Overview
A zhiju robe joins top and skirt like any shenyi but finishes with a straight vertical front edge, so it is simpler to cut and wear than the curved-hem quju. Its clean lines suited both formal and everyday use.
How it is worn
It is wrapped left over right and belted, the straight front hanging down the side of the body rather than spiralling around it. Men and women wore it, often over an inner robe, across the Han centuries.
History
The zhiju spread in the Western Han and largely replaced the curved-hem quju by the Eastern Han, as changes in underclothing made the winding front unnecessary. The near-weightless silk-gauze zhiju excavated at Mawangdui shows how fine Han weaving had become.