August 28, 2016 – Chinese Style Jewelry

Chinese Hairstyles Through the Dynasties

Youtube Channel Off the Great Wall

access date : 28th August 2016

While this video is not a 100% accurate historical documentation, it gives an idea of how important hairstyle is in Chinese history.

Hair carries significant meaning in Chinese culture, it reflects your identity, status, your religions, and your political stands. With changing of ruling parties, the hairstyle changes as well. For example, when Qing dynasty(1644-1912) took over Ming dynasty(1368-1644), The emperor of Qing enforced the policy of cutting hair.

mens' hairstyles in different times of Chinese History Source from DNA.Yoka http://www.yoka.com/dna/d/328/556.html Last access 28th August 2016 — mens’ hairstyles in different times of Chinese History
Source from DNA.Yoka
http://www.yoka.com/dna/d/328/556.html
Last access 28th August 2016

It was so important the policy stated “Keep your hair and lose your head, keep your head and lose your hair”.

As for women, it is said that only married women are supposed to bun all the hair up. For single ladies they are supposed to let some hair down.

Also, cutting hair could be an offense in Chinese Culture, as people believed that your body are all the gifts from your parents, damaging your body equals to insulting your parents, which is unfilial. Cutting of hair can be seen as a punishment or humiliation.

There was a historically documented event in Qing Dynasty, between Queen Consort Ulanara乌喇那拉氏 and Emperor Qianlong 乾隆皇帝(1711-1799), during 1765. Ulanara was the sencond Queen Consort of Emperor Qianlong, after the first 孝贤纯皇后Queen Consort Xiaoxianchun(Emperess Xiaoxianchun) passed away.

Empress Ulanara, the Step Empress of Emperor Qian-long Imperial Painter-The Palace Museum Mid 18h Century Source: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B8%85%E9%AB%98%E5%AE%97%E7%BB%A7%E7%9A%87%E5%90%8E last access 28th August — Empress Ulanara, the Step Empress of Emperor Qian-long
Imperial Painter-The Palace Museum
Mid 18h Century
Source: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B8%85%E9%AB%98%E5%AE%97%E7%BB%A7%E7%9A%87%E5%90%8E
last access 28th August

Queen Consort Ulanara protested against Emperor Qianlong on his decision to appoint an Imperial Noble Consort upon a girl(*see more details below). As cutting hair is normally only performed when someone’s parents or spouse pass away, or some important figure passes away, it representing the virtual death of oneself, as to accompany the dead. The protest was so intense that Emperor Qianlong and his Queen Mother(Empress Dowager) abolished Queen Consort Ulanara into the Cold Palace(**see explanations below). Because of this incidence, Queen Consort Ulanara was never treated fairly and respected by Empreror Qianlong. After she passed away in 1766, one year after the incidence, Emperor Qianlong degraded her funeral scale and standard, and banned her from being buried in royal tombs. Even 13 years after the event, Emperor Qianlong still hasn’t forgiven her.

Relevant resource: (In Chinese) start at 19’20”

Youtube Channel CCTV Culture Official (By China Central Television)

20140606 百家讲坛清十二帝后宫疑案6 乾隆帝爱恨交加的三个女人

Access date: 28th August 2016

As we can see hair and hairstyle have great meaning in Chinese history. Although in modern times, hairstyle is, in most cases, a personal preference, and cutting hair is not a sin or an offence anymore(maybe in some religions), we definitely have more freedom in deciding how long we want our hair to be and how often we want to style it. However, the idea of hair accessories can still bring up some Chinese traditions and stories. Incorporating hair accessories into my jewelry design can be a good direction to look at. Combining what I have mentioned in previous post regarding Chinese wedding customs, hair accessories can also play up and down, for different occasions, for different hairstyles.

*The hierarchies of Emperors wives in Chinese History, Qing Dynasty

There are strict rules regarding the hierarchies of Emperor’s wife in Qing Dynasty. From the highest ranking to the lowest ranking, and the maximum number of persons allowed for each title are listed below: (Translation may vary)

皇后 Queen Consort x 1

皇贵妃 Imperial Noble Consort x 1

贵妃 Noble Consort x 2

妃 Consort x 4

嫔 Dame x 6

贵人 Noble Lady x unlimited

常在 Attendant x unlimited

答应 Repliant x unlimited

Generally, Emperor will respect Queen Consort and do not appoint Imperial Noble Consort as this may make the Queen Consort feel intimidated or threatened, which is why Queen Consort Ulanara was so raged at Emperor Qianlong’s decision.

References:

Translation of titles: http://www.guokr.com/question/482351/ last access 28th August 2016

Hierarchies and number limits: http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/10825806.html last access 28th August 2016

** The Cold Palace:

Also known as Limbo. A representation of the place in the Forbidden City where Emperors put his abandoned, abolished or unwanted wives to spend rest of their life. Usually it means the Emperor has lost interests in them or wants to punish them for their wrong doings.

