Yunjian

{{Short description|Traditional Chinese shawl and motif}} {{hatnote|This article is about the Chinese motif and accessory. For Yunjian ''({{lang|zh|雲間}})'', the former town in Jiangsu, see Songjiang District.}} {{Infobox Chinese | title=yunjian <br> cloud collar <br> phoenix collar | t = {{linktext|雲肩}} | s = 云肩 | p = yúnjiān |w=yün-chien | l = cloud(y) shoulder | pic = MET DP14331|150px | piccap = A Qing-era yunjian | altname = pijian | t2= {{linktext|披肩}} | s2= 披肩 | p2= pījiān | w2= p'i-chien | l2= shoulder covering <br> shawl |altname3= dajian | t3= {{linktext|搭肩}} | s3= 搭肩 | p3 = dājiān | w3 = ta-chien | l3 = shoulder addition }}

A '''{{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}}''', also known as a '''cloud collar'''<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=51}}<ref name=":18">{{Cite book |last=Kadoi |first=Yuka |title=Islamic chinoiserie : the art of Mongol Iran |date=2009 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-3583-2 |location=Edinburgh |oclc=608497183}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=32}} or as a '''{{translit|fa|char-qab}}''',<ref name=":0">{{Cite conference |title=Statehood in the Altaic World |conference=59th Annual Meeting of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), Ardahan, Turkey, June 26-July 1, 2016 |date=2018 |editor=Hartmut Walravens |editor2=Barbara Kellner-Heinkele |editor3=Oliver Corff |isbn=978-3-7528-0263-4 |location=Norderstedt |oclc=1048453773}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=47}} is a four- or (more rarely) 8-lobed motif in Chinese art<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Cammann|first=Schuyler|date=1951|title=The Symbolism of the Cloud Collar Motif|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3047324|journal=The Art Bulletin|volume=33|issue=1|pages=1–9|doi=10.2307/3047324|jstor=3047324|issn=|url-access=subscription}}</ref> or a four- or multi-lobed<ref name=":16">{{Cite book|last=Garrett|first=Valery|title=Chinese Dress : From the Qing Dynasty to the Present.|date=2012|publisher=Tuttle Pub|isbn=978-1-4629-0694-9|location=New York|oclc=794664023}}</ref> accessory in {{Transliteration|zh|Hanfu}}, the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, typically found in the form of a detachable collar with cloud patterns.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Yang |first=Shaorong |title=Traditional Chinese clothing : costumes, adornments & culture |date=2004 |publisher=Long River Press |isbn=1-59265-019-8 |edition=1st |location=San Francisco |pages=41 |oclc=52775158}}</ref><ref name=":17">{{Cite journal |last=Liu |first=Ke Yan |date=2013-09-18 |title=Analysis on the Cloud Shoulder Pattern of the Yuan Dynasty Fabrics |url=https://www.scientific.net/AMR.821-822.823 |journal=Advanced Materials Research |volume=821-822 |pages=823–828 |doi=10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.821-822.823 |issn=1662-8985 |s2cid=135673789|url-access=subscription }}</ref> It is worn over the shoulders,<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Silberstein|first=Rachel|title=A fashionable century : textile artistry and commerce in the late Qing|date=2020|isbn=978-0-295-74719-4|location=Seattle|publisher=University of Washington Press|pages=33–35|oclc=1121420666}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> similar to a shawl. The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} could also be applied directly on garments, where it would fall around the collar of robes onto the chest and shoulder region,<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=51}}or as a clothing appliqué.<ref name=":1" /> In China, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} has both ceremonial and practical uses when used in clothing.<ref name=":1" /> As a garment item, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} was an important clothing element for Chinese women, especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties;<ref name=":15">{{Cite book |last1=Li |first1=Wen-Jiao |last2=Tao |first2=Hui |title=Proceedings of the 3rd Annual International Conference on Social Science and Contemporary Humanity Development |chapter=Relationship between Cloud Pattern and Female during the Ming and Qing Dynasties |date=2017 |chapter-url=https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/sschd-17/25884651 |series=Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research |language=en |publisher=Atlantis Press |volume=90 |pages=90–94 |doi=10.2991/sschd-17.2017.18 |isbn=978-94-6252-401-9 |doi-access=free}}</ref> its usage was spread across China where it became associated with the Han wedding clothing.<ref name=":1" /> In Henan, brides would wear {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} decorated with hanging ribbons and bells.<ref name=":1" /> It also had the practical use of preventing clothing from being dirty and oily by covering up the clothes and by covering up the stains.<ref name=":1" /> The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} is used in Peranakan wedding;<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=2019-03-16 |title=Wedding fit for an empress |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/photos/wedding-fit-for-an-empress |access-date=2021-05-17 |website=The Straits Times |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=Cloud collar |url=https://www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1259920 |access-date=2021-05-17 |website=www.roots.gov.sg}}</ref> the multi-layered {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} worn by Han brides on the day of their wedding is sometimes known as a '''phoenix collar'''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese Bride's Phoenix Collar |url=https://emuseum.aberdeencity.gov.uk/objects/160553/chinese-brides-phoenix-collar |access-date=2021-05-17 |website=emuseum.aberdeencity.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} also started to be worn by non-Han minorities and neighbors such as the Manchus during the late medieval period.<ref name=":5" />

