Need info on Stump work on silk with couching Asian Antique??

Sorry attached comment to wrong item.

It may have been bought in Thailand but I don't think you can get away from the fact that he has Kanji (Chinese characters) on his hat. Thailand was never ruled by China and although they incorporated many Chinese words into their vocabulary, they never adopted the Chinese writing system. 

I don't see him as holding strings at all - note how a "string" comes down behind wrist on his left hand (right as we look at it), I think this is just part of a fanciful decoration. What I do see in HIS right hand (left as we look at picture) is a rigid brown stick which I believe belongs to a furled flag of some sort because of the different coloured cloths and slightly unfurled edge at bottom. It is easy to come up with a western image like "volcano" for a conical shape, but think yourself into the time and picture. Why do I say perhaps "flag" for example? To me it seems to tie in with the fact he (I'm going to say Emperor) is wearing ceremonial chainmail, which came in with the Tang Dynasty when the Emperor was gifted chainmail for the first time in China, and it then became incorporated with cloth as an indicator of rank. But this is a very hard one to crack...