HatEnjoyer
Well-known member
Long time no see! It's been a while since I last posted, so I thought I'd share one of my newest finds, sourced straight from China: A Qing Dynasty militia/"Brave" vest from the late 19th century.
In Qing Dynasty China, the term "Braves" could be used to refer to any armed unit from a small posse to a large provincial army. Unlike the Eight Banner Army (China's standing army in those days), Braves were tasked with not only fighting when regional authorities demanded, but also with policing and warding off bandits. This constant vigilance made them much more effective in combat than the Eight Banner Army. Many of the major victories against the Taiping Rebels during the Taiping Rebellion were credited to Brave units because the Eight Banner Army performed so poorly.
This Brave vest is completely hand-stitched, and although it isn't in the best condition, vests like these are so obscenely rare that I'm glad I even had the opportunity to pick one up. Based on the color of the fabric underneath the blue trim, I assume this vest used to be red or pink rather than white back in its heyday. The vest is pictured with my village-made oxtail dandao, which dates to around the same period.
In Qing Dynasty China, the term "Braves" could be used to refer to any armed unit from a small posse to a large provincial army. Unlike the Eight Banner Army (China's standing army in those days), Braves were tasked with not only fighting when regional authorities demanded, but also with policing and warding off bandits. This constant vigilance made them much more effective in combat than the Eight Banner Army. Many of the major victories against the Taiping Rebels during the Taiping Rebellion were credited to Brave units because the Eight Banner Army performed so poorly.
This Brave vest is completely hand-stitched, and although it isn't in the best condition, vests like these are so obscenely rare that I'm glad I even had the opportunity to pick one up. Based on the color of the fabric underneath the blue trim, I assume this vest used to be red or pink rather than white back in its heyday. The vest is pictured with my village-made oxtail dandao, which dates to around the same period.