This type of robe is called a jifu, an 'Auspicious' Robe. It functions as a type of formal court robe for a woman. The robe may have been intended to be worn by an Imperial Consort, perhaps even the Empress. In general, in the court system of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a more limited dress-code appeared to have been available for women ranking down from the Empress and Imperial Consorts to wives of officers of the Seventh rank. (Men had a range of court dress for specific occasions). Not all Imperial robes will be ornamented with the symbol of the dragon, as this one demonstrates. Even the Emperor's wives and concubines did not necessarily always wear robes decorated with dragons. However, most formal imperial attire will bear the signature motif of the multi-layered rocks emerging from a sea of many-coloured waters. Women also had sets of clothes made for auspicious celebrations such as weddings or the birthdays of older wearers, and the clothes made for these occasions were worn for future events of importance. There are two clues to the identity of the intended wearer of this robe: the shou characters embroidered on red silk suggests that this may have been made for an older woman on a festive occasion; however the shou character was also one of the emblems of the emperor himself, and in this case the longevity character could signal that the intended wearer may have been the Empress herself.