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Shao Chang Lee Chinese Textile Collection
Chinese Emperor's birthday robe made from embroidered silk. Worn by
Emperor Dao Guang, c1830 Photo by Pearl Yee Wong
The Shao Chang Lee collection of handmade silk Chinese textiles includes garments,
clothing accessories, and wall hangings, all beautifully embroidered with
an array of traditional symbols and decorative elements. The majority
of pieces are from the 19th century and the earliest piece in the collection
is a robe worn by Emperor Tao Kuang on his 50th birthday in 1831. The
navy blue robe is lavishly embroidered with golden five-clawed dragons,
clouds, fire, mountains, waves, and emblems of the eight Taoist Immortals.
In addition to complete skirts, jackets, and robes, the collection also
includes a set of embroidered sleeve linings from women's robes that were
designed to show when cuffs were turned up. Accessories include embroidered
silk fans, purses, and the tiny shoes worn by women whose feet were bound.
Also included in the collection are more than a dozen badges that were
meant to be applied to robes to identify a person's military or civil
rank. The collection serves as an important primary source for studies
of textile history, fashion, and a wide array of Asian studies.
Dr. Shao Chang Lee was born in
Kwangtung province in China in 1891 and came to the U.S. in 1914. At MSU
he helped to develop the International Center, served as head of the Department
of Foreign Studies, and taught courses in Asian art, religion and culture
from 1943 - 1960.
Donors and Fieldworker:
Dr. Shao Chang Lee
Related Collections:
Arab and Arab-American Collections
Ethiopian Material Culture Collection
Southeast Asian Hill Tribe Textiles and Hmong
Finnish-American Rag Rug Collection
Great Lakes Indian Dance Regalia Project Collection
4-H History Collection
The Michigan Quilt Project
North American Indian and Native Hawaiian Quilt Collection
Michigan African American Quilt Collection
International Textile Collection
Merry and Albert Silber Quilt Collection
Kitty Clark Cole Quilt Collection
Mary Schafer Quilt and Ephemera Collection
The Clarke Family Quilt Collection
Durkee-Blakeslee-Quarton-Hoard Family Quilt Collection
The Deborah Harding Redwork Collection
Woven Coverlet Collection
History of MSU Collection
Military History Collection
Warren Featherbone Collection
Michigan League of Handweavers History Project Collection
Michigan Heritage Basket Collection
Navajo Rug Collection
Exhibitions:
“Silk and Clay,” Michigan State University Museum, 1989.
“Land of the Dragon: 6000 Years of Chinese Art,” Dennos Museum
Center, Traverse City, Michigan, March 17 - September 1, 2002.
-- compiled by Lynne Swanson, 2006
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