Hanfu Buttons Unveiled: Myths About Ming & Qing Dynasty Clothing

“Buttons, the perfect match for a destined love. You latch onto me, I latch onto you, holding tight together, forming a pair that leans on each other. Tie the knot of true hearts, weave a bond of life-and-death loyalty. Part for a moment, then come back together again.” Anyone who knows a bit about Ming dynasty clothing has probably heard this catchy bit from Feng Menglong’s commentary in Guazhier.

Maybe Feng Menglong’s words were just too iconic, leading folks to link Hanfu buttons straight to paired metal clasps. Or perhaps the flashy row of knotted buttons on modern tangzhuang has convinced some that “Ming used metal buttons, Qing used fabric ones” is a hard-and-fast rule for telling Ming dynasty clothing and Qing dynasty clothing apart. But is that really the case? Let’s dig into the truth together about these elements of traditional Chinese clothing and Chinese historical fashion.

Misconception 1: All Ming Dynasty Buttons Were Metal and Paired Clasps

From archaeological finds, Hanfu buttons in Ming dynasty clothing came in various styles: set-loop paired clasps, bead buttons (single), coin-style buttons (single), and knotted button loops. Among them, set-loop paired clasps were the most common; from materials, Ming dynasty clothing buttons were mainly made of gold, silver, jade, gems, and amber, with the most unearthed being metal buttons.

Image: Dingling unearthed “Fu” character treasure flower button (set-loop paired clasp).

Image: Princess Yiduan’s Peng consort butterfly-love gold-inlaid silver button (set-loop paired clasp).

Here are two small details: First, silver easily rusts and affects aesthetics, so gilding was used to improve anti-oxidation; second, most gem buttons appeared in gold-set gem forms, perhaps limited by gem-cutting and processing technology at the time.

Image: Flower-shaped jade button unearthed from the Ming Jiajing Zhu Chaqing family tomb. Who says

Ming dynasty clothing only had metal Hanfu buttons?

Image: Gilded silver button from the Ming Zhengde Jiutan County Princess tomb (left is a standing button, right is a coin-style button).

The key point comes: Above is from the Salt City Ming tomb, below is Dingling’s moon-white stringed camellia ro stand-up collar women’s robe (partial), both with fabric buttons on the front. Who says Ming dynasty clothing didn’t have fabric Hanfu buttons?

Misconception 2: Ming Dynasty Buttons Were Only on Stand-Up Collars

Real objects prove they appeared on other styles of traditional Chinese clothing:

On Straight-Collar Back Vests:

Believers in these two early Ming dynasty clothing portraits are not unfamiliar, the old woman in the painting wears a straight-collar back vest over a short jacket, with gold Hanfu buttons sewn on the protective collar.

On Cross Collars:

Ming Palace History records that necklines were not allowed to be exposed, nor were button loops permitted. Only palace ladies’ necklines were allowed Hanfu buttons, thus carefully avoiding taboos.

On Close-Fitting Undergarments:

Bao Ning Temple Ming dynasty water-land paintings, the painting and imperial grant were around the Tian Shun era of Ming Yingzong. The main waist of the woman in the picture has a row of buttons to secure it. She wears a narrow-sleeve cross-collar left-overlap shirt outside, with a white protective collar at the neckline. When the front is opened, the inner and outer flaps create an effect very similar to a straight collar in this piece of Chinese historical fashion.

On Straight-Front:

Buttons on big coats.

On Short Jackets:

The image is a short jacket of Ming Xuan Yi Wangfei. Short jackets generally have five pairs of Hanfu buttons on the front. If it’s a stand-up collar, two more pairs are sewn on the collar.

The image on the left is from a Wanli-era water-land painting, the lady in the middle wears a round-collar straight-front long jacket, not the “round-collar vest” some think; the image on the right is an illustration from Ming Chongzhen Jin Ping Mei Cihua, also wearing a round-collar straight-front long jacket of Qing dynasty clothing.

Misconception 3: Even in the Mid-to-Late Ming, Women’s Clothing Button Use Was Not Widespread, and Buttoned Clothing Specifications Were Not High

Classmates holding this view, please take the initiative to check archaeological reports and portraits to understand the situation. In addition, Jin Ping Mei is also a good choice for understanding the clothing situation at that time in Ming dynasty clothing.