The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif was also used in Chinese ceramic work around the necks of vases and jars;<ref name=":5" /> mainly in the ceramics of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasty period.<ref name=":2" /> It was used to decorate blue and white porcelain.<ref name=":17" />

== Terminology == The '''cloud collar''' is named after the shape of the collar's lobes,<ref name=":6" /> which looks like a 'quadruple-cloud' in design when laid flat.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5xhIAQAAIAAJ&q=yunjian+cloud |title=Zhongguo xie zhen hua |date=2003 |publisher=Mu wen tang mei shu chu ban she you xian gong si |author=Shanming Guan |isbn=988-97206-2-0 |edition=First |location=Xianggang |oclc=56424659}}</ref>

== Cultural significance and symbolism == {{See also|List of Chinese symbols, designs, and art motifs|Chinese auspicious ornaments in textile and clothing}}

=== Chinese cosmology === The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif was originally used as a cosmic symbol in China.<ref name=":5" />

=== In Chinese clothing === When used on Chinese clothing, the cloud shape is a symbolism which represent abundance while the neck opening is a symbolism for the "Sky gate" (i.e. the entrance to heaven).<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Collection – Textile Museum of Canada|url=https://collections.textilemuseum.ca/|access-date=2021-05-16|language=en-US}}</ref> The lobes which point in 4-directions (typically) represents the universe.<ref name=":6" />

In the Song dynasty, the human body was perceived as the "axis column of the universe" and was considered an extension from the earth to the sky since the post-Han dynasty period while a robe was considered as the "enveloping canopy of the Universe" which is the sky.<ref name=":5" /> The hole around at the neck of the sky-resembling robe may be been perceived as a symbolism of the "Sky gate" through which the axis column (i.e. the human body) is believed to penetrate through the "Sky gate".<ref name=":5" />

In Qing dynasty, this cosmological concept was maintained and could be seen in the cloud-studded upper part of the clothing, especially on the dragon robes.<ref name=":5" /> On the dragon robes, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} represented the sky which was supported on the world; the world was represented by the motifs of mountains and seas which were decorating the base of the dragon robe.<ref name=":5" />

In the recent centuries, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif has been mainly perceived as a purely decorative motif.<ref name=":5" /> In the late Ming and Qing dynasties, the cosmological was largely forgotten as the people became more materialistic, and by then, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif became mainly an ornamental design.<ref name=":5" /> When the lobes of the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} were no longer perceived as representing the 4-directions, the number of lobes started to vary.<ref name=":5" /> The number of lobes were sometimes 3, 5, 6, 8 instead of the traditional use of the 4-lobes.<ref name=":5" />

== Origins == The origins of the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} appears to have been derived from multiple origins.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Shea |first=Eiren L. |title=Mongol court dress, identity formation, and global exchange |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-429-34065-9 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Routledge |oclc=1139920835}}</ref>{{Rp|page=69|pages=}} There are also several hypotheses on their origins.<ref name=":17" />thumb|252x252px|{{Transliteration|zh|Yunjian}} motif found on a Han dynasty bronze mirror.According to Schuyler Cammann, the origins of {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif is derived from the cosmological decorations which ornated the back of mirrors of the Han dynasty.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=|page=69}} The earliest forms of the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif appeared on the Chinese bronze mirrors found at the end of the Zhou dynasty (c. 4th and 3rd centuries BC).<ref name=":5" /> However, the Zhou dynasty {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif was not fully evolved; it was only during the Eastern Han dynasty (c. 1st century AD) that the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif evolved fully.<ref name=":5" />

