() (also known as ( or ), () or () for short) and (钗) are generic term for hairpin in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. (with the same character of ) is also the term used for hairpins of the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

. The earliest form of Chinese hair stick was found in the Neolithic

Hemudu culture The Hemudu culture (5500 BC to 3300 BC) was a Neolithic culture that flourished just south of the Hangzhou Bay in Jiangnan in modern Yuyao, Zhejiang, China. The culture may be divided into early and late phases, before and after 4000 BC respecti ...

relics; the hair stick was called ''ji'' (笄), and were made from bones, horns, stones, and jade. Hairpins are an important symbol in

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

, and are associated with many Chinese cultural traditions and customs. They were also used as every day hair ornaments in ancient China; all Chinese women would wear a hairpin, regardless of their social rank. The materials, elaborateness of the hairpin's ornaments, and the design used to make the hairpins were markers of the wearer's social status. Hairpins could be made out of various materials, such as

jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

, carved

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

tortoiseshell Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced from the shells of the larger species of tortoise and turtle, mainly the hawksbill sea turtle, which is a critically endangered species according to the IUCN Red List largely because of its ...

and

bone A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...

, as well as others. Prior to the establishment of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, both men and women coiled their hair into a bun using a . There were many varieties of hairpin, many having their own names to denote specific styles, such as , , , and .

Cultural

Burials

During the

Chinese funeral Chinese funeral rituals comprise a set of traditions broadly associated with Chinese folk religion, with different rites depending on the age of the deceased, the cause of death, and the deceased's marital and social statuses. Different rituals a ...

period, women in mourning were not allowed to wear hairpins.

ceremony

played an important role in the coming-of age of

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

women. Before the age of 15 years old, women did not use hairpins, and always kept their hair in braids. When a woman turned 15, she stopped wearing braids, and a hairpin ceremony called (), or "hairpin initiation", would be held to mark the rite of passage. During the ceremony, their hair would be coiled into a bun with a hairpin. After the ceremony, the woman would be eligible for marriage.

Hairpins as a love token

Betrothal and wedding customs

When engaged to be married, Chinese women would take the hairpin from their hair and give it to their male fiancé. After the

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

, the husband would then return the hairpin to his newly-wed wife by placing it back in her hair.

Separation and reunion love token

The hairpin also used to be a form of love token; when lovers were forced to break apart, they would often break a hairpin in half, and each would keep half of the hairpin until they were reunited. Similarly, when married couples were separated for a long period of time, they would break a hairpin in two and each keep one part. If they were to meet again in the future, they would then put the hairpin together again, as a proof of their identity and as a symbol of their reunion.

Design and construction

Materials

Initially, Chinese people liked hairpins which were made out of

and

. Hairpins which were made out of carved jade appeared in China as early as the

Neolithic Period The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

(), along with jade carving technology. Some ancient Chinese hairpins dating from the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

can still be found in some museums. By the Bronze Age, hairpins which were made out of

had been introduced into China by people living on the country's Northern borders. Some ancient Chinese hairpins dating back to 300 BC were made from bone, horn, wood, and metal. The art of engraving wood first appeared in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, and this new form of art was then applied to large wooden Chinese hairpins. Many of these wooden hairpins were then coated with silver. In the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, the hairpins became more elaborate, and the carvings were made on silver, ivory, and jade, with pearl being used often as a setting.

Decorations

Hairpins could also be decorated with gemstones, as well as designs of flowers, dragons, and phoenixes.

Types

There are various types of Chinese hairpins:

The is a type of hairpin with a single pin. The zan could also come in different styles such as: * -style: A style of hairpin which likely refers to the hairpin used to secure the hair in a bun. * -style: A style of hairpin in the shape of a scepter. * Tiger-head style * Round-dragon style File:Shang Bone Hairpins (10324995483).jpg,

bone hairpin File:Shang Bone Hairpins (10197643816).jpg, Shang Bone Ji File:Shang Bronze Hairpin.jpg, Shang bronze hairpin File:Shang Jade Hairpin.jpg, Shang dynasty jade hairpin File:Spring & Autumn Bronze Hairpin (11865789735).jpg, Spring & Autumn Bronze Hairpin File:Warring States Bronze Hairpin (9965380263).jpg, Warring States period bronze hairpin File:Tang Jade Hairpin Tops.jpg, Tang dynasty jade hairpin. File:Song koraal haarsieraad, AK-MAK-60.jpg, Coral hairpin, Song dynasty. File:南宋银鎏金凤凰衔花簪.jpg, Hairpin from Southern Song. File:明梅花形玉花头簪.jpg, Ming jade hairpin decorated with flowers. File:Ming Gold Hairpins (10093441326).jpg, Ming gold hairpins File:Tomb of Prince Chuang of Liang (梁莊王) - Hairpins 2.jpg, Tomb of Prince Chuang of Liang-gold hairpins File:Ming Jade Hairpins & Ornaments.jpg, Ming dynasty Jade Hairpins & Ornaments File:Ming Hairpins & Gold Earrings (14156513934).jpg, Ming dynasty Hairpins & Gold Earrings File:Ming Gold Hairpins (10093412995).jpg, Ming Gold Hairpins File:Ming Gold Earrings and Hairpin (9979248486).jpg, Ming Gold Earrings and Hairpin File:Ming Gold Earrings and Hairpin (9979198744).jpg, Ming Gold Hairpin and gourd earrings File:Hair pin from China, Qing dynasty, nephrite, HAA.JPG, Hairpin from China, Qing dynasty,

nephrite Nephrite is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich amphibole minerals tremolite or actinolite (Aggregate (geology), aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos). The chemical formula for nephrite is calcium, Ca2(magnesium, ...