Classmates who have carefully read Da Ming Yiguan Q Tuzhi should not miss this detail: Starting from Ming Yingzong, the queen’s casual robe was changed to a stand-up collar, which continued to be used thereafter. In the later chapters on the robes of noblewomen, whether casual or big coats, they were later changed to stand-up collars, with Hanfu buttons sewn on the collars. There is a trend in clothing of all dynasties, that is, to incorporate some popular styles and elements into the ritual clothing system, such as the round-collar robe of the Tang dynasty being incorporated into the official clothing system.

Everyone can clearly see that in the mid-to-late period, Hanfu buttons were used on the queen’s ornate robe.

Misconception 4: Gold Buttons Were Only Used on Women’s Clothing, and Cross Collars Could Only Be Paired with Ties

Use of Buttons on Cross Collars

Perhaps the set-loop buttons are indeed closely related to women’s clothing, but if buttons are defined solely for women’s use, it’s not scientific. Not to mention the button loops used on the necklines of round-collar robes popular since the Tang dynasty, a single woven gold satin dragon robe of early Ming Lu Huangwang can overturn many people’s cognition of “cross collars can only be paired with ties” and “buttons are only used for women’s traditional Chinese clothing.”

This woven gold satin dragon robe, cross collar, narrow sleeves, with three groups of nine cord lines decorated below the chest, inlaid with 29 small gold flowers, and 11 pairs of gold Hanfu buttons on the right flap. Due to limited ability, only the record published in Wenwu May 1972 was found.

The use of button loops was not a patent of Ming dynasty clothing. The Southern Song also had it.

First, let’s look at the unearthed items from the Southern Song Jintan Zhou Yu tomb. It can be seen that not only the necklines of round-collar shirts used button loops, but the underarms of cross-collar and round-collar shirts also used them. The following is the content of the archaeological report: More than one single shirt used button loops.

Then let’s look at the straight-front garment unearthed from the De’an Zhou family tomb. It can be clearly seen that where ties should have appeared, a pair of button loops appeared. The author of the archaeological report calls this button loop a “button loop,” while many academic papers call it a knotted button. Thus, defining the knotted button as an invention of Qing dynasty clothing.

Connecting the use of button loops in the Tang and Ming dynasties, it can be seen that the button loops of the Song dynasty played a transitional role in the development of front and back buttons. By the Yuan dynasty, based on the previous development of weaving knotting techniques, Hanfu buttons broke through the simple forms of the previous dynasties and appeared in other forms of buttons.

For example, the button heads of knotted buttons were no longer woven with rope knots but used metal materials, such as the appearance of round buttons, and a row of “buttonholes” was cut on the other side of the straight-front, and so on. Qing dynasty clothing also inherited and developed on this basis.

Buttons Can Also Be Used on Men’s Capes

Capes were also a more popular casual wear for men in the late Ming dynasty clothing, with an appearance similar to cloaks. Zhu Shi Shun Shui Tan Qi describes capes: “Made of silk and the same color as Taoist robes, but capes have straight fronts without trim. The front flaps are separated front and back without connection… the chest has Hanfu buttons, made with jade flower patterns, or small ties can also be used.”

The shape of the cape is a straight collar, about one foot long, with large sleeves, open sides, and the front flaps can be tied with ties or fastened with jade flower Hanfu buttons. The collar, sleeves, and front flaps of the cape are not trimmed with dark edges, which can be compared with cloaks.

Armored Coats

Initially a military uniform, the practicality of armored coats made of fabric later became popular among the people. Square or round collars, straight fronts, sleeveless, with side slits, some with open slits and some without.

• Left: Xuanzong hunting painting, right: Xuanzong hunting scroll axis.

Misconception 5: Qing Only Used Fabric Buttons, and Fabric Buttons Are Qing-Only

In the Qing dynasty clothing, whether Manchu or Han, all levels widely used Hanfu buttons, and the materials of the buttons were not limited to silk, but also included gold, jade, copper, and so on.

Accidentally flipping to the excavation brief of the Qing dynasty stone chamber tomb No. 3 in Shaanxi Dali Bayu Village, the brief mentions that 38 ball-shaped copper buttons were excavated, plain, with a diameter of 1-1.3 cm.

The Kong Family Mansion’s old collection exhibition also has relevant displays: Qing dynasty dark dragon-pattern black gauze outer jacket, with five shiny metal ball-shaped Hanfu buttons.

Dark dragon-pattern light ochre casual robe: Five hollow copper buttons are sewn on the collar and front, and a pair of black satin strips is horizontally attached below the knee on the right side of the robe, with three pairs of black satin button loops sewn on it, reflecting the evolution of traditional Chinese clothing.