Miao 'Hundred Bird Coat'

This type of elaborately embroidered collarless jacket with attached hanging panels was typically worn during the Guzang Festival, during which the Miao peoples honored and communed with their ancestors. Worn by both men and women, “hundred bird coats” feature numerous, boldly rendered bird motifs and geometric patterns, flowers, and butterflies, the latter representing one of the legendary ancestors of the Miao peoples.