Mili (Chinese: 羃䍦; pinyin: mìlí) is a type of Chinese veil which originated from Hufu of the Rong and Yi people cultures. The full-body mili then evolved into the weimao by the end of the Sui dynasty. 31but started to lose popularity by the middle of the 7th century. It eventually disappeared completely by 705 AD. Despite its foreign origins rooted in the Rong and Yi cultures, the full-body mili was perceived as an expression of highest propriety in the Central plains. Some Tang dynasty mili also only covered the women’s face and neck areas. This was also recorded in the New book of Tang, which described the mili as “originating from the barbarians” but was ideal to protect women’s modesty as it covered and hid the entire body. In the Northwest, it was used to protect against dust. However, in the Central plains, it become a fashionable item. Qinghai, and was originally worn by both men and women in the late 6th century. The full-body mili, which was adopted from the Tuyuhun, was a type of burnoose; it was a large piece of fabric which was draped over the women’s head. The mantle of the fabric would fall across the shoulders down to the feet which would then covered most of the body and only allowed the women to see through a small break between the edges. The mili was sometimes covered with jewelries. It was adopted during the Sui dynasty and became popular among Imperial and ducal house ladies who would ride horses in public. By the end of the Sui dynasty, it was no longer required for women to hide entire body and the mili became less conservative and evolved into the weimao, which would only conceal the face. It however continued to be worn in the subsequent Tang dynasty. The full-body mili continued to be worn during the Tang dynasty as it was considered ideal for protecting a women’s modesty since it concealed the entire body. However, one of the inconveniences of the mili was that it provided a convenient disguise for rebels when they wanted to escape the authorities’ notice. Its purpose was to prevent men on the streets from looking at women. The full-body mili was still worn during the Emperor Taizong’s time. These two edicts went almost completely ignored. But by the mid-7th century, it started to lose popularity. One of the alternatives was the use of wearing hoods that only allowed the face be shown. Due to those imperial edicts issued by Emperor Gaozong, women decided to substitute the mili with other forms of fashion. The veil was made of gauze-like material and could be adorned with jade and kingfisher feathers. The other alternative to the mili was the wearing of a curtain bonnet, which originated from Tokâra, a hat with a veil which ran around the sides and back and would fall on the shoulders. However, the Emperor Gaozong was not satisfied with those because these new adopted fashion allowed the exposure of women’s face, and he wanted the burnoose to return and cover the face. His imperial edicts were only effective for a short period of time as women started re-wearing the weimao, which covered their faces but allowed their clothing and bodies to be exposed. By the time of Wu Zetian’s ascendancy, the weimao was back in fashion and had spread everywhere while the mili had gradually disappeared. By the end of the Sui dynasty, the mili evolved into the weimao; the weimao only covered the face instead of the entire body. By 705 AD, the mili had completely disappeared. This change in fashion happened as it was no more necessary for women to hide their body; they were only required to hide their faces. A weimao was a veiled-hat which only covered the face instead of the whole body. Tokara was a nation found outside the empire’s borders, in the far northwest. The veil was shoulder-length. China : dawn of a golden age, 200-750 AD. James C. Y. Watt, Prudence Oliver Harper, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hua, Mei (2011). Chinese clothing (Updated ed.). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Benn, Charles D. (2002). Daily Life in Traditional China: The Tang Dynasty. Greenwood Press “Daily life through history” series (illustrated ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. Yang, Shao-yun (2017). “Changing Clothes in Chang’an”. 臧, 迎春 (2003). 臧, 迎春 (ed.). China Review International. 24 (4). University of Hawai’i Press: 255-266. doi:10.1353/cri.2017.0064. 中国传统服饰. 臧迎春, 李竹润. Benn, Charles D. (2004). China’s Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty (illustrated, reprint ed.). 五洲传播出版社. Watt, James C. Y. (2004). China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD (illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press. p. This page was last edited on 16 October 2023, at 10:10 (UTC). Metropolitan Museum of Art. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License; additional terms may apply. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.