Hi! Do you know if there’s a particular name for the looped hairstyles like these: i[.]pinimg[.]com/564x/44/57/36/445736c8e7a0ffd0399993a0bb6c84c0[.]jpg & i[.]pinimg[.]com/564x/6b/e3/41/6be341d1db1fdd490473697594ad782b[.]jpg (and were they actually from the Tang Dynasty like the source said?)

Hi, thanks for the question!

These two looped hairstyles, worn by Fan Bing Bing as Wu Zetian in the Chinese drama “The Empress of China”, are unique styles with individual names. The first style is called 双环望仙髻/Shuang Huan Wang Xian Ji (Double Hooped Immortal-Seeking Ji), and the second style is called 飞仙髻/Fei Xian Ji (Flying Immortal Ji). “Ji/髻” refers to any hairstyle involving pulling hair on top of the head. Let’s take a look at each one:

1. 双环望仙髻/Shuang Huan Wang Xian Ji (Double Hooped Immortal-Seeking Ji):

For this hairstyle, the hair is split into two parts, and black yarn or ribbons are used to form hoops above the head. For the finishing touch, a small Buyao (hairpin with decorations that swing as you walk) is added to the front. The hairstyle originally developed from an earlier style called 双环髻/Shuang Huan Ji (Double Hooped Ji), which was popular among single women and court ladies during the Wei/Jin and Northern & Southern dynasties. The Double Hooped Immortal-Seeking Ji was fashionable during the Tang – Song dynasties:

2. 飞仙髻/Fei Xian Ji (Flying Immortal Ji):

This hairstyle, which consists of two tall twin loops on either side of the head, first appeared during the Han dynasty. Legend has it that during that time, the Heavenly Mother of the Jade Palace visited Emperor Wu Di. He was so astounded by the visit that he recorded the flying immortals’ hairstyle, and asked his court maidens to imitate it. The Flying Immortal Ji is thus commonly used in depictions of immortals. It was also worn by young girls, as well as being a popular hairstyle for traditional dances and performances:   

To create the hairstyle, start with a high ponytail atop the head. Next, split the hair into two segments and form each into a loop, and then wrap the ends around the base of the ponytail. Use hairpins to keep the coils of hair in place, and reinforce with another hair tie as needed. Finally, decorate generously with hair accessories. Semiprecious stone pins, jade combs, and delicate ornaments of metal were popular choices of the past.

For a visual depiction of how the Flying Immortal Ji is created, there’s a helpful video tutorial here:

The back is just as beautiful as the front!

Hope this helps!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

ancientviet:

Traditional wedding costumes of Sinosphere countries. From left to right:

China, Ming Dynasty, Hanfu
Korea, Joseon Dynasty, Hanbok
Vietnam, Nguyen Dynasty, áo Nhật Bình (for women) and áo tấc (for men)
Japan, Tokugawa Shogunate, Kimono
Ryukyu (now Okinawa)

vietphuc:

Sinosphere is a very real term. It doesn’t mean that China is the strongest and the best. It just means that this is a sphere of influence that was started by Chinese culture.

Every aspect of Chinese culture was adopted by surrounding countries, just like how modern people adopt American ways of life, down to the language, clothes, food, and entertainment. Chinese arts, language, food, and fashion were spread throughout East Asia. However, the ones most influenced by this cultural power were Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Ryukyu was also part of the Sinosphere, but was later absorbed by Japan.

To put things in simple terms, all of these 3 nations started their borrowings during Tang. However, by the start of westernization:

• Japan is most influenced by Tang and Song cultures. (Japan stopped borrowing from China once Yuan dynasty appeared)
• Korea is most influenced by Yuan and Ming cultures. (Korea stopped borrowing from China once Qing dynasty appeared)
• Vietnam is most influenced by Ming and Qing cultures. (Vietnam continued to borrow from China until French colonization)

Source: lilsuika

changan-moon:

Nanjing brocade 南京云锦 by 匠仓

inkjadestudio:

Unboxing Pechoin 百雀羚 Hand Cream

I consider myself a hand cream connoisseur but these has got to be the most fancily packaged hand creams I have ever bought! So much so I decided to take photos.

Pechoin 百雀羚 is an old Chinese cosmetics company founded in Shanghai in 1931. It was something your Chinese grandma used but now they have been rebranding themselves to appeal to young Chinese women.This is the result. 

This set of three hand creams based on Chinese herbal extracts (orchid, camellia and osmanthus respectively) also came with a free green tube of exfoliating cream packaged in a fancy metal box.There are also 9 complimentary bookmarks printed with classical Chinese poetry as you can see in the last photo.

More info:

The rebirth of Pechoin (a Chinese Beauty Brand)

Asia’s Consumers Snubbing Global Brands for These Products

More famously recently, Peng Liyuan (President Xi Jinping’s wife) has given Pechoin skincare products as diplomatic gifts to foreigners.

Is this hairstyle,peony pinned on her hairstyle,outfit restricted to royal 👑 ladies only

Hi, thanks for the question! 

