A museum in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region claims it has fragments of a brassiere and a pair of embroidered slippers that are nearly 1,000 years old.

The heritage pieces, believed to be worn by some noblewoman in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125 a.d.), will help researchers study the costumes and needlework of those days, said Tian Yanguo, head of Aohan Banner Museum in the city of Chifeng.

Tian noted that the pieces were spotted in a Liao Dynasty tomb in Xinhui town in early April 2004 and were later kept at his museum. "But the museum started a huge renovation project shortly after that, so we were not able to study the heritage pieces until we resumed work at the new facility this year."

According to Tian, the fragments show the brassiere was cotton padded, gold filigree and daintily embroidered. It was similar in style and function to those worn by modern women.

"It was made of fine silks and had shoulder and back straps like brassieres of today," he said. "It's a pity most of the cotton padding in the cups has decayed."

The finding shows that people in the Liao Dynasty, a state founded by the Khitan ethnic group, were quite open and maintained close contact with the central Chinese regions, acknowledged Tian.

The pair of slippers, in sharp contrast, remained largely intact, he said. "The shoes are about 23 centimeters long. They were embroidered with hundreds of flowers and even the soles were made of fine silks. It must have belonged to some noblewoman."

According to Shao Guotian, a noted expert with the Aohan Banner Museum, more than 90 percent of the deserted Liao Dynasty tombs in Inner Mongolia need further excavation.

Editor: Donald