A ceramic figurine of a woman of Tang Dynasty. [Photo/Luoyang Museum]

The shirt

Women in the Tang Dynasty often wore long sleeved shirts with narrowing cuffs. As China gained more influence from the West, the width of the sleeves widened, reaching as wide as four Chinese chi, or nearly 130 cm. The collars varied in shapes and sizes, from straight, crossed and round to other possibilities. It was revealing, but not to the extent shown in The Empress of China.