Bixi (Chinese: 蔽膝; pinyin: bìxī; lit. 'Cover knee'; Korean: 폐슬; Hanja: 蔽膝; RR: Pyeseul), also known as fu (Chinese: 韍; lit. 'kneepad'),[1] is generic term which refers to a type of traditional Chinese decorative piece of fabric, which acts as a knee covering, in Hanfu.[2] The bixi originated in China where it originated from the primitive clothing of the ancient; since then, it continued to be worn by both men and women,[3] and eventually became part of the Chinese ceremonial attire.[2] The bixi was later introduced in Korea during Goryeo and Joseon by the Ming dynasty, along with many garments for royalties.[4][5]
History
A Standing dignitary wearing a bixi over his yichang, Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BC.
The bixi originated from primitive clothing back when animal hides were used to cover the abdomen and the genitals.[2]
Among many other types of female clothing items, the bixi was listed in tomb inventories dating from 361 AD.[7]
In the Ming dynasty, the bixibecame part of the official clothing.[3]
Construction and design
The bixi is a length of fabric which is typically long enough to reach the kneel-level and cover the front legs when attached to the waist of its wearer.[citation needed]
Usage
Male clothing attire
A red bixi was worn as part of the mianfu which was worn by the Chinese emperors.[2]
A crimson bixi was worn as part of the tongtianguanfu.[8][9]
Emperor Xuanzu of Song wearing tongtianguanfu with a crimson bixi.
Female clothing attire
A bixi was also worn with the diyi worn by Chinese empresses; the bixi worn in the diyi hanged in front of the garment and had the same colour as the bottom colour as the lower skirt.[10]
^Zhang, Fa (2016). History and spirit of chinese art. Honolulu. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-62320-130-2. OCLC 933763535.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ a b c dHua, Mei (2011). Chinese clothing (Updated ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-521-18689-6. OCLC 781020660.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ a bZhongguo xie zhen hua. Shanming Guan, 關善明 (Di 1 ban ed.). Xianggang: Mu wen tang mei shu chu ban she you xian gong si. 2003. p. 38. ISBN 988-97206-2-0. OCLC 56424659.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^"폐슬(蔽膝)". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture. Archived from the original on 2019-06-16. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
^Lüsted, Marcia Amidon (2016). Ancient Chinese daily life (First ed.). New York. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4777-8889-9. OCLC 957525459.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Dien, Albert E. (2007). Six dynasties civilization. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-300-07404-8. OCLC 72868060.
^5000 years of Chinese costumes. Xun Zhou, Chunming Gao, 周汛, Shanghai Shi xi qu xue xiao. Zhongguo fu zhuang shi yan jiu zu. San Francisco, CA: China Books & Periodicals. 1987. pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-8351-1822-3. OCLC 19814728.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^"宋代皇帝服饰：通天冠服 - 栖凤阁汉服网|最美中国风 尽在栖凤阁 Powered by Hishop". hanfudian.com. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
^Zhang, Shuhua; Shanat, Musdi bin Hj; Abdullah, Qistina Donna Lee (2021-03-31). "The Expression of Religious Elements and Factors of Religious Thoughts in the Empress's Ceremonial Costume "Hui Yi" of Song Dynasty". International Journal of Service Management and Sustainability. 6 (1): 89–108. doi:10.24191/ijsms.v6i1.12880. ISSN 2550-1569.
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