong design capabilities.
In December 2005, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) officially initiated the domestic and foreign bidding process for the design of uniforms for the Olympic Games. Teachers and students from the school participated in it by forming a design team and submitting design proposals. After more than half a year of hard work, our team's uniform designs for staff, technical officials, and volunteers at the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games stood out from over 200 proposals from around the world and passed the review. Subsequently, our designs for the Olympic and Paralympic torch relay uniforms, Chinese athletes' victory ceremony attire, and award ceremony uniforms also received approval from BOCOG, the General Administration of Sport of China, and the International Olympic Committee. The school further completed the patternmaking, sample garment production, and modeling presentations for these designs and many other Olympic-related outfits.
Displayed here are various series of costume and related materials designed and produced by the school for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. They form a beautiful backdrop for these grand events and reflect our teaching philosophy of "integrating ethnic costume culture with modern design concepts". In the design process, Olympic costumes drew inspiration from diverse ethnic costume traditions while incorporating contemporary fashion elements. These designs played an essential role in telling China's stories, projecting China's voice, enhancing the international dissemination and influence of Chinese culture, and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s outstanding traditional culture.