Memoirs Of A Palace Maid

Clothing And Dressing

Early winter nights were a little cool. The dormitory students' dinner time ended earlier. When I arrived at her home at this time, she was busy. There was a low squat water tank behind her house door for her convenience. If she does not plan to go out in the mornings, the water can be used for the morning washing up. Pouring water into the tank was a laborious affair. I often help her with a few buckets of water. She would thank me saying: "This must have tired you out."

After knowing each other for a while, we began to behave like family. Speaking was not so awkward. Palace life had ingrained in her a habit of speaking little. After a few polite exchanges,  she would not ramble on. I could only cast around for random topics: "What do they wear in the palace?"

She scratched her head and thought for a while before she spoke: "There is a good tradition in the palace. Palace maids must look plain. She must not speak or move frivolously. She must carry the dignified air of the palace, like a precious gem or jade. She must appear dewy from within and not like a glass ball which is too shiny and glaring on the surface. So we palace maids do not paint our eyebrows or wear bright red or bright green clothes. Every year for each of the four seasons, the palace will bestow clothes on us. 

When spring reaches the second month, the eunuch will lead us to the side of the Hall of Harmonious Conduct. We will be measured for clothing sizes at a room in the east corridor. We will be measured from head to toe. A pair of shoes and socks are included. This is to for summer wear. Afterwards, at every season, we will be measured for the next season. Because we are young and grow fast, we need to be measured every season. Each time, we are always bestowed with four sets of clothes. Each set of clothes include underwear, shirt, coat and vest. Most of the clothing material is spring silk or Ning silk*, In summer, spun silk is also available.

With the exception of Longevity Month (The tenth of the the tenth month in the old calendar is the Empress Dowager's birthday. The tenth month is called Longevity Month in the palace.) where we can wear red, rub on rouge and wear red lip colour, we pretty much wear only two colours of clothing all year round. We wear green, pale green and deep green in spring and summer. Jade green is allowed, but it cannot be too eye-catching. During autumn and winter, we wear violet colours. The only areas you can show off and strive to compete with others is on the cuffs, the collar, the trousers and the embroidery on the upper part of the shoes. But even then, the decorations must be simple and elegant and not overly flashy.

Our hair is usually tied up in a long shiny black braid. We would tie a two-inch red string at the beginning of the plait and used pink ones to tie the ends. An inch of braided ears would be combed and left hanging loosely. A cut red flower would worn on the side of the hair. We will have white socks on our feet. Our green shoes will be embroidered with a light floral pattern. We exude a joyful feel, look agile and look pleasing to the eye. For over two hundred years in the palace, there were few scandals among palace maids. This is because of the strict system in place."

The words bring with them other recollections to mind. Her memories of her past beauty brought a smile of joy to her face. But the next second, she paused for a moment and her happy face recovered its original dispassionate look. She said: "There are tangible and intangible rules in the palace. You have to be careful with every move."

She paused for a long time before she said this single sentence, as if she had something on her mind. She fell into the dreams of her smoke-like past. Her behaviour was a little erratic. She would start to smile instinctively, but half way through the smile, a look of suffering would cross her face as if there was something bitter in her heart.

Translator's Notes:

* Ning silk is a type of woven silk produced in Nanjing.