The Han woman of the Qing Dynasty, China

Following the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, two major ethnic groups existed: the remnants of the Ming Dynasty were known as the Han. Dress was strictly regulated by the ruling Manchu government, but since the Han women were not recognized, their dress did not follow those regulations. Han women retained many features of Ming Dynasty clothing.

Women usually wore loose trousers as a lower garment. Married women wore pleated wrapped skirts over them.
The innermost garment was the doudou, a halter like garment, usually of red or black embroidered silk. It fastened around the neck and tied in back.
The upper garment was t shaped with decorative embroidered bands around the neck and sleeves. They fastened with buttons and toggles left over right.
A decorative head band was wrapped around the forehead by married women. It was possibly worn to protect from “ill winds” or to cover hair loss.

A notorious practice by the Han women was foot binding. It often was performed as early as 3 years of age. The foot was tightly wrapped into the “lotus bud” shape
Lotus slippers were placed over bound feet. They were made of embroidered silk as small as 7.8 centimetres.