ed through the birth of boys, along with the elders who depended on their sons and his family, while the girls were treated as objects, or as a possession. She would first serve her birth family, only later to serve in her husbands family. She would be responsible for looking after her in-laws and the household, and bear many sons, if not she would be subjected to constant criticism.
             The female's position in society has been seen through the styles during the centuries past. Her inferior position to men has been seen through footbinding, showing the painful obligations and restrictions of being female. Women's roles in society changed according to the political times, which has also stimulated and influenced clothing and styles, and what was acceptable or not.
             Manchurian rule exerted a visible impact upon the Chinese style of dressing. In order to maintain cultural dominance, the Manchus passed certain laws to establish their culture in Chinese society, including regulations for clothing and accessories. "In particular, Han Chinese men were legally required to shave the front of their heads and wear their hair in a single plait, or a queue as a sign of their submission." (Chwang) These rules only applied to men and were mostly concerned with formal occasions and government functions. Manchurian rulers were exposed to Chinese dragon robes through contact with rulers of the Ming dynasty, which increased the blending of the two cultures. As nomadic horsemen, the Manchu valued freedom of mobility, preferring less bulky garments with side vents. "They wore a long loose fitting robe which covered their feet and had an overlapping front flap that fastened with loops and toggles at the right shoulder." (Clark 1996: 156) Both men an!
             d women wore loose fitting clothes, another reason was that it was considered indecent to show the shape of the body-especially for women, but later we will see that this idea will change. ...