Chongqing - At Beishan in Chongqing's Dazu District, a stone carving depicts a Song Dynasty (960–1279) official wearing a wide-sleeved robe and a distinctive hat with two long, wing-like extensions stretching horizontally from either side. A pouch for carrying calculation tools and a fish-shaped ornament hang from his belt.
The figure is one of many preserved in the Dazu Rock Carvings that offer clues to how people dressed and lived centuries ago. A book published in 2026, Da Song Gong Juan, explores these details, from official clothing and women's accessories to the everyday dress of ordinary people.
The book's author, Li Xiaoqiang, deputy director of the Dazu Studies Research Center at the Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute, explores how the carvings preserve details of clothing and daily life during the Song Dynasty.
During the Song Dynasty, people from different social backgrounds contributed money and other resources toward the construction of religious shrines. Some had their own portraits carved alongside religious figures, preserving details of their appearance and clothing. In certain cases, inscriptions identify the donors by name and record why the carvings were commissioned. These portraits provide valuable evidence of dress and social customs during the period.
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999, the Dazu Rock Carvings date mainly from the 9th to the 13th century. According to UNESCO, they are notable for their artistic quality, diverse religious and secular subjects, and depiction of everyday life in China. They also reflect the integration of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian traditions.
Official hats, robes, and fish-shaped ornaments
At the Duobao Pagoda, a carving in Niche No. 50 depicts an official named Feng Ji. He wears a traditional official's hat known as a futou, with two long extensions stretching horizontally from either side. Under his long, round-collared robe with wide sleeves, Feng wears a cross-collared garment with narrower sleeves.
A fish-shaped ornament hangs from his belt, indicating his official status. His formal attire reflects the importance of clothing and accessories in distinguishing officials in Song Dynasty society.
Another official, Ren Zongyi, appears in Beishan's Niche No. 149, together with his wife and their attendants. Ren also wears a long-winged futou and a round-collared, wide-sleeved robe. A pouch for carrying calculation tools hangs from one side of his belt, while a fish-shaped ornament hangs from the other.
His wife, surnamed Du, wears a wide-sleeved, cross-collared top and a long skirt. A length of silk is draped over her shoulders, with its ends falling along the sides of her body.
An inscription at the shrine identifies the couple, whose portraits preserve details of the clothing worn by an official's family during the Song Dynasty.
What ordinary people wore
Beyond officials and their families, the carvings also depict people from more modest backgrounds.
At Shimenshan's Niche No. 2, a man named Yang Wenxin wears a cloth head covering tied at the back and several layers of narrow-sleeved, cross-collared garments. One hand rests inside his long sleeve, while the other holds a string of prayer beads.
At Shimenshan's Niche No. 6, another carving depicts Cen Zhongyong and his wife, surnamed Pei. Cen wears a cloth head covering and a narrow-sleeved robe tied at the waist. His wife has her hair arranged in a bun, decorated with a band and a row of beads.
Li said that sculptors paid close attention to the clothing and accessories of donors, even those from poorer families.
The couple's story offers one example of why ordinary people contributed to the construction of religious shrines.
Records associated with the shrine describe Cen's family as having lived in poverty for three generations. After drought and food shortages affected the area in the 1130s, Cen initiated the construction of a Buddhist cave shrine at Shimenshan. He and his wife sought contributions from relatives, neighbors and other local residents to finance the project, hoping for timely rainfall and good harvests.
Construction began in 1136 and was completed in 1140. The names of several other contributors were also preserved in inscriptions at the site.
Elsewhere, the carvings show children wearing open-crotch trousers, a traditional design that made toileting easier for young children. Other figures include a fisherman wearing a conical hat and people wearing different kinds of footwear.
Unlike the formal garments of officials, these details offer a closer look at everyday clothing and practical dress in Song Dynasty society.
Flowers in Song Dynasty fashion and art
Floral decorations were also prominent in Song Dynasty dress and art.
Carvings from the Dazu area and elsewhere in the Sichuan Basin show floral patterns on the headwear of male figures. Flowers were not limited to decoration in art. In certain settings, men also wore them as part of formal attire.
The History of Song, an official history compiled during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), records that officials and attendants wore flowers on their hats during certain imperial ceremonies and banquets.
According to the text, the imperial court gave different types of floral ornaments to officials and military personnel. Flowers made from gauze-like silk were given to officials, while a particular branch-shaped design was reserved for higher-ranking officials. Another type, made from silk, was given to military officers and those below them in rank.
Floral motifs also became increasingly prominent in the crowns of religious figures at Dazu. In Beishan's Niche No. 180, carved between 1116 and 1122, the crowns of Guanyin figures feature flowers such as chrysanthemums and peonies, replacing much of the cloud-pattern decoration seen in earlier designs.
These religious headdresses differed from the flowers worn by men during court ceremonies, but both reflect the importance of floral imagery in Song Dynasty visual culture.
From the long-winged hats of officials to the head coverings of ordinary residents and the floral patterns carved into elaborate crowns, the Dazu Rock Carvings preserve details of Song Dynasty dress, offering a visual record of the period's social customs and everyday life.