What Is A Mamianqun?

When you hear the word "mamianqun", you may feel confused. What is a "mamainqun"? Does this name come from Chinese pinyin, and does it originate in China? Indeed, your intuition is not wrong. If translated from the meaning, the “mamianqun” needs to be translated as "horse-faced skirt ".

Maybe you still remember that at the beginning of this year, a kind of skirt from China with hundreds of years of history became extremely popular in Europe and the United States. That is exactly the mamianqun. With the rise of the new Chinese style, more and more people from all over the world are willing to try the mamianqun and are conquered by its unique charm.

If you are at a loss as when faced with with this ancient Chinese skirt, today in this article we will tell you step by step how to wear a mamianqun and how to create the atmosphere of a Chinese beauty.

Mamianqun can even date back to Song Dynasty over one thousand years ago. But the form of mamianqun that we see today originated and became popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In Chinese, “mamian” equals to “horse face”. So maybe you will guess that the appearance of the skirt is similar to the face of the horse. Actually, “mamian” here refers to the defensive tower on the city wall, which is similar to the panels of the skirt, and this is the origin of the name of mamianqun.

Later, mamianqun also evolved into several subbranches such as Langanqun, Fengweiqun and so on. Those subbranches are similar in their shape, but different in cropping. Generally speaking, different styles of mamianqun are made of different fabrics. However, these fabrics need to be easy to shape so that they can be pleated. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, the most frequently seen colors of mamianqun include red, black and blue. Cranes, flowers and plants, which symbolize good luck and fortune in traditional Chinese culture are embroidered on the mamianqun. Usually, they are worn together with a Bijia, that is a long vest without sleeves and reaches knees.

The mamianqun we can see today is with four panels which overlap in pairs. The two panels outside are usually decorated with embroidery. Beside the panels, there are plenty of pleats on the skirt. A mamianqun should be tied to the waist through a belt. With its dignified style and shape, the mamianqun can make the wearer elegant while walking, standing and sitting. That is probably why mamianqun is welcomed by females from ancient times to now.

In recent years, the mamianqun with special design has regained likes not only in China, but also in Europe, US and many other areas. In China, many young people no longer choose to hold a Western-style wedding when they get married, but instead choose a traditional Chinese wedding. In their traditional Chinese wedding, mamianqun can be seen frequently. Mamianqun used for Chinese wedding are usually in red, which symbolizes joy and happiness.

Maybe you would ask: although mamianqun is beautiful, it is too long for daily life, so why choose a mamianqun? It should be said that the popularity of mamianqun is influential for both the protection of cultural heritage, but also the creation of your unique outfit.

The first reason is that what is national is also global. Nowadays, many clothes which were unique to a certain nation have now welcomed by people all over the world. For example, Bohemian dresses that used worn only by Gypsy are now can be seen on the streets, shopping malls as well as companies. We can even say that it is precisely because the Bohemian style and the mamianqun are not confined to a certain area or country, but spread to countries all over the world, that they are known and loved by more people, and have been able to survive the test of hundreds of years instead of disappearing.

Secondly, the style of the mamianqun is so distinctive that it is a good choice when you are tired of other common styles of clothes. Now even in China, mamianqun can not be regarded as the mainstream clothing, but more and more people would like to try it in everyday life. So when you are on the street in a mamianqun, you are definitely the most eye-catching girl.

Thirdly, a mamianqun is very ceremonial. Just as now more young couples tend to wear a mamianqun on their wedding ceremony, you can also wear it to the ceremonies that you value. Especially on occasions where you are the main character such as your graduation ceremony or your first dating, you will be the symbol of elegance and beauty. Fourthly, mamianqun can also be refined as time goes by.

Nowadays, skirts that retain the style and shape of mamianqun in ancient times but are much shorter have appeared. In this kind of special-designed mamianqun, you can not only comprehend the beauty of Chinese culture, but also commute and travel without any obstacles.

After buying a mamianqun that you prefer, another question appears: how can I accessorize it? This indeed is a problem. All accessories that frequently appear now possess modern attributes without exception. But in movies or TV series that take ancient China as the historical background, the female characters are all in uncommon hairstyles and shoes. Should we imitate them completely?

First of all, let us talk about the jewelry, which is probably your most concerned issue. Indeed, the noble ladies in ancient China would wear a lot of hairpins and hair clips on their head, quite long and eye-catching necklaces and bracelets. They look extremely beautifully with the jewelry but the complexity of this makeup is absolutely daunting. If you are going to take photos of Chinese style, then you can invite a professional makeup artist to help you. But if you just want to have a try, then it is unnecessary to pile too much jewelry on your head. A hairpin is enough to coil all your hair up and it is also in line with the classic style of mamianqun.

Secondly, shoes are also worthy of being discussed. In your impression, women in ancient China always wore embroidered shoes. If you would like to try the entire outfit, then you can buy a pair of embroidered shoes. But actually, accessories can be refined to a large extent. A pair of ordinary high-heels is compatible enough with a mamianqun. A pair of Mary Jane can also go well with it. In summer, scandals are also acceptable. But do not wear sneakers. One of the unique characteristics of mamianqun is that it makes the wearer elegant but not sporty.

A delicate clutch is a good partner of a mamianqun. In this case you do not need to consider the images of those females in ancient times since they did not have the demand of commuting and therefore would not take a bag with them. So as long as you believe this bag is in line with the elegant style of the mamianqun, then you can choose it.

Indeed, a mamianqun itself is long enough. If you would like to remake the entire outfit of a lady in Ming Dynasty, China, then this outfit is suitable for no occasions other than a wedding ceremony or photography. So how can we combine a mamianqun with other clothes for our daily wear?

A mamianqun + a shirt
There is no need to choose a shirt with plenty of patterns or other decorations like ruffles since a maqianqun is gorgeous enough. So you can just choose an ordinary shirt in solid colors. The reason why a shirt goes well with a mamianqun is that both of them are decent. To attend more formal occasions, you can even wear a blazer over the shirt.

A mamianqun + a solid color top + a vest
Another idea is to shorten all the garments worn by females in ancient times. Nowadays it is inconvenient for ladies to wear long Bijia to commute, so we can wear an ordinary vest. You can choose vests of various fabrics such as denim or cotton.

A mamianqun + a knit top
Since mamiqanqun is relatively loose, It is better for us to choose a fitted top. A solid color knitted top is a good choice to be paired with a mamianqun as well as keep you warm.