Jiang Qing
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), traditional Chinese clothing, as a broad term, was considered as being part of one of the "four olds" and the Mao suit was popularized for both genders. Skirts also disappeared as they were considered being both impractical for manual work and ideologically inappropriate during this time period. In 1974, Jiang Qing, the fourth wife of Mao Zedong, wanted to make an attire, known as the "Jiang Qing dress," as the national dress for the Chinese women. The "Jiang Qing dress", which she personally designed, consisted of pleated skirts instead of trousers, the sleeves were nearly elbow-length, there was a central opening, and the neckline was V-shaped and was delineated by a wide, white band; the skirt was based on the pleated skirts (i.e. the "one hundred pleats" skirt) worn by the court ladies worn in Tang dynasty paintings. The earliest form of "Jiang Qing dress" is documented and appear in the 1974 Asian Games photos. Jiang Qing tried to popularize the dress in diverse ways through public and foreign avenues; however, her dress failed to win popularity and was disliked.