Yugur Costume

Yugur costume blends the cultural inheritance of northern steppe peoples and carries the long migration and faith of the Yugur. In 2008 it entered the second national ICH list (item X-114) from Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, under traditional skills.

Women's dress is the most striking: a tall pointed cap trimmed with red tassels, a long chest-and-back panel heavy with silver plaques, shells, coral and embroidery, blazing in colour and intricate in craft, every silver charm a token of fortune and clan memory. Men wear leather robes, sashes and boots suited to the saddle. Each set is hand-sewn, embroidered and silver-chased within the family.

Called a wearable work of art and a history book worn on the body, the Yugur costume is the most immediate sign of Yugur identity, of real value for studying the evolution of northern nomadic dress and the blending of Silk Road peoples.

Yugur costume and folk custom can be seen in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County and at scenic spots such as the Matisi temples.