Chinese, China

This yellow jiangyi is heavily decorated with embroidered symbols. In addition to the standard square patch of Taoist cosmology (sun, moon, Three Purities, stars,
tower, and mountains), five dragons occupy prominent positions at the center and four corners of the robe, probably symbolizing the five Chinese directions (east,
west, north, south, and center). The dragon in the center is shown frontally flanked by two phoenixes. The others, shown in profile, fly amid auspicious symbols,
including cranes, bats, clouds, and flames. Below are abstract renderings of five mountains amid water, possibly a reference to the five islands of immortality, the residences of Taoist immortals that were said to float in the Bohai Sea, off China’s eastern coast. The red border is decorated with peonies alternating with shou (longevity) characters at both sides. The bottom border features the symbols of the Eight Trigrams of the Yijing (I-Ching or Book of Changes) interspersed with lotuses floating on cosmic waters.