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Rank badges were worn by both civil and military officials in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The square section of highly-decorated fabric — approximately 30 centimeters by 30 centimeters — is a visual representation of social order and relates to Confucian ideals of hierarchies, filial piety and transmission of knowledge.

Using objects from the Mactaggart Art Collection, the Royal Ontario Museum and Bruce Peel Special Collections, the Birds & Beasts: Wearing Honour and Order in the Qing Dynasty exhibition explores how clothing communicated the wearer’s rank and legitimized their position in the larger Qing bureaucratic or military system.

One of the most striking artworks on display, Family Portrait, depicts a large successful family that includes five men wearing officials’ outfits. The rank badges worn by these five men correspond to both civil and military positions, revealing their social status, bringing prestige, respect and honour to the family.

The rank badge system in the Ming and Qing dynasties

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, rank badges were made in pairs and placed on the front and back of officials’ surcoats to communicate their wearer’s rank. Different motifs were regulated by the imperial court, including bird motifs for civil officials and beast motifs for military officials. There were nine ranks within these categories represented by specific birds or beasts.

The attire of a Qing official

The emblematic nature of both officials’ attire and rank badges relies on many individual design components working together to tell an overarching story. Officials in the Qing dynasty wore a distinctive outfit that always followed the same equation: a hat with a finial, a dragon robe, a surcoat with two rank badges, boots and a necklace. This uniform became the legitimizing emblem of membership within the larger bureaucratic or military organization. It also imposed a hierarchy both within and beyond the institutions that created them.

Rank badges and the family

Ancestor portraits were made for relatives to honour their deceased family members. These portraits provide an example of how rank badges were worn while also emphasizing the enduring honour of achieving success in the Qing military and civil institutions. The wives of military and civil officials traditionally wore rank badges that were the mirror images of their husbands', and this custom is evident in ancestor portraits.

In the case displaying two leaves from an album of Ancestor Portraits of the Ding Family (on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum), a man and a woman are depicted wearing formal attire with matching rank badges. Also, a woman’s vest and a child’s robe, both with rank badges embroidered on the torso, demonstrate the pervasive use of hierarchical garments in the late Qing period.

Social orders in the imperial court

Officials, including bureaucrats and guards, were most often found in their complete formal attire during imperial receptions. Due to the importance of such occasions, these events were often later documented in prints, paintings or drawings. In these depictions, we can see how order, rank and status are represented not only in dress, but in ceremonial organization and painting composition.

Be sure to visit this revealing exhibition in Gallery A in the Telus International Centre, North Campus () until June 28, 2025. (Thursday, Friday and Saturday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. MST.)