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Expo showcases Chinese children’s wear

February 10, 2016

The Heritage Museum is hosting an exhibition of traditional Chinese children’s clothing that not only showcases past fashion trends, but also sheds light on the traditional Chinese culture that embraces blessings.

 

With more than 200 items on display, it is the largest children’s wear exhibition the museum has ever organised, curator Brian Lam said.

 

Exhibits include hats, clothes, bibs, dudou aprons, waistcoats, footwear and accessories dating from the late Qing dynasty to the Republican period.

 

In the past, wealthy families made exquisite hand-stitched clothes with fine decorative motifs for their children. The “Three Star Gods”: God of Fortune, Emoluments and Longevity were popular motifs as they meant bestowing good blessings on the children, Mr Lam explained.

 

Tiger-head caps were also popular as tigers were believed to have the power to ward-off evil spirits.

 

One of the exhibition highlights is a collection of rare dudou aprons. One of them features an embroidery of a boy riding a tiger and driving away five poisonous creatures, including a scorpion, a lizard and a toad. It was believed that the child wearing the apron would be protected from illness and grow up healthy.

 

Lotus seeds motifs were a favourite as they symbolised the wish for a couple to have many children. Mr Lam noted that “lotus seeds” is a play on words for “continuously giving birth” so they were featured on items like baby bib collars.

 

The Wearable Blessings: Traditional Chinese Children's Clothing exhibition will run until March 21.

 

Click here for details.



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