Chinese hairpin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Two styles of Chinese hairpin, zan and chai. | |
| Type | Traditional Chinese hairpin |
|---|---|
| Material | Diverse |
| Place of origin | China, at least since the Neolithic Hemudu culture (5500 BC to 3300 BC) |
Ji (Chinese: 筓; pinyin: jī) (also known as fàzān (髮簪), zānzi (簪子) or zān (簪))[1][2] and chāi (钗) are generic terms for hairpin in China.[3] Ji (with the same character of 笄) is also the term used for hairpins of the Qin dynasty.[4] The earliest form of Chinese hair stick was found in the Neolithic Hemudu culture relics; the hair stick was called ji (笄), and were made from bones, horns, stones, and jade.[5]
Hairpins are an important symbol in Chinese culture,[1] and are associated with many Chinese cultural traditions and customs.[6] They were also used as every day hair ornaments in ancient China;[3] all Chinese women would wear a hairpin, regardless of their social rank.[7] The materials, elaborateness of the hairpin's ornaments, and the design used to make the hairpins were markers of the wearer's social status.[1][6] Hairpins could be made out of various materials, such as jade, gold, silver, ivory, bronze, bamboo, carved wood, tortoiseshell and bone, as well as others.[3][8][1][9]
Prior to the establishment of the Qing dynasty, both men and women coiled their hair into a bun using a ji.[3] There were many varieties of hairpin, many having their own names to denote specific styles, such as zan, ji, chai, buyao and tiaoxin.[10][3][11]
Burials
During the Chinese funeral period, women in mourning were not allowed to wear hairpins.[1]
Ji ceremony
Ji played an important role in the coming-of age of Han Chinese women.[1][4] Before the age of 15 years old, women did not use hairpins, and always kept their hair in braids.[1] When a woman turned 15, she stopped wearing braids, and a hairpin ceremony called Ji Li, or "hairpin initiation", would be held to mark the rite of passage.[3][1][6][4] During the ceremony, their hair would be coiled into a bun with a ji hairpin.[1][4] After the ceremony, the woman would be eligible for marriage.[3][6][4]
Hairpins as a love token
Betrothal and wedding customs
When engaged to be married, Chinese women would take the hairpin from their hair and give it to their male fiancé.[1] After the wedding, the husband would then return the hairpin to his newly-wed wife by placing it back in her hair.[1]
Separation and reunion love token
The chai hairpin[12] also used to be a form of love token; when lovers were forced to break apart, they would often break a hairpin in half, and each would keep half of the hairpin until they were reunited.[3]
Similarly, when married couples were separated for a long period of time, they would break a hairpin in two and each keep one part.[1] If they were to meet again in the future, they would then put the hairpin together again, as a proof of their identity and as a symbol of their reunion.[1]
Design and construction
Materials
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Initially, Chinese people liked hairpins which were made out of bone and jade.[13] Hairpins which were made out of carved jade appeared in China as early as the Neolithic Period (c. 3000–1500 BC), along with jade carving technology.[7] Some ancient Chinese hairpins dating from the Shang dynasty can still be found in some museums.[14]
By the Bronze Age, hairpins which were made out of gold had been introduced into China by people living on the country's Northern borders.[13] Some ancient Chinese hairpins dating back to 300 BC were made from bone, horn, wood, and metal.[8]
The art of engraving wood first appeared in the Tang dynasty, and this new form of art was then applied to large wooden Chinese hairpins.[15] Many of these wooden hairpins were then coated with silver.[15]
In the Ming dynasty, the hairpins became more elaborate, and the carvings were made on silver, ivory, and jade, with pearl being used often as a setting.[15]
Decorations
Hairpins could also be decorated with gemstones, as well as designs of flowers, dragons, and phoenixes.[8]
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