Water sleeves

Dance with water sleeves in a Shaoxing opera performance

A Kunqu actress with water sleeves.

Water sleeves ( Chinese  水袖 , pinyin shuǐxiù ) are an important part of many costumes of traditional Chinese opera .

They are made from a piece of white fabric that is sewn to the end of the actual sleeve and usually hangs from it.

The water sleeves are used to express feelings and actions. Learning the movements required for this is an essential part of training for both male and female performers.

Web links

• About Cantonese Opera: Costumes Contains some images of costumes, with the water sleeves clearly visible