Aoqun (袄裙) was a popular form of Han Chinese dress worn during the Qing dynasty. It consisted of a loose fitting top (ao/袄) and a pleated skirt (qun/裙). The ao had a plain, round neck, a front centre closure that curved to fasten on the right. The ao was cut very large, as bulky garments signified prosperity. Many ao had borders in contrasting colours edged with braid. This ao belonged to Lim Mui Neo, who was born in Fujian in 1882. She would have worn such ao in China over a pleated skirt and with lotus shoes on her bound feet. Lim and her husband, Khoo Cheng Bok, came to Singapore where they lived at Dutton Hill and later Cheng Cheok Street. In Singapore, Lim made prudent investments to expand her husbands estate and learnt to read in Hokkien after she became a Christian in 1932 as she was motivated to read the Bible.
