The baishouyi or 'robe of one hundred longevity symbols' was an elaborate form of a shen yi or 'deep garment' made for burial. The name refers to the repeated use of the shou character decorating the garment, thought to have the power to extend the wearer's life. The square badge displays further symbols of longevity, a deer and a crane, and was probably strictly decorative since the deer was not a symbol of rank for either a civil or military official

Compare a baishouyi of the same date, included in the exhibition, Heavens' Embroidered Cloths, One Thousand Years of Chinese Textiles, Hong Kong Museum of Art, June 23, 1995-September 17, 1995, illustrated in the Catalogue, pp. 249 and 250 where the authors state that 'This type of jacket was worn to celebrate the sixtieth birthday, and was often buried with the owner when she died.' Other examples of baishouyi are illustrated by Gary Dickinson and Linda Wrigglesworth, Imperial Wardrobe, London, 1990, pls. 52 and 54