The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif may also have been derived from persimmon calyx pattern, which may have been called {{Transliteration|zh|fenghua}} pattern, a flower pattern with 4 petals with each petal showing a different direction) used in lacquer and bronze wares of the Han dynasty.<ref name=":17" /> The persimmon calyx pattern originated in the Warring States Period and prevailed in the Han dynasty.<ref name=":17" /> The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif appears to have later been adapted to develop the actual garment collar.<ref name=":5" />

== Garment collar ==

=== Sui and Tang dynasties === The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} as a form of garment collar was developed in the Sui dynasty from a feather coat.<ref name=":2" /> Other sources indicate however that it first appeared in the Tang dynasty<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hua|first=Mei|title=Chinese clothing|date=2011|isbn=978-0-521-18689-6|edition=Updated|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=50|oclc=781020660}}</ref> and was an element of the Chinese court dress since Tang dynasty.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book|last=Maxwell|first=Robyn J.|url=https://archive.org/details/textilesofsouthe0000maxw/page/252/mode/2up|title=Textiles of Southeast Asia : tradition, trade, and transformation|date=2003|publisher=Periplus|isbn=978-1-4629-0698-7|edition=Rev.|location=Hong Kong|pages=253–256|oclc=815509769}}</ref> In the Tang dynasty, the pattern of 4-petal leaf which was used in the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif changed in details and became a cross flower and thus developed in the usual pattern which would decorate on fabrics.<ref name=":17" />

=== Song and Jin dynasties === [[File:文姬歸漢圖.jpg|thumb|195x195px|''Cai Wenji returning to Han'', Jin dynasty painting.]] The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} appears to have already been known in China as early as the Song dynasty and since then, they have used extensively in their robes patterns.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Tō|first=Sugimura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZnKBAAAAIAAJ&q=cloud+collar+ming+dynasty|title=The Encounter of Persia with China: Research Into Cultural Contacts Based on Fifteenth Century Persian Pictorial Materials|publisher=National Museum of Ethnology|year=1986|volume=18-19|pages=87}}</ref> Till the Song dynasty, the design of the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} shows the combination of persimmon calyx motif and the ruyi clouds (auspicious clouds); this was also used in architecture of the Song dynasty.<ref name=":17" /> The {{Transliteration|zh|ruyi}} clouds patterns can be found as early as in the bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and they became popular in the Han dynasty.<ref name=":17" />left|thumb|162x162px|Cai Wenji, Qing dynasty illustration.The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} also had origins in the Jin dynasty, where it is attested that it was first used on robes in literature.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=52, 69}}<ref name=":17" /> The first pictorial evidence of the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} pattern usage on robes is from the Jin dynasty in the painting ''Lady Wenji Returns to Han'' while the term "''{{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}}"'' (雲肩) was also first document in the ''Jin shi'' in the description of the Jin dynasty imperial dress.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=79|pages=}} According to the Jinshi: ''"Titled and royal lady and imperial relatives ... granted imperial carriage and dressings for carriage with sun and moon decorated on left and right of cloud shoulders, dragon pattern in yellow, saddle with five holes need to be changed”''.<ref name=":17" /> The imperial dress was also described to be yellow imperial robe decorated with dragon motifs which is worn with a {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} decorated with the sun and moon.<ref name=":5" />

=== Mongol period and Yuan dynasty === {{See also|Fashion in the Yuan dynasty|Terlig}}Prior to the conquest of the Song dynasty, the Mongols had already adopted the wearing of {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motifs.<ref name=":5" /> However, according to the History of Yuan, the clothing system of the Yuan originated from the Jin dynasty; "''when the Yuan dynasty was founded, clothing and carriage decorations followed the old customs. Kublai Khan took the customs from the Jin and Song dynasty to the Han and Tang dynasty''".<ref name=":17" />

