A type of official attire from the Qing Dynasty. All the officials in charge of the Imperial Guard, the Commander in Chief of the Guard, etc. are dressed in yellow coats. Later, he was also bestowed upon his subordinates who had made military achievements. Also known as the “yellow horse horse”. During the Qing Dynasty, the imperial ministers, such as the Imperial Preceptor, the Inner Minister, the Inner Court Prince, and the Chief of the Imperial Guards, were all allowed to wear yellow coats as a rule. The meritorious minister also bestows special attire.
Yellow jacket
Record
In the “Continuation of the Xiaoting Chronicle: Customized Yellow Horse Coat” by Qing Zhaolian, it is stated that “all the officials who lead the imperial guards, including the inner ministers, the imperial front ministers, the imperial guards, the Qianqing Gate guards, the outer class guards, the class leaders, the commander of the army, and the ten leading ministers, all wear yellow horse coats.” In the sixth and fourth chapters of “Twenty Years of Witnessing the Strange Current Situation”, it is said that “He is still a flower feather, yellow horse coat, ‘Shuo Yong Batulu’, and a named general.” Wang Kaiyun’s “Inscription on the Tomb of Wang Jun, the Guizhou Governor of the Imperial Bureau, who was bestowed with the title of ‘Kou Ping,’ Da Chong A, ‘rewarded with a yellow horse coat.” 袿. “Sha Ting’s” The Gold Rush “10:” We’ll just wait for the one in the yellow coat. “Ji Iron kept trying to keep him.”
Also known as “Huang Yi” in the province. The Song of General Feng by Huang Zunxian of the Qing Dynasty: “Jiangnan has achieved great military achievements for ten years, and the color of the yellow phoenix reflects the fluttering flower feathers.”
Brief introduction
In the Qing Dynasty, there were many “inner ministers” and “imperial guards” accompanying the emperor when he went out. These people were all required to wear “coats”, peacock feathers behind their hats, and to wear swords (the closest to the emperor was strictly prohibited from wearing swords). According to historical records, the coats worn by these inner ministers and imperial guards were all made of bright yellow silk or yarn (usually worn in winter and summer), without patterns or colored sleeves. The “running coat” they wear is called the “yellow horse jacket”, which is sometimes referred to as “yellow pleats” in the Qing Dynasty regulations. For example, in the “Qing Huidian”, Jiang Liangqi’s “Donghua Lu”, and Gao Shiqi’s “Hu Cong Dong Xun Ri Lu”, they were all recorded as “yellow folds”.
In the “Examples of the Qing Huidian, Imperial Guards Office, and Ritual System”, it is recorded that the newly appointed first and second class imperial guards in front of the Houhu were appointed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the age of December, and were supported by the Diao Chao Yi Duan Guan, while the Leopard Tail class imperial guards were supported by the Python Robe; Respectfully encountering the patrol officer and receiving a yellow coat.
It should be noted that “bright yellow” is “light yellow”, which was a color exclusively used by emperors at that time. Generally, nobles or palace concubines could only use “golden yellow” (i.e. “deep yellow”), while commoners could only use “apricot yellow” (i.e. “red yellow”) at most. “Minghuang” is the most precious here. Apart from the emperor, only those who serve the emperor are authorized to wear Minghuang clothing. Therefore, generally speaking, this kind of coat is the attire of the emperor’s attendants.
“Rewarding wearing a yellow coat” is different from the yellow coat worn by the inner ministers and imperial guards mentioned earlier. The former is worn due to official duties. If one is dismissed from their position and does not serve as an imperial guard or inner minister, the yellow coat cannot be worn anymore. So this yellow coat is also known as the “official coat”, and in Manchu, it is called the “bald mountain coat”. However, there are no restrictions on wearing a yellow jacket, as it can be worn in all solemn or ceremonial occasions; When necessary, it is even possible to meet with senior officials at the third level, making it convenient to act.
There are two ways to appreciate wearing a yellow coat. One of them was given during hunting and archery. Before the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty (1861 AD), the emperor would go hunting for 20 days in Mulan (now 400 miles north of Chengde City, Hebei Province, now known as “Weichang County”) every autumn to carry out “encirclement”. At this time, if a deer is shot while hunting, or if a Mongolian person offers poultry after hunting, the emperor usually rewards them with a yellow coat. In addition, during hunting, it is often necessary to participate in archery competitions, and all Han Manchu officials who serve as attendants must participate. Those who shoot five arrows (Han officials require three arrows) and hold higher official positions can generally receive a yellow coat from the emperor.
