Mamianqun

Mamianqun (simplified Chinese: 马面裙; traditional Chinese: 馬面裙; pinyin: mǎmiànqún; lit. 'horse face skirt') is a type of traditional Chinese skirt. It is also known as mamianzhequn (马面褶裙; 馬面褶裙; 'horse-face pleated skirt'), but is sometimes simply referred to as 'apron' (围裙; wéiqún; 'apron') or 'paired apron' in English (although they are not aprons). The mamianqun is a type of qún (裙; 'skirt'), a traditional Chinese skirt worn by Han Chinese women in hanfu and is one of the main representative styles of ancient Chinese-style skirts. It originated in the Song and Liao dynasties and became popular due to its functionality and style. It continued to be commonly worn in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Following the fall of the Qing dynasty, the mamianqun continued to be worn in the Republic of China, and only disappeared in the 1920s and 1930s following the increased popularity of the cheongsam.

In some 19th century French publications, the were sometimes described as deux jupes plissés (). in the second half of the 20th century and can be found as recently as the 1980s.

The represents an important aesthetic and cultural concept in the life history of Chinese women as it is representative of the Zen aesthetic concept of "despising structure, emphasizing decoration, implicitly natural, and releasing the body"; this concept differs from the Western concept of emphasizing the structure and draping of the human body.

There are also many records of the in European publication dating approximately mid-19th century which described the skirts of Chinese women, such as in La revue des deux mondes: volume 71 dating from the 1846, which describes the as being a deux jupes plissés (), which is covered with luxurious designs; its skirt length is above the ankle-level allowing for the exposure of the large embroidered , Chinese trousers; the skirt is tied around the waist of its wearer. Similar descriptions were found in the Voyage en Chine of 1847.