The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif was popular in the Yuan dynasty and became a signature motif on both men's and women's clothing and could also be found on both ceramic and metal work.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=|pages=52, 79}} In the Yuan dynasty painting ''Khubilai Khan Hunting'', Empress Chabi is depicted wearing a white robe which is decorated with a cloud-collar motif on her chest and shoulders.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=88}} Some of the attendant also wore Mongol robes with the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=51}} The Yuan dynasty {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} pattern consisted of a 4-lobed cruciform-shaped design and would be found around the robe's collar covering the chest and shoulders areas.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|pages=52}} The Yuan dynasty {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif was the combination of ruyi-clouds, persimmon calyx motif and ''bo,'' which was used to protect the necks of northern nomads from winds and sand; this also developed into the yunjian pattern which was used to decorate the shoulder region of clothing and became widely used in the clothing of nobles.<ref name=":17" /> In the Medieval periods, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif appears to have been derived from the eight-petal lotus and the Buddhist Mandala.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=69|pages=}} The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} no more appeared on the official robes after the fall of the Yuan dynasty in China proper.<ref name=":5" />

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="4"> File:Man wearing a Mongol robe with underarm openings2.JPG|Male attendant wearing a red Mongol robe decorated with yuanjian motif; Yuan dynasty. File:Empress Chabi - Liu-Kuan-Tao-Jagd.JPG|Empress Chabi wearing a Mongol robe with a cloud collar motif, Yuan dynasty File:Mongol horserider with cloud collar, House of Ahmad and Ibrahim, Kubachi in the Caucasus, second half 14th century CE.jpg|Mongol horserider with "cloud collar", House of Ahmad and Ibrahim, Kubachi in the Caucasus, second half 14th century CE File:Donator Eachi. Reliquary of the Holy Cross of the Vegetarians (Khotakerats) (1300, donor- Prince Eacchi Proshian).jpg|Armenian Prince Eacchi Proshian on a reliquary circa 1300. He is wearing a Mongol-style dress (cloud collar).<ref>{{cite book |title=Armenia: Art, Religion, and Trade in the Middle Ages - MetPublications - The Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=2018 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |pages=106–107 |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Armenia_Art_Religion_and_Trade_in_the_Middle_Ages |language=en |quote= Following the custom of the time, a representation of the commissioner, Each‘i Proshian, is engraved at the bottom center of the frame. His hands are upraised in the ancient Christian orant prayer pose, and his clothing recalls Mongolian royal dress.}}</ref> </gallery>

=== Ming dynasty === thumb|A lady wearing {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}}, Ming dynasty illustration. In Ming dynasty, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} garment collar appears to have been popular in both China and Mongolia in this period.<ref name=":7" /> The Ming court once sent a {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} with the design of gold-brocaded tiger and flower to a Mongolian chieftain.<ref name=":7" /> The 4-lobed cloud collar continued to be work around the collars of the Ming dynasty ceremonial robe.<ref name=":5" />

=== Qing dynasty === {{See also|Hanfu accessories}} The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} survived into the Qing dynasty period and was used in Chinese women's clothing.<ref name=":5" /> It became very popular and it could be found many forms and styles.<ref name=":15" />

