Yesa robe
A modern yesa robe.
Chinese	曳撒袍
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yèsāpáo
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	一撒
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yī sā

Yesa robe ( Chinese: 曳撒袍; pinyin: Yèsāpáo), also known simply referred as Yesa ( Chinese: 曳撒), Yisan ( Chinese: 曳撒), or Yisa ( Chinese: 一撒), is an ancient type of Chinese clothing worn during the Ming dynasty. ^{[1] [2]} It originated in the Ming dynasty but was influenced from clothing of the Yuan dynasty. ^[1] It is sometimes described as being a sinicized version of the Mongol's jisün ^[3] and could only be found in China. ^[4] Yesa was a regular clothing in the Ming dynasty; ^[3] it was initially worn in the palace and by the wealthy, and it later spread to the commoners. ^[1]

Construction and design

The yesa robe is a cross-collared, long sleeved robe with narrow pleats on the lower hem; while the back of the lower part is flat, the front had two densely pleated sides with a flat middle, ^{[1] [4]} similar to the mamianqun. It has two hems at each sides. ^{[1] [4]} Compared to the Mongol Yuan's terlig, the sleeves and the bodice were wider; the pleats were also wide compared to very finely gathered skirt of the Mongol's terlig; the yesa also had no waistband; the skirt was also longer. ^[4]

The absence of the threaded/braided waistband, the absence of pleats at the centre back and front of the skirt; the presence of large side pleats were the main features of the yesa; these features were developed in the Ming dynasty and were not of Mongol origins. These features also differentiated it from its precursor. ^[4]

The yesa also showed sedentary life-style and Chinese cultural characteristics: its increase in length made it lose its functionality for horse-riding purposes, the flat centre back appeared as well-arranged pleats were to hard to maintain when sitting. ^[4] Moreover, the folds which were originally found at the centre front of the terlig also had to disappear as it interrupted the dignity of the vertical line, ^[4] a feature which was important in Chinese clothing culture.

Front view of a yesa: flat centre front with side pleats, Ming dynasty

Back view of a yesa: flat centre back and side peats, Ming dynasty

History

Origins

During the Ming dynasty, some clothing incorporated the clothing elements from the Han Chinese and the Mongol clothing tradition; one of those mixed-elements is the yesa. ^[5] The clothing known as yesa originated in the Ming dynasty, but some of its elements were either adopted from the Yuan dynasty Mongol's terlig, ^[1] or directly from the Mongol's jisün clothing which is also a form of terlig. ^[5] The yesa is itself a new evolution of terlig. ^[4]

Ming dynasty

The yesa robe is a form of kuzhe ( Chinese: 袴褶; clothing with trousers for riding or military style clothing); however, the design of the yesa made it no more functional for horse riding. ^{[4] [6]}

The yesa was worn as an informal attire by emperors, princes, ministers, and officials in their spare time during the early period of the Ming dynasty; it was worn as a formal uniforms in some occasions during the middle period of the Ming dynasty; it was worn as a casual dress worn by scholar-officials during the mid-to-late period of the Ming dynasty; and eventually it was worn by servants and commoners in the late Ming. ^[1]

The Ming court eunuchs wore yesa robe in different styles, such as the red-coloured yesa robes with a qilin patch, round-collared yesa robes, and light green yesa robe, etc. ^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Jinyiwei Ming Dynasty.
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Similar items

• Jisün
• Terlig
• Feiyufu

See also

• Hanfu
• List of Hanfu
• Fashion in Yuan dynasty

References