Analysis of the phenomenon of female figures in male attire in the Tang Sancai figurines

Abstract

Based on Archaeological perspectives and literature, this article applies the research method of mutual evidence of objects, images and documents to analyze and investigate the phenomenon of female figurines clad in male attire. The research materials for this study mainly rely on the unearthed Tang Sancai artifacts. The causes of this dressing phenomenon are assumed to be based on the Xianbei people’s tradition of gender equality and use of unisex clothes, which was a style of dress popularized in Northern barbarian tribes in ancient China. Moreover, it points to more open and freer social atmosphere and the emergence of women on the political stage.