In the 17th and 18th century AD, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} was one of the most common Han Chinese women fashion in China, along with ruqun, ''taozi'' (绦子; i.e. a ribbon around the arm), beizi and bijia.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wang|first=Anita Xiaoming|date=2018|title=The Idealised Lives of Women: Visions of Beauty in Chinese Popular Prints of the Qing Dynasty|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26585538|journal=Arts Asiatiques|volume=73|pages=61–80|doi=10.3406/arasi.2018.1993|jstor=26585538|issn=0004-3958|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} could be sometimes be used as a detachable collar or could be found woven into the women's robe.<ref name=":5" /> More often however, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} was found on the women's robe as an appliqué.<ref name=":5" /> The practical use and the ceremonial associations of the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} may have contributed to the use of {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} appliqué on the ''ao'' or ''shan'' (i.e. a type of Chinese jackets) in the 19th century.<ref name=":1" /><gallery mode="packed"> File:MET DP14327.jpg|Qing dynasty cloud collar. File:MET DP14334.jpg|Qing dynasty cloud collar. File:MET DP14328.jpg|Qing dynasty cloud collar. File:MET 187837.jpg|Qing dynasty cloud collar. File:MET 80042.jpg|Qing dynasty cloud collar. File:Cloud collar painting by Tang Yin - Making the Bride's Gown.jpg|Woman wearing cloud collar in a painting, d. 1700–1825. File:Woman's Short Coat (China), early 19th century (CH 18565493).jpg|Woman's Short Coat (China) with a cloud collar appliqué, early 19th century (front view). File:Woman's Short Coat (China), early 19th century (CH 18565493-2).jpg|Woman's Short Coat (China) with a cloud collar appliqué, early 19th century (back view). File:Collar (AM 3512-7).jpg|Multi-layered cloud collar (section view). File:Collar (China), 19th century (CH 18397795).jpg|yunjian in 19th century </gallery>In Qing, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} became an indispensable item for women's wedding clothing,<ref name=":15" /> and by the 19th century, it was an important central element to the Han Chinese women's celebratory clothing.<ref name=":1" /> The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} worn by the Han Chinese as ceremonial clothing and for wedding was a detachable collar which was worn on top of the ''[https://mnk.pl/collection/the-collection-of-chinese-clothing-from-the-qing-dynasty mang ao]'' (i.e. the dragon jacket) and the Qing dynasty ''xiapei'' (a type of stole).<ref name=":16" /> center|thumb|284x284px|Life-size mannequins enact a traditional Chinese wedding of the 19th century; the bride is wearing a bright blue detachable cloud collar.

=== Republic of China ===

The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} continued to appear in the Chinese robes during the Republic of China.<gallery mode="packed"> File:Robe, long (AM 960-2).jpg|Chinese long robe with cloud collar motif. </gallery>

== 21st century == thumb|Modern {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}}, 21st century, 2022 In the 21st century, modern {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} started to be used to ornate the modern hanfu; however, it has gradually lost its original cultural significance.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019|title=Classic Chinese Hanfu: Shoulder Accessories - Yunjian|url=https://www.newhanfu.com/2586.html|access-date=2021-05-16|website=www.newhanfu.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Chinese opera costumes == {{Main|Xifu (Costume)|l1 = Xifu: Chinese opera costumes}} The {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} was also worn in women Chinese opera costumes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bonds |first=Alexandra B. |title=Beijing opera costumes : the visual communication of character and culture |date=2019 |isbn=978-1-138-06942-8 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Routledge |oclc=1019842143}}</ref>{{Rp|page=335}}<gallery mode="packed"> File:Office of Great Peace Album of Opera Faces 1-15.jpg|Picture depicting makeup for characters in the Peking opera, Qing dynasty. File:Office of Great Peace Album of Opera Faces 1-33.jpg|Picture depicting makeup for characters in the Peking opera, Qing dynasty. File:宮衣-Theatrical Robe for the Role of a Princess MET 1970 274 front sf.jpg|宮衣-Theatrical Robe for the Role of a Princess with a cloud collar motif. File:MET DP-1287-002.jpg|Theatrical Robe with a cloud collar. </gallery>

== Chinese ceramics == thumb|230x230px|Blue and white Porcelain decorated with {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}}, Ming dynasty. The use of the cloud collar motif on ceramic works appears to more commonly on the Ming dynasty ceramics although this ceramic design could have already been developed during the Yuan dynasty.<ref name=":5" /> The cloud collar motif used around the necks of Chinese jars and vases could have been derived from the cloud collar (clothing item) or may have been developed independently from the actual collar as the jars and vases were themselves perceived as a miniature version of the universe.<ref name=":5" /> In ceramics, the {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} motif could also appear in the form of a {{Transliteration|zh|ruyi}}-head border, which was derived from the head of the {{Transliteration|zh|lingzhi}}, a sacred fungus for the Chinese people.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Welch |first=Patricia Bjaaland |title=Chinese art : a guide to motifs and visual imagery |date=2012 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=978-1-4629-0689-5 |location=Boston, US |oclc=893707208}}</ref>

== Influences and derivatives ==

=== Clothing ===

==== Islamic Cultural sphere ==== During the Mongol invasion of Eurasia, the Mongols brought new artistic concepts to the Islamic cultural sphere,<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|title=A companion to Islamic art and architecture|date=2017 |editor=Finbarr Barry Flood |editor2=Gülru Necipoğlu|isbn=978-1-119-06857-0|location=Hoboken|pages=637|oclc=963439648 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons}}</ref> including Persia, and in Central Asia.<ref name=":5" /> It continued to appears in the arts of the Timurid (1370–1507) and Safavid (1501–1736) period.<ref name=":5" />

