Figured silk ribbons provide a striking finishing touch to this red silk outer gown (changyi). Such features were originally foreign imports, but by the 1850s Chinese weavers were able to produce patterned silk ribbons decorated with assorted auspicious designs to suit local taste. In this outer gown, a white-ground ribbon with a woven pattern of plum blossoms, cranes and butterflies -- symbols of beauty and marital bliss -- runs parallel to an embroidered black satin border. At the armpits, two ribbons -- one thick, one narrow -- have been skilfully pleated to ensure a smooth application in delineating the scalloped ruyi-head.
Red silk robes like this were typically worn by young Manchu noblewomen on joyous occasions. The garment is padded for wear in winter and early spring. The silk is embroidered predominantly with botanical motifs, some representative of the season when the robe would be worn, and others symbolising a wish for all good things in life. Plum blossoms, orchids and wisteria symbolise eternal prosperity and enduring spring, while peaches, narcissus and lingzhi are associated with immortality, signifying a birthday wish for long life.