The painting you’re referring to is the famous Tang dynasty hand scroll by Zhou Fang, “Court Ladies Wearing Flowered Headdresses/簪花仕女图”. This scroll depicts five palace ladies and a maidservant amusing themselves in a garden.  

The court ladies’ hairstyle is called Gao Ji/高髻 (High Ji), also known as E Ji/峨髻 (Lofty Ji). “Ji/髻” refers to any hairstyle involving pulling hair on top of the head. Gao Ji was a popular hairstyle among Chinese women during the Tang dynasty. As its names indicate, it refers to a relatively high and full updo, decorated with hair ornaments. Tang culture celebrated fullness and glamour, and that aesthetic extended to hair as well. Tang women believed the higher the hair, the better, with some using wigs to achieve the desired look – it was not uncommon for the updo to reach over one foot in height. Gao Ji was beloved by all classes of women during the Tang dynasty.

Gao Ji came in several different varieties. The specific one you’re referring to, with the peony pinned to the top, is called Zan Hua Gao Ji/簪花高髻 (Flowered High Ji). This style involved a Gao Ji embellished with huge peony or lotus blossoms, as well as gold hair ornaments.The practice of wearing flowers expressed women’s admiration for the beauty of the blossoms, but also symbolized the fleeting nature of youth.Zan Hua Gao Ji was especially popular among aristocratic women during the Tang dynasty.

Here are two modern depictions of the hairstyle:

Regarding the court ladies’ outfits – the relatively low neckline and nearly floor-length sleeves of the gowns, and the wide gauze scarves worn as stoles or draped across the arms, are all characteristic of the high court fashion of the Tang dynasty. I also addressed the same question in my reply to you here, so please check it out.

Hope this helps!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

sinethetamagazine:

Eighty-seven Immortals (八十七神仙卷) by Wu Daozi (吳道子). Ink on silk handscroll. ca. 685–758 BCE.

Wu Daozi was a master painter of the Tang Dynasty. Born in the Henan province of China, Wu lived from circa 680 BCE to circa 760 BCE. Throughout his prolific career, Wu painted many Buddhist and Daoist murals. Wu was given the name Daoxuan by Emperor Xuanzhong after gaining appointment to the imperial court as the official painter. Due to Wu’s sage-like status in Chinese art history, critics regard him as divine and much of his life history intersects with myth and legend. 

“八十七神仙卷” translatets to “eighty-seven immortals,” or “eighty seven celestial people.”  During the Kaiyuan Era, reigning Emperor Xuanzhong allegedly commissioned this intricate piece to Wu for his recently-passed mother. The top image is the full scroll, and the following three images allow a closer look at the painting in three segments. An exemplary model of traditional 白描 (baimiao) style, which referes to an ordinary or plain painting style, the piece now resides in the Xu Beihong Memorial Museum in Beijing.

Follow sinθ magazine for more daily posts about Sino arts and culture.

inkjadestudio:

汤婆子 Traditional Chinese Hot Water Bottle

Pic Sources:

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%B1%A4%E5%A9%86%E5%AD%90

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.1.3edc5388X4EQlg&id=557760781088&ns=1&abbucket=15#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.270.23b11b7bfRc4VT&id=560952011076&ns=1&abbucket=12#detail

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-c-s.w4002-17507176824.25.41a47e15Fz8P8Q&id=581343458716

The last photo is mine.

It is already winter in China. Before the advent of electricity, how did people keep warm in the old days? Enter the 汤婆子(tang pozi) 

Read More

P.S. Mention of taobao vendors does not signify endorsement of these vendors. 

Just for an additional question, was it true that Han women tied their hair in a braid before their coming-of-age ceremony? (Where which they had their hair tied in a knot, etc.)

fate-magical-girls:

ziseviolet:

Hi, thanks for the question!

No, Han women did not tie their hair in a braid before their Ji Li/笄礼, the female coming-of-age ceremony held at the age of 15 (sometimes the ceremony was held when the woman reached 20, but never later). Before the ceremony, they mainly wore their hair in double buns or loops, one on each side of the head. Here are four of some of the most common pre-Ji Li hairstyles for Han girls:

– 双丫髻/Shuang Ya Ji (Double Maiden Bun): This hairstyle symbolized youth, and was almost exclusively worn by girls who were 15 years old and younger. The style consists of two buns atop the head, one on the left and one on the right. There’s a tutorial on how to create the style here. Especially common during the Tang – Song dynasties, the Double Maiden Bun was popular in China until the early 20th century, but nowadays only worn with traditional Chinese attire:

– 丱发/Guan Fa: This hairstyle for young girls was popular from the Qin/Han dynasties to the Wei/Jin and Northern & Southern dynasties. The hairstyle consists of a middle part with buns arranged on each side of the head, after which a few strands of hair were pulled out of each bun and left to hang naturally. The hairstyle is shaped like “丱”, hence the name:

– 双平髻/Shuang Ping Ji: This hairstyle involves two buns or loops on each side of the head, again with hair hanging down the sides: 

– 总角/Zong Jiao: This hairstyle, in which the hair is twisted into a bun on each side of the head, was worn by both boys and girls who had not undergone their coming-of-age ceremonies:

After undergoing their coming-of-age ceremonies and/or getting married, women would give up these youthful double bun/loop styles, instead coiling their hair into single buns fixed with jade hairpins, which were considered to be more mature and refined:

Hope this helps!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Some explanation on why it’s a “ji” hairstick used in the Pinning Ceremony instead of the more famous “zan” (single prong hairpin) or “chai” (double prong hair clip). The ji hairstick is the oldest hair ornament from Chinese history. At the time the coming of age ceremonies were created, none of the other types of hairpin existed.