In manuscript paintings of the Ilkhanate (1256–1335), the ''{{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}}'', which were one of the distinctive Mongol fashion accessories, is depicted.<ref name=":8" /> [[File:Portrait of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara at the age of about 50 years. 1500–25 copy from Behzād's original of about 1490.jpg|thumb|274x274px|Portrait of Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqara wearing a robe decorated châr-qâb, a cloud collar inspired by the Chinese {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}}.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=|page=48}}]] In the Babur-náma, the cloud collar is referred as châr-qâb, which was either a garment or a shawl which was bestowed to its wearer as a mark of rank.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=47}} The châr-qâb with four-lobed, either woven or embroidered with gold thread, was often seen as a garment motif in Timurid paintings and was associated with the Turkic rulers of Central Asia.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=47}} The Timurid court had sent items to the Chinese court which was accepted as tributes.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=340}} The Chinese also sent a {{Transliteration|zh|yunjian}} made of gold brocade with tiger design, as well as royal robes and garments, to Sharukh.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=340}}

Drawings of cloud collars were also produced in western Iran during the second half of the 1400s under the patronage of the Turkmen; the drawing traditional was developed through the interactions with the Chinese models.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Roxburgh |first=David J. |title=The Persian album, 1400-1600 : from dispersal to collection |date=2005 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=0-300-10325-5 |location=New Haven |oclc=56517836}}</ref>{{Rp|page=298}}<gallery mode="packed"> File:HulaguAndDokuzKathun.JPG|Yunjian motif on robes, by Rachid Al-Din File:Tolui Khan.jpg|Tolui Khan wearing a half-sleeve robe with yunjian motif File:Arghun et Tegüder.jpeg|Arghun and Tegüder, Ilkhanate File:CoronationOfOgodei1229.jpg|Coronation of Ogodei,1229 File:Djengiz Khân et Toghril Ong Khan.jpeg|Genghis Khan and Wang Khan, by Rashid al-Din. </gallery>

==== Nestorian art ==== Some Nestorian arts depict the cloud collar; for example, a Nestorian headstone which was discovered at the site of Xia Shrine (a district once reserve for Muslim and Christian burial) depict an angel dressed in Mongol style wearing a ''yunjian''.<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last=Watt |editor-first= James C. Y. |title=The world of Khubilai Khan : Chinese art in the Yuan Dynasty |date=2010 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-402-6 |pages=174– |oclc=696014331}}</ref>

==== Japan ==== The Chinese cloud collar was also introduced in the arts of Japan where it is depicted on the image of the bodhisattva Manjusri.<ref name=":5" />

==== Southeast Asia ==== In Southeast Asia, the Chinese ''yunjian'' appears to have directly influenced the '''scalloped collars''' which are one of the most prominent features on Southeast Asian aristocratic ceremonial clothing, and in particular, the court dancers clothing.<ref name=":11" /> These Southeast Asian cloud collar, which are also worn around the breasts and collar area, are ornamented with gold and silver, with embroidery, and contained gold leaf glue-work; they are often styled in Indianized forms of jewellery while the gold and silver decorations on the collars (especially found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java) are the results of the Chinese influence and Chinese craftsmanship.<ref name=":11" />[[File:Njonja_Majoor-titulair_Be_Biauw_Tjoan_(née_Tan_Ndjiang_Nio).png|thumb|165x165px|Njonja Majoor-titulair Be Biauw Tjoan (née Tan Ndjiang Nio).]] In Thailand, the Thai royal and theatrical clothing also included a form of cloud collar-like ornament which form peaked at the shoulders.<ref name=":11" />

In Burma, the Burmese officials used to wear court clothing which contained [https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O11787/court-robe-unknown/ a tiered and peaked cloud collar].<ref name=":11" />

The Indonesian '''[https://artsearch.nga.gov.au/detail.cfm?irn=99424&pictaus=true lengkung léhér]''' (i.e. a ceremonial collar) worn by Palembang brides and court dancers, and similar cloud collars worn in the Malay peninsula appears to be a reflection of the historical presence of the Chinese brides in the Malay court.<ref name=":11" />

