ARTH321

History of Design
Hair and Fashion in China
Adora Hoyte 0081982
2nd October 2016
Word # 1094

China is a country consisting of a vast amount of culture and to this day their culture remains strong
even with the ever changing times. In terms of hair and fashion, throughout every dynasty in Chinese
history the style of clothing would adapt to the times until the end of that particular dynasty.
In ancient China, young unmarried women would wear their hair down and in simple styles to show off
their status. Maidens, until they turned fifteen would traditionally wear their braided. As they go
through their coming of age ceremony called the ji- li or hair- pinning ceremony, during this ritual, their
hair would be washed, combed into a twist and held together in a pin called a ji. Once this is completed
she would then be considered an adult and is now eligible for marriage.
Married women, since the are now busy with family and household affairs would no longer have a need
to parade their hair off to strangers. They would wear their hair tied up in various styles ranging from
the simple to very elaborate styles, depending on their rank in social status as well as the fashions. The
simplest style was a knot at the nape of the neck. The more elaborate styles were from the Tang
Dynasty (618- 907 CE) which included wigs, ornamental combs, pins and even fresh flowers.
Long black hair was seen as a sign of good health and as very attractive. These women, having never cut
their hair would style it in a way that let their tresses shine. During the Ham dynasty (206 B.C.E- 220C.E)
a simple hairstyle consisted of a long low ponytail loosely tied so that so that the hair framed the face
on both sides and showed off the forehead. Hair was parted in the middle as beauty ideals favoured
symmetry. All the styles so far in China have required long hair which is no surprise, hair for the Chinese
was seen as a gift from the parents and should be treated with utmost respect. For both genders
haircuts would be seen as breaking the respect for their ancestors, parents and elders. One could give a
lock of hair as a promise to their lover or some would shave their heads completely bald as they are
entering into a religious order such as the monks. In addition to this prisoners, as a punishment would
have their heads shaven and left to grow back wildly. Unkept hair was a sign of dishonorable ways.
The maids, palace ladies and other general help from wealthy households had any jobs from making
beds to serving tea and food as well as other things. Their hair must be kept out of the way so that no
stray strands would drop into the soup of tea that they are serving. Due to the fact that they are not a
member of a distinguished family, they cannot just tie it up and tuck it back neither can she style it like
the ladies of the house as that would be a breach in etiquette. So therefore one solution would be to
part the hair down the middle and put it into braids. Next twist the braids into figure eight coils on
either side of the head pinning them in place behind the ears. On special occasions they could braid in a
strand of ribbon for a splash of colour.
In terms of fashion, throughout every dynasty in Chinese history the style of the clothing would adapt to
the particular era and last until the end of that particular dynasty. The poor or the peasants wore
clothing made of hemp which is a a rough material made of plant fibres. It was durable and hence good
for working in the fields. In general clothing made of hemp were loose fitting pants and shirts. The
wealthy on the other hand wore clothes made from the cocoons of silkworm. It was very soft and light
as well as beautiful. The Chinese for hundreds of years kept the secret of how to make silk as they were

the first to actually make it. Silk garments were generally long robes which could be dyed specific
colours or have fancy designs.
They were rules describing what colours a person could wear. Only the emperor could wear yellow.
During the Sui dynasty poor people were only allowed to wear the colours blue and black. The colour of
clothing also symbolized emotions. White clothing was worn as a symbol of mourning when a person
has died and red was used to show joy and happiness.
When China was conquered by the Mongols during the Yuan dynasty they brought cotton clothing with
them. This became popular amongst the poor as it was cheaper, warmer and softer than hemp.
Jewelry and adornments were an important part of fashion. They were not just used to show off their
fashion sense but also to show their ranks. There were once again rules depicting who could wear what
especially for men, this was so that their status can be quickly read. The most important adornment for
men would be their belt buckle or belt hook. These were highly decorated and made of bronze and even
gold. The women would wear a lot of jewelry in their hair such as combs and hairpins.
In the Song dynasty about 1100 A.D, a fashion trend started amongst the emperor's court for women to
bind their feet. Women thought that to be beautiful they needed to have small feet about three inches
long. They were able to achieve this result by binding the feet of five or six year olds. They were binded
so tightly with bandages that it would break the girls' toes and bend them under their feet and they
would have to walk around like that. For the first two or three years the girls would spend their time
crying in pain until after the three years the pain would eventually go away and not hurt as much.As one
could imagine these girls and women could not walk very well and when having to work in the fields
they would have to crawl around on the ground. Some of the earliest versions of Cinderella came from
the Song dynasty. The point of the story was that the prince loved Cinderella for her tiny feet, the
smallest of all the girls' in the kingdom.

Chinese hanfu

Clothing from the Ming Dynasty

foot binding

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://cn.hujiang.com/new/p533598/
https://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/blog/view/article/e/QfDb-EMLzYk/asian-hairstyles-lifehackancient-chinese-haute-coiffure.html
http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/215Traditions8123.html
http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/text/hanfu/
http://quatr.us/china/clothing/
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/clothing/hanfu/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPdC_FkOlr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiWEBzZofjo