Fur Court Overcoats of the Zhenguo Gong

Formal winter outerwear

The *duanzhao* of a *zhenguo gong* was an outer coat specified within the Qing imperial-clan system of formal cold-weather dress. It should not be confused with an embroidered rank-badge overcoat (*bufu*), a court robe, or an auspicious robe. The title *zhenguo gong* ranked below *beizi* and above *fuguo gong* within the imperial-clan hierarchy; provisions for nobles also depended on finer distinctions of entitlement.

Juan 4 of the *Illustrated Regulations for the Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Imperial Court* prescribes purple sable for the *zhenguo gong* *duanzhao*, with pale moon-white satin lining. Two strips hung at each side, their lower ends wider and pointed, in the color of the lining. The same passage extends the prescription to *fuguo gong* and *heshuo efu*.

Use of the written specification

These details describe court-regulated form, not a definitive identification of an individual coat. Surviving examples must still be studied for fabric, fur type, historical modification, and provenance. Since the outercoat belonged to a larger ceremonial ensemble, distinguishing it from adjacent categories of dress is essential. The regulation offers evidence of how the Qing court expressed noble status through combinations of fabric color, fur, construction, and official entitlement.

Related encyclopedia entry: Court Hats of the Zhenguo Gong.

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