Bone hairsticks from the Shang Dynasty tomb of Queen Fu Hao. Notice their thick, round bodies. This differentiates hairsticks from later hairpins. The Capping Ceremony for boys and Pinning Ceremonies for girls marked a coming of age and entry into adulthood. The ceremony was usually performed at 20 for boys and 15 for girls, except in noble families because they practiced child marriage. In those cases, both bride and groom would have a quick coming of age ceremony on the eve of the wedding.

It’s true that both boys and girls wore twin buns until they came of age, but the exact style of the buns changed according to the time period

Jade “Hemaphrodite” figure from the Tomb of Queen Fu Hao. This figure is one of the most famous Shang Dynasty artifacts. The two sides of the figure are carved into a male and female respectively. Both of them sport twin hairbuns. Some of the excavating archaeologists believe the figure to represent a god of marriage or fertility.

Jade figure from a Western Zhou Tomb from the Dongjiao neighborhood in Luoyang, showing a young attendant with folded hands, wearing dragon-headed hairsticks at each side.

Child riding beast jade figurine from Warring States Tomb in the Xiaoduncun neighborhood of Luoyang

Brick relief with jugglers and performers, from a Western Han Dynasty child’s tomb in Chengdu, Sichuan. The dancing girl on the right has double buns.

Rubbing of stone relief of entertainers from Han Dynasty tomb in Nanyang, Henan.

Stone relief with “Hundred Entertainments” from a Eastern Han Dynasty Tomb in Dayi County in Chengdu, Sichuan.

Section of rubbing from a Han Dynasty relief, showing a dancer with three buns.

Once a girl in Han Dynasty has entered adulthood, there’s a variety of hairstyles she could choose from. The Han Dynasty lasted four centuries, so trends came and went. I’ll see if I can cover some of those trends in a later post.

Some women’s hairdos of the Han Dynasty

fate-magical-girls:

Continuing my addition to @ziseviolet ‘s post about Han Dynasty hair, here’s some hairstyles that showed up during the Han Dynasty.

These paired jade dancer figures popular during the early part of the Western Han Dynasty sport a very ancient hairdo with a bouffant in front, a braid in back, and locks that hang at the sides. Variations of this hairdo have gone back to the Shang Dynasty many centuries prior.

The hair on these jade ladies from the Western Han Dynasty also has a long history, as it is based on a hairdo from the Early Zhou Dynasty. Part of the hair is coiled atop the head and the rest of the hair is braided. By the Han Dynasty, women would have supplemented their natural hair with extensions to achieve complex hairdos.

The side bun, as seen in this lamp-lit beauty from the Warring States a Han Dynasty Vietnamese dancer, would be reinvented as the famous “falling-horse” bun (坠马髻) by the trend-setting beauty Sun Shou, wife of General Liang Ji and de facto First Lady of China for a period during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Taking a cue from the Qin Dynasty (seated clay female figuring from Shihuangdi Mausoleum) and former Chu Kingdom (standing wood female figurine from Warring States Chu Tombb), low buns were very much in vogue during the Han Dynasty. High-class women had the luxury of hair extensions and wigs, and styled their buns into a variety of shapes. Servant women and peasants, or women who wished to emphasize their feminine modesty, wore their hair simply in a tight bun or even ponytail. This was called the cudgel bun (椎髻).

The famed Changxin Palace Light sports a unique hairstyle that seems to be a blend of two different styles listed above.

Xin Zhui (Lady Dai) was buried with her hair in an updo, supplemented with hair extensions and held in place by combs. She has a low hairbun in her portrait on the brocade banner buried with her.

Around the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, updos gained in popularity. Women were also wearing their hair in an assortment of hoops. Wigs and headscarves also became popular during Wang Mang’s brief reign and the Han restoration. (Assortment of murals from Cuizhuyuan Han Tomb in Xi’an, Shaanxi; Han Tomb in Luoyang, Henan; and Eastern Han Tomb in Horinger, Eastern Mongolia)

The rich murals of the Dahuting Eastern Han Dynasty tomb showcase the variety of men’s and women’s hairstyles during the period.

One hairstyle that stands out in particular is the

Cloud-Brushing Chignon

, a massive, billowing bouffant piled high on the head like a cloud. This later evolved into a ring of hair on the head. Because of its graceful, otherworldly appearance, it became the standard hairdo for goddesses, as seen in depictions of the mother goddesses, Nuwa and the Western Queen Mother.

There’s a great deal of material I haven’t covered here, including men’s hair and how in the early Han Dynasty, they sometimes overlapped with women’s. I’ve also left out some of the chronological progression and historically noted trends, but this is more of a style guide than anything.