Winter Fur Outerwear of a Non-Imperial Duke

Form and prescribed materials

The *duanzhao* of a *mingong* was a fur outer garment worn over formal clothing during specified cold-weather ceremonies. It provided protection from the weather while expressing the wearer's entitlement within the court hierarchy. It was a defined ceremonial garment, not an umbrella term for every fur coat or cloak.

Volume 5 of the *Huangchao liqi tushi* prescribes sable fur with blue-satin lining for the *mingong's* outer garment. It records two hanging strips on each side, each broadening to a pointed lower end, with the strips matching the lining in colour. The same volume also describes eligibility for outer fur garments among certain marquises, earls, officials of specified ranks and holders of offices in the capital or learned and censorial institutions.

Identification and attribution

The *mingong* was a duke outside the imperial clan. Regulations for the fur outerwear of imperial-clan dukes such as *zhenguo gong* and *fuguo gong* must therefore be checked independently rather than substituted for the non-imperial ducal rule. For an extant garment, the type of fur, lining colour, hanging-strip construction and known status of the wearer provide stronger identification evidence than apparent luxury or warmth alone. Not every material named elsewhere in the fur-clothing chapter can safely be described as a feature of *mingong* attire.

For related historical context and vocabulary, consult Festive Dress (Jifu) in the Qing Dynasty.

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