(), also known as (), (), (), plum blossom makeup or plum makeup ( or ) or Shouyang makeup (), is a form of traditional

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 ...

women ornamental forehead makeup, which is located between the

eyebrows An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each Human eye, eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the Supraorbital ridge, brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, human communication, communica ...

and sometimes on the

cheeks The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the insi ...

, the

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, and the

dimples A dimple, also called a gelasin (, ) is a small natural indentation in the flesh on a part of the human body, most notably in the cheek. Numerous cultures believe that cheek dimples are a good luck charm that entices people who perceive them as ...

. According to a folklore legend, the in floral shape originated in the Southern dynasty period; its creation is attributed to Princess Shouyang, a daughter of Emperor Wu of

Liu Song Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern Dynasty (南朝宋) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. ...

(420 – 479 AD). However, the origins of the can be traced back earlier than the folklore legends to the

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

and Han dynasties, and even in the pre-Qin period with its customs arising as early as the Spring and Autumn period (c. 770 – 476 BC) and

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

(c. 475 – 221 BC) based on archaeological artifacts and studies. Its origins has no connection with the (), i.e. (), found on the middle forehead of

Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure i ...

. The was also popular among

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

and Song dynasties' women. The popularity of the declined in the

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 ...

. The forms an integral part of

Chinese clothing Chinese clothing includes both the traditional hanfu and modern variations of indigenous Chinese dress as recorded by the artifacts and some traditional arts of Chinese culture. Chinese clothing has been shaped through its dynastic traditions, as ...

culture. In present days, is often combined with the wearing of

hanfu ''Hanfu'' () is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of ''hanfu'', such as the (an upper-body garment with a long outer skirt), the (an upper-body garment with a long underskirt ...

, the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese.

Designs and colours

The come in various different shapes and patterns, including flowers, plum blossoms, butterfly, coins, peaches, birds, phoenixes and other animals. It is typically red in colour but can also be found in different colours, such as green and gold. Different materials such as (), gold leaf, silver leaf, paper, fish scales, feathers, pearls, jewels, dragonfly wings can be used.

Application location

The is typically applied on the forehead between the

; sometimes, it is applied on the

, on the

, and even on the

where this form of make-up became referred as (). were typically about 1 cm from each sides of the lips and were red in colour. During the prosperous period of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

and the

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

, the reached high up to the two sides of the nose.

History

The customs of applying early prototypes of the can be traced back to the Pre-Qin period; for examples, female figurines unearthed from the tomb of Chu dating to the

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...

, Hunan province, have decorative shapes or patterns painted on their face, which shows that the prototypes of the already existed much earlier than the folk legends.

Northern and Southern dynasties

According to a legend, the in floral design originated in the Southern dynasty period when a

plum blossom ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

was blown on the forehead of Princess Shouyang (a daughter of Song Wudi) when the latter was taking a walk in the palace in early spring. The plum blossom for some reasons could not be removed or washed off; but since it looked beautiful on the princess, it became a fashion trend. Another legend says that Princess Shouyang was taking a nap when a plum blossom fell on her forehead (and cheeks) leaving imprints; these imprints stays for three days. The effect of the flower imprint was so striking that it formed a new vogue and was copied by other ladies. This fashion trend soon became popular across the country.

Tang dynasty and Five dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period

According to the 《》, women in the Tang dynasty painted () on their face, which originated from

Shangguan Wan'er Shangguan Wan'er (664–21 July 710) was a Chinese politician, poet, and imperial consort of the Wu Zhou and Tang dynasties. Described as a "female prime minister," Shangguan rose from modest origins as a palace servant to become secretary an ...

. According to the Chinese folk legend, the red plum blossom became popular in the Tang dynasty under the influence of Shangguan Wan'er. Shangguan Wan'er had her face ruined by

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

with a scar on the forehead, and as a result, she tattooed a red plum blossom around her scar and dyed it red taking inspiration to the plum blossom makeup created by Princess Shouyang. The red plum blossom not only covered her scar but also made her look more beautiful and charming, which in turn made the makeup popular from the palace ladies to the common folk turning it into a representative makeup of the Tang dynasty. This became known as (). In the

, the could also be painted or made of tiny pieces of metal, such as gold or silver foil. Other materials such as paper, fish scales or dragonfly wings were also used to make the . During this period, there were more than 10 variations of plum blossoms which were used as facial adornment. Bird, snake and lead-shaped decorations were also popular. During the prosperous period of the

and the

, the reached high up to the two sides of the nose, and they were shaped in the form of coins, peaches, birds, and flowers. File:Anonymous-Astana Graves Courtesan1 (red powder).jpg, Courtesan with huadian on forehead, Tang dynasty File:Anonymous-Astana Graves Dancer chop.jpg, A Tang dynasty woman File:A T'ang Dynasty Woman 1.jpg, A Tang dynasty woman File:Five Dynasties makeup.jpg, Woman wearing huadian on forehead and mianye,

Five dynasties The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China. Five Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states quickly succeeded ...

period.

Song dynasty

In 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 ...

, embellished with pearls became popular. File:《浣月圖》局部.jpg, Woman applying huadian in the shape of a flower File:B Song Dynasty Empress of Qinzong 01.jpg, Song Dynasty Empress of Qinzong wearing pearl huadian. File:B Song Dynasty Empress of Yingzong.JPG, Empress of Yingzong wearing pearl huadian.

21st century

In the 21st century, the typically do not appear on women's face as daily makeup. However, the traditional pattern design of is still used in the designs of contemporary wedding accessories and large shows. The is also used as a form of makeup for women when wearing

. It is also depicted in many

Chinese television drama Chinese television dramas ( Simplified Chinese: 中国电视连续剧), sometimes colloquially known as C-dramas, are television dramas originating from China or the Greater China region. China produces more television dramas than any other country ...

. Nowadays, the can either be painted or be applied on the face in the form of commercialized

temporary tattoos A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

Not to be confused with

* Bindi *

Tilaka In Dharmic culture, the ''tilaka'' ( sa, तिलक) () is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna chakra, or sometimes another part of the body such as the neck, hand, chest or arm. ''Tilaka'' may be worn daily or for ...

Urna In Buddhist art and culture, the Urna (more correctly ūrṇā or ūrṇākośa (Pāli uṇṇa), and known as in Chinese) is a spiral or circular dot placed on the forehead of Buddhist images as an auspicious mark. It symbolizes a third eye, ...

References

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing Chinese clothing

Clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...