ABSTRACT
The burial costumes of the elites who lived in Central and Eastern China during the Jin dynasty (265–420) communicate not only gender, official rank, and social status, but also the tomb occupant’s approval or rejection of Han social norms. The arrival of new fashions from abroad presented men and women in this period with an opportunity to redefine themselves visually. Some men signaled their Confucian aspirations by wearing imperially sanctioned belts or caps, while others shrugged off official garb to instead express their identification with Daoist recluses. At the same time, women were less constrained by rigid Confucian moral standards and began to employ clothing and ornament as vehicles to exercise their budding sexual empowerment in a male-dominated society, as well as to create private spaces for their own enjoyment. By drawing comparisons with dress and adornment of the Roman Empire and Late Antique period, I introduce some new perspectives on how costumes may have been understood by both wearers and viewers in ancient China.
