Chinese Costumes from Kou Josei Series 

Kou Josei is a delightful series of detective stories set in Qing dynasty. While solving murders and mysteries in the best of Sherlock Holmes tradition, Josei, a brillant and beautiful young magistrate, must also fend off the lecherous advances of his superior in the true BL fashion.  The stories aside, one of the great pleasures of reading the Kou Josei series is the beautiful and precise manner with which the costumes of the Qing dynasty are rendered.  

The Qing dynasty (1644- 1912 ) was founded by the Manchurians, an ethnic group of hunters and herders that lived in northeastern China.  Having subjugated the fierce Mongol tribes to their west, the Manchus easily overcame the feeble resistance put up by the decaying Ming dynasty, and became rulers of China for the next three hundred years.

Unlike previous foreign tribes that ruled China, the Manchurians were great admirers of Chinese culture and the Chinese system of administration, and soon adopted almost wholesale the centralized bureaucracy.  At the same time, the Manchu rulers were deeply fearful of losing of their own Manchurian identity, and took pains to preserve the distinction between the Manchurian aristocracy and the Chinese elite.  

This ambivalence can be found in costumes and customs of the time.  On one hand the emperor wrote Chinese poetry and dress his most beautiful concubines in Han clothing, on the other hand all the Chinese official wore Manchurian uniform and robes.  

Official Dress | Changing Seasons | Han and Manchu | Ethnic Dress

	Josei in full court regalia.  Even though Josei is not a military officer, the boots, arm guards, and epaulettes hint at the military roots of the Manchurian empire.
A less formal version of his official robe.  Though nowadays in the West the distinct side closure of the robe is usually associated with China, it's actually a style brought into China proper by nomadic tribes from the north, among them Manchurians and Mongolians.

Even though the civil administration of the country was mostly controlled by Han Chinese, the military, in particular the imperial guard, still consisted mostly of Manchurians, many of them having inherited the post from their fathers.  Here the Manchurian Lord of First Rank -- Hibaku Eika -- plays the knight in shining armor to Josei's damsel in distress.

Josei and Eika out of their uniform.  The medallion pattern worn by the Manchu lord was most likely reserved only for those with aristocratic blood. Note that he wears boots, gathered sleeves, and a belt, as befitting someone of military background. Josei, on the other hand, is dressed like a charming young man about town, in a richly patterned loose robe and slippers that would not be suitable for anything more strenuous than a stroll around the royal gardens.

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