| Guan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 冠 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Hat/ cap/ crown | ||||||
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Guan (Chinese:冠;pinyin:guān), literally translated ashat orcap orcrown in English,[1] is a general term which refers to a type ofheadwear inHanfu which covers a small area of the upper part of the head instead of the entire head.[2]: 16 Theguan was typically a formal form of headwear which was worn together with its corresponding court dress attire.[3] There weresumptuary laws which regulated the wearing ofguan; however, these laws were not fixed; and thus, they would differ from dynasty to dynasty.[4] There were various forms and types ofguan.[2]: 16
In ancient China, there were various forms of headwear, which includedguān (冠; 'crown', 'hat', 'cap'),mao (帽; 'hat/cap'),jin (巾; 'kerchief'),ze (幘; 'turban'), andmian (冕; 'crown').[5]: 6
The code of wearingguan forms a crucial aspect of theHanfu system.[4] According to philosopherWang Chong inLunheng;
"衣服，貨也。如以加之於形爲尊重，在身之物，莫大於冠" ("Clothes fall under commodities. Should they rank higher, for being on the body, then nothing worn on the body is more important than the [guan].")[6]
In ancient China, Han Chinese men had to undergo a capping ceremony calledGuan Li as theircoming of age ceremony where a guan was placed on their head by a respected elder.[7][4] TheGuan Li started by the nobles of theZhou dynasty and eventually spread to the civilians.[7] TheGuan Li was eventually forcefully ended during theQing dynasty.[7]
When worn together withfú (服; 'clothes'), aguan can form a set of attire calledguānfú (冠服; 'hat and clothes'); this set of attire could be used as an indicator of its wearer's social status, age, occupation, and educational background.[7]
As the characterguān (冠; 'crown/hat/cap') is a homonym another Chinese character pronouncedguān (官; 'official') which literally means official; theguan (冠) became the symbol of officials.[8]: 167
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In the early history ofguan,sumptuary laws regulated the wearing ofguan based on one's social status; as such, the poor people with a low social status were forbidden from the wearing ofguan.[4] These laws, however, varied from dynasty to dynasty.[4]
As recorded inRites of Zhou andBook of Rites, clothing became one of the principles of rites and ceremony, henceguan became a foundational item for etiquette and ritual.[9] During theZhou dynasty, the main types ofguan used weremianguan andbianguan (弁冠).[10]: 98–99 Themianguan was the highest rank of guan and could only be worn by the rulers, the feudal lords and nobles in sacrificial ceremonies, such as the Heaven worshipping ceremony and the ancestors worshipping ceremony, and in conferring ceremony.[10]: 98–99 Themianguan followed strict regulations based on social hierarchy with the number of beads tassels indicating the ranks of its wearer; for example, the Emperor wore twelve beads tassels while the lowest rank officials wore only two beads tassels.[10]: 99 Thebianguan was the second highestguan after themianguan and was divided into two types:quebian andpibian.[10]: 99 Thequebian was red and black in colour.[10]: 99 Thepibian was decorated with 12 beams of white deer-skin, had an arched top, wide edges, and was decorated with many colourfuljades in its seams.[10]: 99
During theWarring States period,King Wuling of Zhao adopted thehufuqishe policy and ahufu-styleguan, which looks similar to the conical hat of theScythians, was adopted.[11] King Wuling'shufu-styleguan was less pointy than the actual Scythian hat and he decorated his hat with amarten tail to denote his noble status.[11] The King of Qin later give thehufu-styleguan of King Wuling to his servant as an insult to King Wuling after the latter had destroyed the regime of the Zhao state.[11]King Huiwen of Zhao later wore the samehufu-styleguan as his father, King Wuling; and therefore this type ofguan was namedzhàohuìwénguān (趙惠文冠; 'Crown of King Huiwen of Zhao').[11] Many years later, thezhaohuiwenguan evolved into the military cap calledwǔguān (武冠; 'military cap').[note 1][11]
Awuguan decorated withpheasant feathers became known ashéguān ('long-tailed pheasant hat') by theHan dynasty;[12] theheguan was first worn in the state of Zhao to distinguish military officers during the Warring States period.[13]: 293 Theheguan was possibly derived from thehufu-styleguan adopted by King Wuling throughhufuqishe policy.[12] The snow pheasant (鶡;hé) was a symboll of martial valour and courage, since snow pheasants would fight their opponents until death.[13]: 293
In theQin dynasty, theheguan continued to be worn to distinguish military officers; by that time onward, the use ofheguan had spread throughout the whole empire.[13]: 293
In theHan dynasty, only people from distinguished background were allowed to wearguan.[2]: 16 During this period, there were many forms ofguan, such astongtianguan worn by the Emperor,yuanyouguan worn by dukes and princes;jinxianguan worn by the civil officials, andwuguan (武冠) worn by the military officials.[2]: 16 Theheguan was decorated with two pheasant feathers on either sides and was worn by specialized member of the Han dynasty military.[12]
Emperor Wendi of Sui established a new attire system by basing himself on the system of theCao Wei,Western Jin, andNorthern Qi dynasties; however theSui dynasty system was incomplete.[14]: 132 It was underEmperor Yangdi that more reforms took place in accordance with the ancient traditions and that the appearance of the ritual headwear were reformed.[14]: 133
Themianguan continued to be worn by the Emperor Yangdi.[14]: 133 He also worebianguan (弁冠) which was distinguished by a gold mountain-symbol calledboshan (博山).[14]: 134 He also wore another kind ofguan calledwubian (武弁), which was lighter and simpler in terms of designs when compared to themianguan.[14]: 133 Thewubian was traditionally worn by the military officials, and it was derived from thebianguan which was worn by the court officials.[14]: 133 Thewubian became the favouriteguan of the Emperor Yangdi when he went on cuttings; such as hunting trips, military expeditions, and other related ceremonies.[14]: 133 He also allowed his ministers and the other government officials (military and civil officials) to wear thewubian.[14]: 134
Thejinxianguan (進賢冠) was worn by the civil officials at the court.[14]: 134 The court censors wore thequefeiguan (卻非冠) under the reign of Emperor Wendi as their official headgear, but it was later replaced by thexiezhiguan (獬豸冠) by Emperor Yangdi which would distinguish its wearer's rank through the use of various materials.[note 2][14]: 134
In theTang dynasty, theguan was replaced by thefutou in the official clothing system.[2]: 17
In theSong dynasty, the Emperor wore thetongtianguan while the crown prince woreyuanyouguan (遠遊冠).[15]: 91 Theguan was worn by the literati which continued the long tradition.[5]: 8 It was also generally worn by thejunzi and those who were dedicated to adhere to the ancient courtesies and etiquette.[5]: 8–9 Some literati would also wear thexiaoguan (小冠; 'small crown') on summer days in order to not expose their topknot.[5]: 8–9 Under the reign ofEmperor Huizong, all Confucian temples were ordered to upgrade their images ofConfucius by adding amianguan with 12 beaded-tassels on its depictions.[16]: 807
In theMing dynasty, theguan was only reserved to the Emperor and the members of the royal family; they were only suitable on formal occasions.[2]: 18 The emperor woreyishanguan (翼善冠).[note 3][2]: 18
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