The Miao, mainly found in today’s southwest China, are one of the major ethnic groups in China. Famous for their consummate craftsmanship, the Miao are especially good at producing silverwork.

Origin and History

In ancient times, Miao people believed that the divine power which enabled them to keep away evil spirits was couched in their subsistence, so they hung fruits, seeds, furs and animal bones around their bodies. The hanging item changed gradually as time went by until the Ming Dynasty when they eventually developed into silver works. Over the past 400 years, silver works have become Miao women’s accessories of choice symbolizing wealth, beauty and elegance. They were of such great historical and cultural significance that contemporary historians have come to refer to them as a being "Wearable History Book".

Features

A complete set of Miao’s silver works, from head to toe, include ornaments for head, neck, chest, waist, back and even the feet, or more specifically, silver hat, silver horns, silver comb, silver ear-rings, silver neckband, silver necklace, silver bracelet, silver waistbands, silver leg bracelets, etc. All the above may weigh up to 15 kilograms. The Miao insist that the more, the larger, and the heavier silver accessories a girl wears, the more attractive she is. It takes almost an hour for one to put the whole set on.

Sophisticated Craftsmanship

Though usually worn by women, silver accessories are actually made by men. A dozen of working stages are required in the entire process. Silversmiths have to cut the molten silver into very thin slices and threads at first, after extremely careful engraving and weaving of the slices and the threads, exquisite graphic patterns come into existence. The design of the silver decorations is largely inspired by wax printing.

Related Customs

A unique tradition of the Miao is that the Miao parents begin to save and collect fancy silver ornaments for their beloved daughter the day she’s born, so that she can wear really nice silver ornaments on her future wedding day. In addition, Miao females also put on their splendid accessories when great events and festivals take place.

Nowadays, the costumes and accessories are not only part of the Miao’s life; they are also seen as a type of folk art that has drawn considerable attention from tourists, experts and collectors.