The Cold Palace is not a specific palace in the Forbidden city, it symbolizes a situation where emperor does not want to pay attention to the wife anymore, and do not entitle the wife to have the welfare that she used to have. This includes less maids servicing her. Once the wife is put into the Cold Palace, it is equals to taking away all her titles in the hierarchy although it may not be officially announced. It is very commonly seen in Chinese drama and novels.

reference:

http://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%86%B7%E5%AE%AB/33482

last access 28th August 2016

To make Chinese related Jewelry, I need to understand the role of jewelry in China. At the beginning, jewelries are solely meant for ceremonial and religion purposes in China, they are the items of superstitions and worships. Only later it became accessories.

To make my jewelries “Chinese”, I decide to understand more about Chinese culture. However, if the purpose of the jewelry is designed too specific to one type of culture, meaning the non-Chinese people are totally not relatable, the design outcome would be very narrow. As such, wedding tradition can be a good aspect to start with. Wedding is related to most of people regardless of race and religions. A jewelry can reflects certain Chinese wedding culture, and yet it can be simply a decorative accessory. It can be worn on and off Chinese wedding. And for other races who do not perform Chinese traditions, can wear it for the auspicious meaning or just the appearance.

At brainstorming stage of my FYP, I am considering designing a set of jewelry that reflects different occasions in Chinese Traditions. It can be wedding, which is more formal, flamboyant; or daily jewelry which is more subtle.

Here is a short video briefly introduces Chinese Wedding Traditions.

https://youtu.be/sEeKobHJP00

Chinese Wedding Customs(三书六礼-Three Letters & Six Etiquettes)

YouTube Channel “Off the Great Wall’

Published date: 7th July 2013

Accessed date: 28th August 2016

One of the most important factors defining Chinese people, or Malay, or Indian, are the traditions and customs we practice. Although many of us do not perform the entire tradition nowadays, there are still some simplified traditions we practice. Such as wedding traditions.

Generally, the modern Chinese do not perform the whole “three letters and six Etiquettes” in marriage, some steps such as presenting wedding gift, fetching the brides, or even calculating birth date and time are not uncommon.

The major procedures in a traditional Chinese wedding “Three Letters and Six Etiquettes”

1, 纳采 na cai-sending match-makers to negotiate with the bride’s family, like the modern proposal. However, in ancient China, the groom side only need to negotiate with bride’s parents instead of the bride herself. The match-maker represents the groom’s family and will bring along around 30 items as gift, among which there is one pair of live goose symbolizing ‘one and only love’.

2, 问名 wen ming- Birthday-matching.

Sheng Chen Ba Zi Birth Date & Time, Source from Zi Zhu Xuan Fengshui website: http://yew-fengshui.com/totalweb/design/yewfengshui/index.asp?menuid=229 Last access 28th August 2016

If both family agrees, they will take both the girl and the boy’s 生辰八字(Birth Date & Time) to a fortune teller and calculate to see if they are a heaven’s match. This is getting the heaven’s approval on the marriage.

3, 纳吉 na ji-Broom will confirm the marriage by giving the brides’s family the first letter 聘书 the Betrothal Letter, with their birthdays written on it. Also, the groom will give the bride betrothal gifts.

4, 纳徵 na zheng, or 过大礼 guo da li-Presenting the wedding gifts.

Betrothal gifts Source from The Chinese Wedding Shop Website http://www.thechineseweddingshop.com.sg/packages.html Last access 28th August 2016

Groom’s family will send all the gifts to the bride’s home listed in the second letter 礼书 the gift letter. Each gift signifies something auspicious. Guo Da Li is a very important step in Chinese marriages as it signifies the promises of the groom’s family to the bride’s family. After which bride’s family will 回礼 hui li-Return the gift. This is to thanks groom’s family so they will return half of the gifts back to them. Bride’s family will also give groom’s family some other items, such as bride’s handmade items to groom as a gift.

5, 请亲 qing qin-The two families will arrange a wedding date according to Tung Shing for an auspicious date.

6, 亲迎 qin ying-The Wedding Ceremony.

Ying Qin Fetching the bride Source from Mojingshuo blog post http://www.mojingshuo.com/topic-2564.html Last access 28th August 2016

The Groom will come to the bride’s house to give them the last letter 迎书 the wedding letter. Groom picks up the bride and then go through the wedding customs at the groom’s house, wedding ceremony and dinner.

Some of the ideas I obtained from this video:

-letters. The three letters are of great importance, like the modern contract, ROM, marriage certificate.

-Gifts. Must have auspicious meaning. The live goose is a very interesting point might be considered in my design.

-Birth date & Time. This varies from individuals, maybe can be a customized part in my jewelry? So to make the jewelry uniquely MINE.

-Commonly know items in Chinese traditional wedding are dates 枣zao, peanuts 花生hua sheng, logan 桂圆gui yuan, lotus seeds 莲子lian zi—Adding up together is 枣生贵子 zao-sheng-gui-zi, which means “Giving birth to a son soon”.

Zao Sheng Gui Zi source from Ipeen website post by 裸斯妈 http://www.ipeen.com.tw/comment/960422 Last access 28th August 2016 — Zao Sheng Gui Zi
source from Ipeen.com website post by 裸斯妈
http://www.ipeen.com.tw/comment/960422
Last access 28th August 2016

This is to express the good wills for the marriage as giving birth to son is a very important, auspicious event in a Chinese marriage. This can give some inspiration to me as well.

Day: August 28, 2016

Chinese Hairtyles and Its Significance

researches on Chinese traditions-wedding