Water sleeves
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"Shuixiu" redirects here. For the township in Taigu County, Shanxi, see Shuixiu Township.
Water sleeves (Chinese: 水袖; pinyin: shuǐxiù) refer to white silk extensions to the cuff of garment sleeves used in Chinese opera. They are worn by both male and female characters of the higher social class. They are so named because performers can use them to produce movements like the ripples of water.[1]
The handling of water sleeves to express different feelings is a difficult technique which takes years to master.