(), also referred as the Official hats of the Qing dynasty, Qing official headwear, and Mandarin hat in English, is a generic term which refers to the types of (), a

headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...

, worn by the officials 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 ...

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 ...

. The typically forms of part of the system as opposed to the system and were completely different from the types of used in the previous dynasties. There were various form of , and some were designed to be worn based on the winter or summer seasons; while others used varieties of decorations and adornment, such as the use of

peacock feathers ''Peacock Feathers'' is a 1925 American drama film directed by Svend Gade and written by James O. Spearing and Svend Gade. It is based on a 1924 novel of the same name by Temple Bailey. The film stars Jacqueline Logan, Cullen Landis, Ward Cr ...

which could vary between one and three peacock eyes; these peacock feathers were bestowed by the Emperor to his officials who had accomplished meritorious services and the greatest number of peacock eyes represents the highest honour bestowed.

Types of

() was a type of daily hat worn by the officials of the

; however, it actually dated from the late

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 ...

and was popular from the late Ming to the end of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

period. The was mostly black in colour and was made of 6 separate pieces and was therefore also called the "six-in-one hat"; it was made out of gauze in summer and autumn while damask was used in spring and winter seasons. The inside of the hat however was red in colour; there was a knot on the top of the hat which was typically made of red threads. When worn by common people, the knot is however black in colour and when there are funerals, the knot is white in colour.

() was the official hat worn by civil officials in the Qing dynasty during the winter seasons.

() was the official hat worn by the officials in the Qing dynasty during the summer seasons; it was a typical form of Manchu headwear items in .

Construction and design

It consisted of a black

velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

cap in winter, or a hat woven in

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed-canopy old-growth tropical forests of ...

or similar materials in summer, both with a button on the top. The button or knob would become a

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

during formal court ceremonies held by the Emperor.

Jewelries and accessories

Officials would have to change their tops on the hat, for non-formal ceremonies or daily businesses. Red silk tassels extended down from the finial to cover the hat, and a large

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

feather (with one to three "eyes") could be attached to the back of the hat, should the merit of wearing it have been granted by the emperor. The colour and shape of the finial depended on the wearer's grade: * The royalty and nobility used various numbers of

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

s. * An officer of the first grade wore a translucent red ball (originally

ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...

); second grade, solid red ball (originally

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

); third grade, translucent blue ball (originally

sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...

); fourth grade, solid blue ball; fifth grade, translucent white ball (originally

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

); sixth grade, solid white ball (originally

mother of pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

). Officers of the seventh to ninth grade wore gold or clear amber balls of varied designs.

Gallery

File:Portrait of the Imperial Bodyguard Zhanyinbao.jpg, First Grade Bodyguards, Janggimboo, the Hūrca Baturu wearing a Qing style headwear (winter form) File:Prince Yine.JPG, Portrait of Prince Yine of Qing dynasty wearing a Qing style headwear (winter form) File:Sing Bo-ting.jpg, Shen Baozhen, a Qing official wearing a Qing style headwear (summer form)

Notes

References