(), 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, 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-spea ...

in China. 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 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 imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

and was popular from the late Ming to the end of the Republic of China 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 A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

in winter, or a

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

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 fores ...

or similar materials in summer, both with a button on the top. The button or knob would become a finial 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'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

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 ...

); 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 ...

); 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 "sa ...

); 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, macro ...

); sixth grade, solid white ball (originally mother of pearl). 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