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@classicnet test 3: women of color in myths

While Xihe gave birth to suns, Changxi bore twelve unique moon daughters that would complete a full journey across the heavens every day. Together, Xihe and Changxi are a representation of yin yang.

They’re using each other’s parasol it’s so cute

Just for an additional question, was it true that Han women tied their hair in a braid before their coming-of-age ceremony? (Where which they had their hair tied in a knot, etc.)

Hi, thanks for the question!

No, Han women did not tie their hair in a braid before their Ji Li/笄礼, the female coming-of-age ceremony held at the age of 15 (sometimes the ceremony was held when the woman reached 20, but never later). Before the ceremony, they mainly wore their hair in double buns or loops, one on each side of the head. Here are four of some of the most common pre-Ji Li hairstyles for Han girls:

- 双丫髻/Shuang Ya Ji (Double Maiden Bun): This hairstyle symbolized youth, and was almost exclusively worn by girls who were 15 years old and younger. The style consists of two buns atop the head, one on the left and one on the right. There’s a tutorial on how to create the style here. Especially common during the Tang - Song dynasties, the Double Maiden Bun was popular in China until the early 20th century, but nowadays only worn with traditional Chinese attire:

- 丱发/Guan Fa: This hairstyle for young girls was popular from the Qin/Han dynasties to the Wei/Jin and Northern & Southern dynasties. The hairstyle consists of a middle part with buns arranged on each side of the head, after which a few strands of hair were pulled out of each bun and left to hang naturally. The hairstyle is shaped like “丱”, hence the name:

- 双平髻/Shuang Ping Ji: This hairstyle involves two buns or loops on each side of the head, again with hair hanging down the sides: 

- 总角/Zong Jiao: This hairstyle, in which the hair is twisted into a bun on each side of the head, was worn by both boys and girls who had not undergone their coming-of-age ceremonies:

After undergoing their coming-of-age ceremonies and/or getting married, women would give up these youthful double bun/loop styles, instead coiling their hair into single buns fixed with jade hairpins, which were considered to be more mature and refined:

Hope this helps!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

@mythologicalnet event - Chinese mythology

“I was taught that goddesses only exist in the heart and in myths. You think women are weak? Women are forged of iron. My body, it has bled and blazed and broken, and yet it beats on. I am iron. A little rusted, perhaps, but still I endure.”

This may seem like a sort of vague question, but what exactly is that type of thin scarf/cloth you see wrapped around the arms and behind the back called? And what is the history of it?

Hi, thanks for the question - it’s not vague at all!

The thin, long scarf that you see worn with hanfu, wrapped around the arms and behind the back, is called pibo/披帛.

Sources state that pibo first appeared sometime around the Qin dynasty (221– 206 BC). It was originally used to protect against wind and cold air, and gradually became an important fashion accessory. There were two types of pibo: one was wider and shorter, used mostly by married women. The other type could be more than two meters in length, and was used mostly by unmarried women. Below - art of historical outfits with pibo from the Tang (1-3), Sui (4), and Song (5) dynasties:

Pibo really came into vogue during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The open, confident culture of the Tang meant that women were eager to utilize accessories to make their appearance and outfits more glamorous. Initially, it was worn by performers and those residing in the palace. After the rise of the Kaiyuan era, it became popular among the common people. Below - historical art depicting pibo from the Sui, Tang, and Five dynasties periods (581–960):

There were many ways of wearing pibo, and each time period had its own popular styles. For example, during the early Tang dynasty, women put pibo directly on their shoulders. During the middle Tang, one end was fixed to the chest, and the other end was draped around the shoulder:

After the Tang dynasty, the pibo gradually became less popular. It fell out of common use during the time of the Song dynasty. Recently, however, with the hanfu revival movement, pibo has been making a comeback as an essential accessory of hanfu. It comes in all sorts of fabrics, styles, and designs:

Pibo is generally only worn with ruqun, and wearing it with other hanfu styles such as quju or aoqun is seen as incongruous (see this post for definitions of hanfu terms). Of course, nowadays people can wear it however they want. For more references, please see my Pibo tag.

Hope this helps!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

How to draw feet by zephy.fr

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Art by Death Burger on Artstation

Music:  Joji - Tick Tock (Official Video)

hi! first of all, thank you so much for spreading culture. Fashion is such an underestimated indicator of history. Since you've also talked about the hanfu revival movement, i wondered if you know of any fashion line that incorporates hanfu elements for both men and women while keeping a western design as well?

Hi, thanks for the question! 

Yes, fashion is a great way to learn about history! For me personally, hanfu has been a segue into understanding many aspects of Chinese history and culture that I previously wasn’t knowledgeable about. 

The type of fashion you’re referring to is called Hanyuansu/汉元素, which means “(clothing with) Han elements”. This includes clothing that incorporates hanfu elements with Western designs, and vice versa. I have a post here with recommendations for hanyuansu fashion lines - please check it out! Since that post covers hanyuansu brands for women, I’ll list some recommendations for men here:

1) Celestial Spring/诗礼春秋 - Sleek, minimalist designs that seamlessly meld hanfu elements with modern silhouettes. Varied colors and fabrics (for example, see denim top above):

2) Mu Han Feng/沐汉风 - The second spin-off label of well-known hanfu brand Chonghui Hantang/重回汉唐, and masculine counterpart to hanyuansu brand Hua Xiao Xia/华小夏. A large variety of designs, with an impressive outerwear collection:

3) Dongting Hanfeng/洞庭漢風 - Comfy, understated designs that are great for casual wear:

As you can see, there aren’t as many hanyuansu options available for men compared to women, but hopefully that will improve.

For more references, please check out my modified hanfu tag. Hope this helps!