On the Ritual Dress of the Queens and Imperial Concubines in Ming Dynasty
Soon after the founding of Ming Dynasty,the reform of the ritual system and clothing was intensified,and a complete dress system was formed in the Hongwu period.After further refinement in the Yongle period,the function of the empress dress and its role of"grading and ranking"were strengthened.Comparing the unearthed objects and the portraits handed down with the literature re-cords,the practical ritual dresses of the queen and the imperial concubines in the Ming Dynasty were different from that recorded in the historical documents.The relaxation of the government order and law,the development of social economy and other factors all contribu-ted to the change of the ritual dress.