, File:Silver gilt Qing Dynasty hairpin.jpg, Qing dynasty hairpin, Silver gilt

Phoenix hairpin

Phoenix (Fenghuang) hairpin originated in

and had an upper part made of gold and silver while the feet was made of tortoise shell; it later evolved into the ''

fengguan (), also known as phoenix coronet or phoenix hat, is a type of (a type of Chinese traditional headgear) for women in . It was worn mainly by noblewomen for ceremonies or official occasions. It is also traditional headgear for brides and could b ...

'' during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. The ''fengguan'' then continued to evolve further in the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and

Qing dynasties The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...

, and in the modern republic. In the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

, an imperial edict decreed that the hairpin with ''

fenghuang ''Fènghuáng'' (, ) are mythological birds found in Sinospheric mythology that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called ''fèng'' and the females ''huáng'', but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and ...

'' decorations had to become the formal headpiece for the

empress dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere. The title was also g ...

and the imperial grandmother. The fenghuang is an auspicious bird in Chinese tradition and is believed to represent the empress or the bride in a wedding. Phoenix hairpins were also made and used by

Peranakan The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...

women after settling in the Straits as part of their wedding headdresses. File:南宋银鎏金凤凰衔花簪.jpg, A pair of fire-gilded silver phoenix hairpins of the Southern Song dynasty. File:Ming-Qing Gold Earrings & Hairpin (9979192834).jpg, Ming-Qing Gold Earrings & phoenix Hairpin File:Tomb of Prince Chuang of Liang (梁莊王) - Phoenix Hairpins.jpg, Golden phoenix hairpins from the tomb of Prince Chuang of Liang, Ming dynasty, 15th century

The is a type of hairpin with double or multiple pins. The double-pin evolved from the ; it was frequently found in Chinese poetry and literature as it played an important symbol and as a love token. File:Jin (Western & Eastern) Silver Hairpin (14177500943).jpg, Jin dynasty (Western & Eastern) Silver Hairpin File:Hairpins Tang Guimet MA2257–58.jpg, Tang dynasty . File:Ming Gold Hairpin (10093365364).jpg, Ming dynasty gold hairpin File:元金簪.jpg,

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

chai. File:牡丹龙凤纹金钗03563.jpg, peony gold hairpin File:Hairpin, China, Tang dynasty, 618-907, silver, gilt - Royal Ontario Museum - DSC04137.JPG, Tang dynasty,silver,gilt - Royal Ontario Museum File:Tang Gilded Silver Hairpins.jpg, Tang Gilded Silver Hairpins File:Ming Gold Hairpin (16928808649).jpg, Ming Gold Hairpin File:Hairpin-MA 97-IMG 0446-black.jpg, Silver hairpin of Tang Dynasty File:Liao Gold Hairpin (14156467735).jpg,

Liao dynasty The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...

Gold Hairpin File:Tang Gilded Silver Hairpin (9833859183).jpg, Tang Gilded Silver Hairpin File:Ming Dynasty Silver-gilt Hairpin 2.jpg,

gold chai

The was an elaborate and exquisite form of hairpin which denoted noble status. It was generally made of gold and was often decorated with jewels (such as pearls and jade) and carved designs (such as in the shape of dragons or phoenix). It looked similar to a , but one of its main characteristics is its dangling features, which gave it its name (lit. "shake as you go" or "that sway with each step" or "step shake"). The became popular in the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

. File:清金凤簪.jpg, Qing dynasty gold phoenix hairpin. File:MET 1978 428 1 O1.jpg, Buyao, 18th century

hairpin

The hairpin, also known as "

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...

hairpin", were made using the traditional Chinese art of . File:Tian-tsui (kingfisher feather) hair pins.jpg, Kingfisher feather hairpin. File:Hairpins, China, 20th century, silver, kingfisher feather, pearl, coral, jade - Fernbank Museum of Natural History - DSC00064.JPG, Kingfisher feather hairpin File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Chinese cricket-shaped hairpin.jpg,

Tian-tsui {{Short description, Traditional Chinese feather art Tian-tsui (Chinese traditional: 點翠, Chinese simplified: 点翠, pinyin: diǎncuì, "dotting with kingfishers") is a style of Chinese art featuring kingfisher feathers. For 2,000 years, the C ...

cricket-shaped hairpin

Flower-hairpin headdresses

The Flower-hairpin headdresses is a generic term which was used to refer to the jewellery and headdresses worn by the Song dynasty Empresses and imperial concubines. The Flower-hairpin headdresses were decorated with flower hairpins. Different numbers of flowers were used depending on the imperial consorts' ranks and specific imperial rules were issued on their usage.

Known as the "gold cicada on a jade leaf" hairpin, or (a homonym for the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

idiom "one of noble birth"), a type of Ming dynasty hairpin in the shape of a

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

made of gold sitting on a piece of jade carved in the shape of a leaf.

The is a Chinese hairpin worn by women in the Ming dynasty in their hair bun; the upper part of the hairpin was usually in the shape of a Buddhist statue, an immortal, a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word, or a phoenix. The Chinese character (, "longevity") could also be used to decorate the hairpin.

References

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing Chinese headgear Confucian culture East Asian traditions Fashion accessories Hairdressing Rites of passage