Watch the TV series of the Qing Dynasty, and you will find that all concubines in the Qing Dynasty wore white ribbons. Because Manchu clothes have no collars, the weather is cold in winter and the neck will catch cold, so women will choose a piece of white cloth around their necks to keep warm.

Generally, one end of a white cloth strip is draped over the chest and the other end is wrapped in clothes. Another function is to facilitate the emperor to find someone. These white strips are embroidered with different patterns, some are flowers, some are phoenixes and cranes. However, generally, the more prosperous patterns are used by concubines with higher rank in the palace, or by queens and queens.

These patterns are also convenient for the emperor to find someone, because there are 3 thousand beauties in the harem. Perhaps the ladies-in-waiting or concubines that the emperor met in the palace were all unfamiliar faces. Through the decoration on this white cloth strip, you can see at a glance what position this concubine is in the harem.

With the development of the Qing Dynasty, the use of white cloth strips has been shrinking, and the clothing decoration in the later period has become more and more luxurious, and white cloth strips are no exception. However, even if the decoration is gorgeous, it is not strictly according to a white strip to distinguish identity, the decisive factor is time and financial resources. As long as you have money, you can make some fancy white cloth.

In the late Qing dynasty, the use of white cloth strips was not common. Many Qing dynasty clothes have already added collars to their tops, so white stripes are not needed. Moreover, it is inconvenient for concubines to wear white cloth strips, even though it is more laborious to dress up. From the old photos handed down, we can see that Cixi, as Empress Dowager Cixi, doesn't always wear white cloth strips, but usually wears clothes with collars.