Abstract: The wave-cliff pattern, which is a symbol of the royal and noble status，was widely used on Qing Dynasty’s dragon robes. In order to enrich the study of the Qing Dynasty clothing patterns and provide a foundation for dividing the history of dragon robes into periods, this paper elaborated the wave-cliff pattern’s characteristics by analyzing and collating the data of the dragon robes during Qing Dynasty. The evolvement rules of wave-cliff patterns of Qing Dynasty was summarized by generalizing and concluding the details of wave-cliff patterns. The results showed that the evolvement rules of wave-cliff patterns changed from plain and simple to luxurious and elegant visual effect over time, eventually tended to regular and sophisticated style.

Key words: wave-cliff pattern, dragon robe, Qing dynasty, clothing patern