Historically, China referred to itself as a "country of clothes, a country of ritual" which means that the clothing system is more complete than that of the surrounding ethnic minorities, and clothing is also a representation of ritual. The emperor's Gunmian(袞冕) have the twelve symbols of sovereignty. Later, the the twelve symbols of sovereignty became synonymous with power. In addition, in terms of material, color or pattern, Chinese clothing presents a descending order of ranks. Such an arrangement corresponds to the arrangement of power. Therefore, clothing becomes a representation of power.
The Ming Dynasty was the last Han dynasty. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty changed their costumes to varying degrees. In the process of changing their costumes, they were often accompanied by political struggles, ultimately fighting for political power, and the costumes presented a hierarchical sequence. The appearance reproduces the level of power. For example, the possible identity can be confirmed based on the number of patterns such as the twelve symbols of sovereignty or the dragon medallions. In addition, after Yingzong(英宗), the twelve symbols of sovereignty was used on round-neck attire, which significantly improved the status of round-neck attire. Shenzong(神宗) gains substantial political power by wearing armor to worship in the mausoleum. The period of Guangzong's(光宗) reign was too short, and the round-neck attire in his portrait was probably only a crown prince, reflecting the historical fact that he was worse treated by Shenzong for a long time. All of the above are the context of the relationship between the emperor's clothing and power in the Ming Dynasty.
There are many styles of clothing of these emperors in the Ming Dynasty. Different styles of clothing have different origins and evolutions. The development context of these clothing can be traced, or we can get a glimpse of how the emperorship of the Ming Dynasty was constructed and represented.