1930s Hand Embroidered Dragon Coat
Description
Nearly a century old, this hand-embroidered coat comes from the Miao people of Taijiang, Guizhou.
Made from indigo-dyed cotton and embroidered by hand with vegetable-dyed threads, its elaborate dragon motifs are worked in the dimensional embroidery traditions for which Taijiang is known, including zhou xiu (皱绣), or wrinkling stitch. Tiny hand-sewn silver bells are sewn into the embroidery, bringing movement and sound to the garment.
The dragon holds a special place in Miao visual culture. Unlike the singular dragon familiar in Han Chinese imagery, Miao dragons take many forms: part animal, part plant, part imagination. In Taijiang embroidery they can appear as bird dragons, fish dragons, flower dragons and even human-headed dragons. They are connected to ancestry, protection, abundance and the natural world.
For generations, clothing like this was more than decoration. Miao embroidery has carried histories, identity and cultural memory in cloth... so much so that Taijiang embroidery has been described as a kind of “unwritten history.”
There is an old Miao saying: “Without silver or embroidery, one is not a girl.”
Almost one hundred years later, every stitch, faded thread and tiny bell remains.
- 100% cotton, indigo dye, vegetable-dyed embroidery thread, silver bells
- Approximately 100 years old. Made in Taijiang, Guizhou, China.
- Technique: hand embroidery, including zhou xiu (皱绣 / wrinkling stitch)
- Care: spot clean only
- Fits like a contemporary womens Small/Medium
Learn more about The Miao.
*IN STOCK AND READY TO SHIP*
