In Ne Zha 2, Lady Yin, the most powerful woman behind little Ne Zha, is also a very charming character. This time, let’s analyze Lady Yin’s dressing techniques!

Ⅰ. The Sophistication of Lady Yin’s Clothing

She wears a zhi – ju robe (直裾袍). When going into battle, she puts on armor over it. When wearing the zhi – ju robe alone, she looks gentle and maternal, and when wearing the armor on top, she appears capable and reliable. Do you know that this similar combination has influenced fashion all the way to the Ming Dynasty? In the Ming Dynasty, people still wore zhi – duo (直裰, a type of long robe) inside their armor and paired it with wrist guards at the cuffs, which made it convenient to switch between daily wear and battle gear.

The shenyi (深衣) is an ancient Chinese garment where the upper and lower parts of the clothing are sewn together. The style of the shenyi became more diverse during the Han Dynasty and gradually evolved into two types: quju (曲裾, curved lapel) and zhiju (直裾, straight lapel).  It retains the most basic crossed – collar style with the right lapel of the Han – style clothing system. This is the standard collar style of Han – style clothing, and it looks like the lowercase English letter “y” in appearance. The right lapel means the collar is tied to the right side of one’s body. The following picture shows a zhi ju robe depicted in a mural from the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Zhi Ju and Qu Ju were two of the most popular “one – piece dresses” at that time. The front of the Zhi Ju robe is different from that of the Qu Ju. Its front edge continues straight down from the collar, so the hem forms a vertical right – angle. In contrast, for the Qu Ju, the hem fabric is cut in a slanted and rotating way, making the hem of the front part of the robe triangular and curved. When wearing it, the front part of the robe is wrapped around the back, creating a curved effect in the end, and finally fixed with a belt. Both men and women could wear these robes. However, the Qu Ju was mainly popular from the Pre – Qin period to the Western Han Dynasty, while the Zhi Ju became the mainstream in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It’s fair to say that they were the earliest one – piece dresses in China.

When wearing these robes for battle, wrist guards were added to the cuffs for easy use of weapons. The earliest arm guards or wrist guards we can see today were used in military settings. The bronze arm guards from the Warring States period show the prototype of the tubular metal arm guards. Another well – known one is the “Five stars rising in the East” armband (五星出东方利中国) from the Han Dynasty. This arm guard is made of brocade and is a representative of textile – based arm guards. It is worn by slipping it onto the hand and then tied with the extended laces. Of course, there are also arm guards made of materials like leather.

Moreover, the main color of Lady Yin’s clothing is purple. Purple represents softness and nobility. Some people say that since Ne Zha represents fire and is red, and Ao Bing represents water and is blue, Lady Yin is purple. Purple, which combines red and blue, symbolizes inclusiveness, just like the sea that can hold all rivers. It better shows the greatness of motherly love.

Ⅱ. The Special Significance of Purple

1. In China

Mineral purple emerged in the Han Dynasty in China, and we now also call it “Han Purple (汉紫)”. Archaeologists discovered it when the Terracotta Army in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor was unearthed. It is even hailed as the fifth great invention on a par with the ancient Four Great Inventions. It is an inorganic pigment of barium copper silicate in a single purple system, artificially prepared during the Qin and Han dynasties. This material is also related to the manufacturing of ancient Chinese lead – containing glass. Legend has it that it was an accidental product of alchemy.

However, searching for and extracting minerals is much more difficult than using plants. It requires more effort and time. So, the precious “Han Purple” was out of reach for ordinary people. Thus, purple also had its “affordable alternative” – purple dyes made from plants. The more common plant – based purple dyes include gromwell, and another is sappanwood purple. The purple colors dyed from different plants also vary. Plant – based dyeing requires repeated over – dyeing to achieve a deeper shade of purple. To some extent, those who could wear purple were surely people of noble status.

2. In Europe

In ancient Europe, wearing purple clothes was a privilege of the nobility and the Pope because purple dyes were extremely expensive. To obtain it, one could only extract it from a certain type of sea snail. This purple is called Tyrian Purple, and the extraction process was full of hardships. To make 1 gram of Tyrian Purple dye, thousands of sea snails were needed. Dye workers had to dig out the pigment – containing internal organs of the sea snails one by one and mix them with ingredients like seawater or even urine. After boiling at high temperatures for about ten days, the purple dye could be made. The workshops for making Tyrian Purple were extremely smelly and had a harsh environment. The Jewish Talmud records that the workers’ hands were often injured and bleeding, and they would exude a nauseating, putrid fishy smell. It was not until the 18th century when inexpensive synthetic purple dyes were developed that purple truly became accessible to ordinary people.

Summary

In the film, Ne Zha’s mother sacrifices herself for her child, allowing us to see another side of motherhood. The combination of purple and the Zhi Ju robe is quite meaningful. Purple represents her noble spirit and tenderness, while the Zhi Ju robe represents the tenacity and determination of heritage. Such a well – rounded image has become a very charming character in the film. Women are inherently strong, and when they become mothers, they become even stronger! No wonder netizens express their hope that Lady Yin can be resurrected in the next film!