Manchu magua

Manchu magua

　　The magua is a garment favored by the Manchu people. Worn over a long robe, it is often praised as the “long robe and magua.”

　　The magua comes in various styles such as the dajin (large front), duijin (straight front), and pipa jin (pipa front). Originally a jacket worn by the Manchu during horseback archery, it later became everyday outerwear worn over robes. Featuring a high collar and straight front, with slits on all sides, it typically reaches the waist. The sleeves are slightly short, allowing about three to four inches of the robe’s sleeves to show beneath. The robe sleeves are rolled up over the magua sleeves, creating what is known as “large and small sleeves.” Mu Runfu, a Manchu poet from Shenyang during the Qing Dynasty, described it: “Rolled-sleeve long robes fit the body well, cleverly competing with modern styles at the dressing table. Who would have thought that beneath their protective folds, they can’t rival the swish of a skirt.” This shows how fashionable the rolled-sleeve attire was among the Manchu at the time.

　　In the early Qing Dynasty, wearing a magua was limited to soldiers of the Eight Banners. By the Kangxi and Yongzheng eras, it had become popular among Manchu men, with young men favoring the magua to display bravery. Later, due to the emperors’ promotion of horseback archery and frequent bestowal of maguas upon subjects, it evolved into a type of “formal attire.” Being granted a “yellow magua” by the emperor also became a great honor.