Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms original: 三才圖會 Sancai Tuhui

Clothing, Volume 38

Page Eight

Crowns

original: 冠 Guan

The Records of Rituals original: 一儀實錄 Yiyi Shilu states: Since the time the Yellow Emperor A legendary sovereign and cultural hero of Chinese mythology created crowns and ceremonial caps, women's head ornaments lacked established patterns or decorative styles. Until the Zhou dynasty, these were nothing more than head-wraps made of wide bamboo sheaths. It was only during the Han dynasty that women of the palace who received imperial favor were first granted "Green Tortoiseshell Hibiscus Crowns." Thus, such specialized items began with the Han.

Hair Buns

original: 髻 Ji

The Records state: The women of the Suiren clan The mythical discoverers of fire were the first to bind their hair into buns. Eventually, the ornaments used by queens evolved into "accessories and braids" original: 副編 Fu bian; complex hairpieces and supplemental braids used in high ceremonial dress. The scholar Zheng Xuan noted that in the capital region, these were known as "false buns" early forms of wigs or hairpieces used to add volume and height.

Hairpins

original: 釵 Chai; specifically refers to two-pronged hairpins

The Records state: The Suiren clan first created the hair bun. The daughter of the goddess Nüwa used thorn branches and bamboo to make single-pronged pins original: 笄 ji to pierce and secure the hair. By the era of Emperor Yao, these were made of copper and inserted horizontally. Emperor Shun favored ivory and tortoiseshell. Guo Xian’s Record of Penetrating the Mysteries original: 洞冥記 Dongming Ji, a 1st-century collection of Han dynasty legends states: In the first year of the Yuanding era (116 BCE), a divine woman visited Emperor Wu of Han and left behind a jade hairpin. Because of this, the palace ladies began to craft them for themselves.

Jade Hairpins