Man's Audience Robe (Chaofu) second half of the 19th century China A chaofu, or audience robe, featuring a fully pleated skirt was the most formal type of men's court dress. Sumptuary regulations set in the mid-eighteenth century dictated that only the emperor and heir apparent could wear robes emblazoned with five-clawed dragons, but in the nineteenth century, these mandates were often overlooked. Blue-black audience robes were worn by Qing nobles, high-ranking civil and military officials, and imperial guards.. Man's Audience Robe (Chaofu). China. second half of the 19th century. Silk satin embroidered with silk and metallic thread. Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Costumes-Embroidered