China is home to 56 ethnic groups, whose distinct characteristics and traditions are expressed in their costumes. The Ethnic Costumes Museum, a cultural research institution managed by the Beijing

Institute of Clothing Technology, showcases the clothes and ornaments of the various ethnic groups.The museum's treasures include over 1,000 pieces of clothin from the Miao, including the group's silver ornaments.

Hidden away on the third floor of a building in the Institute of Fashion Technology, the Museum of Ethnic Costumes possesses some of the city’s most beautiful exhibits. Aiming to provide a window into

ethnic cultures through their garments, the museum showcases the clothing and jewellery of China’s multitude of minorities.Partial English translations offer an interesting, if all too brief, glimpse into these rich visual cultures.

Of particular interest are the displays of intricately embroidered babycarriers (familiar toanyone who has travelled in south-west China), eye-catching blue and white batik, and the dazzling silver jewellery of the Miao minority.

But perhaps most fascinating of all is the roomful of vintage photographs from early 20th-century Sichuan, captured by ethnographer/photographer Zhuang Xueban; they show just how little the ethniccostumes of the Yi, Qiang and Tibetan minorities have changed over the years. Jessie Levene

Details

Open:8.30-11.30am,1.30pm-4.30pm Tue-Thur; 1.30pm-4.30pm Sat; closed Sun and Mon

Admission: Free

English address: 2 Linghua Dongjie, Chaoyang district

Chinese address: 朝阳区和平街北口樱花东路2号

Web: bwg.bift.edu.cn/cnen/index.asp