Chapter 8 Chapter Three Qin and Han Costumes

In the Han Dynasty, crowns and hats were used as the main symbol of class distinction.There are mainly several shapes such as crowns, long crowns, Weimao crowns, military crowns, law crowns, and Jinxian crowns.According to regulations, when the emperor, dukes, and high officials participated in the sacrificial ceremony, they had to wear crowns and clothes, and they were distinguished according to the number of crowns, the quality of the texture, the color of the clothes, and the seal pattern.The long crown, also known as the Qi crown, is a kind of ceremony crown made of bamboo skin and then sewn with black silk fabric. The top of the crown is flat and slender.According to legend, it was created by Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, after imitating Chu Guan, so it is also called "Liu's Crown".It looks like a crown, and its shape is similar to that of a leather bean. It looks like an overturned cup and is made of silk.These two crowns were worn by officials who participated in the sacrificial ceremony.Wuguan, also known as "Heguan".He, commonly known as pheasant, has a fighting nature and will not retreat until death. It is used as a title to express heroism, and is worn by military officials at all levels when they meet.And because it is shaped like a dustpan and tall, it is also called "Wubian Crown".The emperor's attendants and eunuchs also wore military crowns with sable tails and golden pendants (dangdang) decorated with cicada patterns.Faguan, also known as "Xiezhi [xie zhi Xiezhi] crown".Xiezhi is a legendary god sheep who can distinguish right from wrong.It has a horn on the top of its head, and when it sees people fighting, it uses the horn to resist those who are wronged, so it is worn by law enforcement officers.And because it usually uses iron as the crown pillar, it implies that the wearer is unwavering, mighty and unyielding, so it is also called "iron crown".The Jinxian Crown is worn by scholars and Confucian scholars.The crown body is made of iron wire and spun yarn.The crown is decorated with beams, and the beams and columns are leaning forward and straight.In addition, there are crown styles such as Tongtian crown, Yuanyou crown, Jianhua crown, and Fan Kuai [kuaikuai] crown.Regarding the origin of Fan Kuai's crown, it is said that there is such an interesting story: Liu Bang broke through Xianyang and stationed troops in Bashang.Xiang Yu hosted a banquet for Hongmen, plotting to kill Liu Bang and eliminate his opponents.During the banquet, "Xiang Zhuang draws his sword and dances, and its meaning is always in Peigong (Liu Bang)" ("Historical Records Xiang Yu Benji"), the situation is very critical.The Han general Fan Kuai then hurriedly tore off his clothes, wrapped up an iron shield, put it on his head, put his power on the crown, broke in with his sword, and solved Liu Bang's misfortune.From then on, it imitated the crown style worn by Fan Kuai, and gained the reputation of Fan Kuai Crown.

In the Qin Dynasty, scarves were only used by soldiers.At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, it is said that because Wang Mang was bald and afraid of being ridiculed by others, he made a special scarf [ze blame, somewhat like a cap] to cover his head. Later, wearing a scarf became a custom.Others believe that the use of scarves to cover the head is also related to the style of Emperor Liu Shi of the Han and Yuan Dynasties.It is said that Liu Shi's forehead hair is thick and hard, he is difficult to obey, and he does not want others to see him. He is said to be not smart enough, so he usually wraps his head with a scarf.As a result, the top and bottom are effective, and the scarf wrapping the head becomes popular.There are two main forms of scarf headbands: the middle headband and the upper headband.The one with a raised top and shaped like a pointed roof is called Jiebei; the one with a flat top is called Pingshangbei.Officials with low status can't wear crowns, they can only use 縻.When dignitaries and eunuchs live at home, they can also take off their crowns and hats and wear scarves on their heads.At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was common for princes and ministers to wrap their heads with scarves.Senior generals like Yuan Shao, the lieutenant of the Chinese Army, did not hesitate to abandon the court crown and wrap their turbans for convenience; such veteran and important ministers as Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, also willingly gave up their splendid crowns and wore lun scarves (made of fine silk). Shaking a feather fan, commanding the three armies in order to be unrestrained and leisurely, Sima Yi had to admire.