The Peranakan Chinese brides wear cloud collars,<ref name=":13" /> which is sometimes referred as the "phoenix collar",<ref>{{Cite web |author=Baba Chinese community in Malacca, Malaysia |title=Cloud or phoenix collar for a bride |url=https://cs.nga.gov.au/detail.cfm?irn=155827 |access-date=2021-05-19 |website=National Gallery of Australia}}</ref> as part of their wedding set of attire.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Manek-Manek Beads {{!}} Helena Tang-Lim The Phoenix Collar - JEWELRY - Gallery |url=https://www.manek-manek.com/gallery/jewelry/the-phoenix-collar.html |access-date=2021-05-17 |website=www.manek-manek.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Guo Pei: Chinese Art & Couture |url=https://www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/Guo-Pei-Chinese-Art-and-Couture |access-date=2021-05-17 |website=www.roots.gov.sg}}</ref> The phoenix collar is multi-layered and the overlapping layers are movable which represent the feathers of a phoenix.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":13" /> The Peranakans are the descendants of the late 15th and 16th century AD Chinese traders who brought their culture to Southeast Asia, including Chinese traditions and clothing.<ref name=":14" /> The phoenix is the symbol of the empress and is an auspicious symbol for the Peranakan community.<ref name=":13" /> Following the Malay tradition, the couples were allowed to be treated like royalty on the day of their wedding.<ref name=":13" />

The Chinese ''yunjian'' was also worn by the Chinese immigrants in Java in 1900s.<ref name=":11" />

=== Ceramics === Some Mexican artists borrowed the cloud collar motif which was frequently used on the Chinese vases and adapted it in their own ceramic work.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|title=Mexico : splendors of thirty centuries|date=1990|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=0-87099-595-2|location=New York|pages=471|oclc=21593549}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author1-link=George Kuwayama|last=Kuwayama|first=George|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZV_TtfkxYUgC&dq=chinese%20ceramics%20cloud-collar&pg=PA84|title=Chinese ceramics in colonial Mexico|date=1997|publisher=Los Angeles County Museum of Art|others=Los Angeles County Museum of Art|isbn=0-87587-179-8|location=Los Angeles|pages=84|oclc=37259299}}</ref> This can be seen from a [https://books.google.com/books?id=B7v8w6DIfMoC&dq=cloud%20collar%20mexico&pg=PA471 Mexican vase dating from the late 17th-18th century] where the Mexican artist expanded the cloud collar motif until it almost covered the entire surface of the vase.<ref name=":10" />

=== Architecture === The symbolism of the ''yunjian'' motif as a heavenly "sky gate" led to its use by medieval Mongols in decorating their yurts, where a cloud collar pattern was sometimes cut from fabric and placed at the top of the tent, positioned around the yurt's central smoke hole.<ref name=":5" />

In Iran and countries of the Near East following the Mongol conquest, the symbolic ''yunjian'' pattern was adapted in a similar manner to decorate the domes of mosques, usually combined with a finial on top of the dome representing the world axis penetrating through the sky gate.<ref name=":5" /> Motifs derived from Chinese cloud collars and lotuses were also used as lobed framing devices in the decorative tiling and plasterwork on the walls of Persian mosques and mausoleums.<ref name=":18" />{{Rp|pages=98, 226}} <gallery mode="packed" heights="165px"> File:Mongolian yurt 02.jpg|Blue fabric cloud collar motif on a Mongolian yurt. File:Turkey, Istanbul, Sokullu Mehmet Pasa Mosque (across the street from the Arena Hotel) (3945468186).jpg|Red cloud collars inside the dome of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque (1568–1572) in Istanbul, Turkey. File:مسجد شیخ لطف الله-شناسه 105-2.jpg|Turquoise cloud collar and ''ruyi'' symbols on the dome of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque (1603–1619) in Isfahan, Iran. File:Sheikh Lotfollah cloud-collar tiles.jpg|Cloud collar tile pattern inside Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. </gallery>

== References == {{Reflist}}{{Types of Han Chinese clothing}}

Category:Chinese traditional clothing Category:Chinese art Category:Chinese folk art Category:Visual motifs Category:Ornaments