Magua (clothing)


The magua was a style of jacket worn by males during the Chinese Qing dynasty, it was designed to be worn together with and over the manshi changshan. Magua is at waist length, with five disc buttons on the front and slightly short, wide sleeves. The garment was available in a number of styles: singlet, clip, leather, cotton yarn quilted and others. It was worn by Manchu people throughout China from the reign of the Qing Shunzhi Emperor until the time of the Kangxi Emperor,, whence it became popular throughout Qing China.
Rendered literally in English as "riding jacket", the magua had its origins as a simple tabard like item of clothing intended to protect the changsan during riding and normal everyday activities. However, with time the magua itself became more elaborate, becoming for officials part of their uniform of office; one variation of the magua, the imperial yellow jacket, becoming an indication of Imperial approval of an individual.

Magua in Chinese Culture

Tujia Minority

is one of the 56 recognized ethnic groups in China. Both men and women mainly wear skirts and jackets, favoring colors such as black and blue. After the 1730s, men and women started to wear clothes that would help differentiate their gender. The magua, buttoned at the center front, is worn by men over the blue long robe. It can be worn formally in black or informally in colors of red, green or gray, with wide trousers usually in a different color, often white. Men would tie sashes around their waist band to help them carry tools of accessories and wear white or black turbans. Women, on the other hand, wore wide short sleeved, long gowns that button on the left side, with decorative elements at the edge of the sleeves and the collar, accompanied with a ''bafu luoqun made of red and black checked silk, embroidered with flowers or other designs.
Magua is also associated with social status, as men tried to incorporate the dress etiquettes from the Han period. The magua is accompanied by fur coats, silk gowns and skull caps. By the early 1950s, the popularity of the style decreased.

Later fashions

The magua is considered the predecessor of the basalm jacket and the tangzhuang.

Burmese ''taikpon''

As a garment of Chinese origin, the taikpon eingyi, a traditional jacket for Burmese men, is a descendant of the magua. This costume was popularized during the colonial era.