明代麻葛纺织服饰探析

Study on the textile clothing made of ma-ge in the Ming Dynasty

明代是棉织物崛起,麻葛服饰走向回落的节点。文章基于文献与文物的视角,追溯明代麻葛服饰演变的历程,考证其服饰形制特征。研究认为:明代初期,朝廷政令大力推广棉植业,加之棉织物功能性和经济价值同麻葛织物具有比较优势,使其在棉与麻的产业博弈中胜出。明代中晚期,市民阶层僭越逾矩,竞尚奢华之风盛行,在放弃麻葛布衣作为平民视觉符号的同时,加速了麻葛业的衰落。仅从有限的明代麻葛服饰实物考证来看,明代初期麻葛服饰品类广泛,明中晚期其仅局限于单衣夏服或赐服的范畴。

The stem bark of bast fiber crops and pueraria lobota can be used as textile fibers.Therefore,it is customary to connect bast fiber with pueraria lobota together,called"ma-ge"or"ge-ma",as the general name of plant fibers.The costumes made of these two kinds of stem bark textile fiber fabrics were called"grass cloth"in ancient China,which were not only cheap clothing fabrics but also the visual symbol of civilians.With the rise of fruit cotton fiber in the Ming Dynasty,the position of ma-ge fabric as a bulk clothing fabric began to be challenged.The Ming Dynasty is a node of the decline of ma-ge clothing.The study on the ma-ge textile clothing in the Ming Dynasty can help to investigate the shape evolution of Chinese civilian clothing.Based on the ancient Chinese literature and the physical archaeology of textile clothing,this paper traces the evolution process of ma-ge textile clothing in the Ming Dynasty and examines its shape characteristics by using the methods of logical reasoning,literature comparison and material history mutual verification.Three conclusions are drawn as follows:1)In the Ming Dynasty,compared with silk and cotton fabrics,ma-ge fabric,without advantages in fabric comfort though,was called"grass cloth"for its cool and ventilated,moisture absorption and quick drying properties in summer.Viewing the physical textual research of ma-ge clothing in the Ming Dynasty,ma-ge clothing was only used as unlined clothes or bestowed clothes in the middle and late Ming Dynasty,which was suitable in summer.2)In the Ming Dynasty,cotton fabric with comparative advantages than that of ma-ge fabric in terms of functions and economic values replaced the latter as the main clothing material for civilians.In hills and depressions and mountainous areas not suitable for cotton growth,ma-ge fabrics continued to be the main materials of civilian clothing.Ramie was the main type of bast fiber in the Ming Dynasty,and it was mainly distributed in the south.Howerver,with the declined status of hemp,it was very rare to wear pueraria lobota clothes,which were mainly used for festival occasions.3)In the middle and late Ming Dynasty,with the rise of China’s industrial and commercial class and the popularity of secular culture,the relaxation of dress etiquette and the prevalence of competition for luxury,ma-ge fabric was no longer the civilian visual symbol,which accelerated the decline of the ma-ge industry.This paper sorts out the relevant literature and materials of ma-ge textile clothing in the Ming Dynasty,investigates the civilian clothing and its evolution process in the Ming Dynasty from the perspective of textile clothing materials.Affected by the storage conditions and storage years of textiles,some seemingly ordinary old ma-ge fabrics are gradually being abandoned and disappearing due to poor preservation or fiber aging.It is urgent to excavate and sort out physical material evidences of Chinese traditional ma-ge textile clothing.