In his introduction to the Precedents, the Qianlong emperor states that previous non-Han Chinese dynasties who turned their back on their sartorial traditions eventually failed. This underlines Manchu anxieties about the importance of dress and accessories to the smooth running of the Chinese world. The Qing were minority Manchu rulers of a predominantly Han Chinese empire, who took control of China from the Ming dynasty in 1644. According to costume historian, John Vollmer, however while the Precedents were ‘ostensibly … concerned with preserving Manchu-style clothing and, with it Manchu identify’, nevertheless, he suggests in fact the changes indicate an eighteenth century shift towards Confucianism and ‘the ideas of the Chinese imperial model’ and to reflect Chinese tastes. Therefore, balancing Manchu traditions with the preferences of their majority Han Chinese subjects.
Vollmer argues that it was through the wearing of the bright yellow silk ji fu, or auspicious robes, worn by the emperor on semi-formal occasions, such as for government business, that imperial power was most symbolic, as this robe represented a schematic diagram of the universe. Through wearing the ji fu: ‘the human body became the world’s axis: the neck opening, the gate of heaven or apex of the universe, separate the material world of the coat from the realm
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Over time, the potency of the coral motif was such that motifs did not necessarily even have to be red to be both easily recognisable and imbued with the auspicious agency of the actual marine material. The coral motif, acquired its own agency and was popularly found across Chinese material culture, both imperial and everyday. So that even those who would never be able to acquire an actual coral branch were able to enjoy shanhu's positive benefits by having an object or image decorated with a coral representation or