Rainwear of a Beile

Status and clothing categories

The term denotes rainwear associated with the rank of *duoluo beile* in the dress regulations of the Qing imperial clan. *Beile* stood below a prince of the second rank and above a *gushan beizi*; it was a princely title, not an office such as prefect or governor-general. Its attire must be understood within a hierarchy that distinguished court dress (*chaofu*), festive dress (*jifu*), travelling clothes (*xingfu*) and rainwear (*yufu*). The categories corresponded to different purposes and were not interchangeable.

The *Huangchao liqi tushi*, compiled under the Qianlong emperor, is an important primary source for the regulation of such clothing. Its eighteen volumes present illustrations and descriptive text for sacrificial implements, ceremonial instruments, court apparel, music, processional equipment and armaments. Volumes 4–7 cover court dress. The Palace Museum's discussion of Qing ceremonial costume likewise observes that status distinctions could be expressed through textiles, cut, colour, embroidered designs and ornament.

Identifying historical garments

The particular construction of *beile* rainwear must be checked against the corresponding illustrations or against documented museum artefacts. It would be unwarranted to assign to a *beile* every detail of rainwear prescribed for another rank. The value of this entry lies in identifying rainwear as a distinct, regulated clothing category and in situating it within the hierarchy of Qing princely dress, rather than inventing an object-specific form not established by the cited material.

For related historical context and vocabulary, consult Festive Dress (Jifu) in the Qing Dynasty.

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