Woman's Dress with Lace Embroidery

This black coat has coloful embroidery around the collar, cuffs and apron. The batik girdle has lace embroidery on two ends decorated with tassels. This type of dress is worn by the She women in Fujian Province, and is called a Phoenix Dress. The colorful lace embroidery represents the phoenix's neck, waist and beautiful feathers. Women coil their hair on the top of the head and tie it with red wool thread, symbolizing the phoenix's head. There is a legend about the origin of the Phoenix Dress, that long ago, King Gaoxin married his third daughter to Panhu, the ancestor of the She people, as a reward for a victory in battle. The Queen sent a phoenix crown and a phoenix dress to the Thrid Princess along with her best wishes for a happy life. Afterwards, the Third Princess gave birth to one girl and three boys. When the girl married, a phoenix came back from Phoenix Mountains with the shinning Phoenix Dress in its beak. Since then, the She women have made it a tradition to wear the Phoenix Dress as a blessing.