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Wangjin is a kind of traditional headgear worn by adult men in theChineseMing Dynasty. In ancient China, thewangjin was usually made out of fibres or horsetail or could be made out of mixed fabrics such as silk or linen. The Koreanmanggeon of theJoseon period was a derivative of thewangjin and was introduced to Joseon during the Ming dynasty. Similar head-wears to thewangjin was also worn during the from theLater Lê dynasty to theNguyễn dynasty ofVietnam and in theRyukyu Kingdom.
According to the legend, the earliest people who worewangjin wereTaoist priests. One day, theHongwu Emperor of theMing dynasty wore common clothes to visit the folk and he saw a Taoist priest wearingwangjin on top of his head. The emperor asked what it was, to which the priest answered:
"This iswangjin. Wear it on top of your head, then your hair will gather together" (ref. "此曰網巾. 裹以頭, 則萬髮俱齊").
The emperor was very satisfied with the answer that also referred to uniting the country. After the emperor returned to his palace, he ordered all the men in the country, from the emperor to the common man, to wearwangjin. Since then, thewangjin has become the commonheadgear of adult men in the entire country.
Wang Bu, a man from theQing dynasty, once introduced thewangjin as something that looks like a fishing net. The two borders are adorned with two small circles made of gold, jade or copper and tin. Tie small ropes at each end of the side, cross in two circles, tie the top to the forehead, and make the side and eyebrows flush. There are also many styles ofwangjin. In the Wanli period of the Ming dynasty, people began to use fallen hair and horsehair instead of silk to makewangjin.[1]
During the collapse of the Ming dynasty, theManchu emperor of the Qing dynasty ordered all men to shave their forehead under theTifayifu policy, the use ofwangjin inChina came to an end.
Nowadays, historians and the people interested in Chinese history research ancient books and historical relics to restore various forms of thewangjin.