According to the Biographies of the Qing Dynasty, those who have received rewards many times can also receive a yellow coat as an imperial gift.
The yellow coats awarded by hunting and shooting schools belong to the category of walking jackets. Like the yellow coats obtained during competitions, they are generally only allowed to be worn during walking or competitions, and cannot be worn during normal times. Violators will be punished with the crime of coveting imperial power.
There is another way to truly appreciate wearing a yellow coat. This kind of imperial yellow coat is mainly used to reward senior generals who have made contributions, and sometimes it is also given to civil officials who command troops. Anything obtained can be worn at any solemn moment. But generally speaking, this type of martial arts jacket was rarely seen before Daoguang, and it was quite common after Cixi took power. According to Jiang Liangqi’s “Donghua Lu”, on the second day of the second month in the tenth year of the Jiaqing reign, when the imperial edict was issued in April of the forty first year of the Qianlong reign, the method of rewarding merit did not mention the yellow coat. Therefore, this yellow coat should have only become popular after the Xianfeng period.
Before the release of this imperial yellow coat, the tools used by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty to win over the warriors were nothing more than “adding the ‘Batulu’ brave title,” “rewarding the wearing of flower feathers,” “conferring titles,” and “rewarding the ‘hereditary position.'”. Although these practices bring great honor to the recipients, they ultimately lack a sense of closeness and loyalty compared to the imperial yellow jacket. Therefore, as soon as this yellow coat was introduced, it was considered an unparalleled honor and holy thing.
The award-winning heroes can only wear it once during the national grand ceremony, and are usually enshrined high in the ancestral hall to show glory. However, they can replicate a simpler yellow coat than the original one for official use. When meritorious ministers violate imperial rules or make mistakes, the emperor also takes back the yellow coat as a punishment.
According to the “Biographies of the Qing Dynasty”, there were very few generals who suppressed the Taiping Army uprising and did not receive yellow coats. But few people with lower official ranks have obtained it. Because even at this point, the “yellow coat” will eventually have to be combined with other conditions of the “imperial guard”, such as grade, feather, etc. It is never an isolated prize and cannot be obtained alone without other conditions.
A special envoy of the imperial court, who comforts officials from both China and abroad, can be granted special rewards. When rewarded, they must ride horses around the Forbidden City. This ritual was particularly popular during the Xianfeng period.
Due to their different functions, there are also slight differences in form. Generally speaking, the buttons on the yellow coat worn by guards, hunting, and martial arts competitions are black, while the buttons on the yellow coat worn by generals and civil servants are yellow (the same color as the given coat), indicating that the latter appears more prestigious than the former.
Yellow jacket
Classification
According to the regulations of honest officials, there are four types of people who can wear light yellow jackets:
Office coat
The first type is that when the emperor travels, his attendants such as internal ministers, imperial ministers, and imperial guards must wear yellow coats to enhance their appearance. This yellow coat is called the “official coat” and has no patterns or patterns. Because they are worn for work purposes, they cannot be worn outside of their job position or unless they are traveling with the emperor.
Hangwei Coat
The second type of yellow coat was awarded by the emperor during hunting and shooting. During the Qing Dynasty, all emperors had the habit of hunting every year until Xianfeng. Those who perform well during the emperor’s hunting and shooting, or offer their prey to the emperor, may receive a yellow coat as a reward from the emperor. This yellow coat is called the “Xingwei Coat” and according to regulations, it can only be worn when following the emperor for hunting. Wearing it without reason is considered a violation and can be punished.
Martial Arts Coat
The third type of yellow jacket is awarded for special merit. This reward, also known as a “martial arts coat,” allows the recipient to wear it on any grand occasion; In terms of meaning, it belongs to what ordinary people usually call “giving a yellow coat”. According to research, this form of reward was not prevalent in the early Qing Dynasty, and it was not seen in historical records until the Jiaqing period; I believe it only began to appear after Daoguang or Xianfeng. After the rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, more rewards were given to those who had made meritorious contributions to the Taiping army. And the recipients of rewards are not only military generals who have made military achievements, but sometimes they may also receive rewards for serving the emperor (or empress dowager) and winning their favor. In the late Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi rewarded the driver who drove the train with a yellow coat.
Special envoy bestowed
The fourth category is envoys and officials who comfort both domestic and foreign officials. Usually, after the emperor’s edict to bestow a yellow coat on an official is read, the official who is granted a yellow coat must ride around the Forbidden City on horseback. This majestic and solemn ceremony was most prevalent during the Xianfeng period.
