Tunic and Skirt from Hainan Island

Tunic and Skirt, 20th century
Li people; Hainan Island, China
Linen and cotton;38 x 28 in.
2008.6.16
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Danny and Anne Shih In the past, China’s Han people, the majority ethnic group in China, and their culture were the primary focus of academic investigation in many fields of study, including art history. Such a narrow scope severely limited a complete understanding of the region’s peoples and ignored the fact that the Han people are only one of 56 officially recognized ethnicities in China. Recently, however, the spotlight has been turned from the center to China’s peripheral cultures not only to increase understanding and awareness of those cultures, but also to assert their significance. This tunic and skirt are exemplary examples of the material and visual culture of Southwest China’s Li people who live in the island of Hainan’s mountainous interior off the coast of the Chinese mainland. Both Li men and women wear skirts. Difference of gender is not signified by clothing, but rather through the tattooing of women’s faces, chests, arms, legs, and occasionally, their backs. This penchant for decoration is clearly visible in the colorful hand-woven cotton tunic and skirt that harmoniously blend areas of solid black with sections of highly stylized animal imagery. Although mystical dragons are visible in the left and right panels of the tunic, it is actually the playful frogs that one sees that are most sacred to the Li people. They revere the frog because according to their legends, the Li are actually descendents of ancient frogs. This connection to frogs is played out in the majority of Li visual and material culture and as this example shows, the frog motif is meticulously and vibrantly executed to not only show the weaver’s skillful hand, but also the eventual wearer’s everyday devotion to his or her ancestral past. All text and images are under copy right. Please contact Collection Department for permission to use. Information subject to change with further research.