Guan Li
The Guan Li () is the Confucian coming of age ceremony. According to the Book of Rites (also known as "Li Ji"), it is only after the coming of age ceremonies that young people could call themselves adults and could share social responsibilities. The name Guan Li refers to the ritual ceremony for men, while the Ji Li () refers to the one for women. The Guan Li and Ji Li have important symbolic meaning for the Han Chinese. Both of these ceremonies are key Confucian rites, and are part of the "four rites", along with marriage, mourning rites, and  sacrificial rituals. The Guan Li and the Ji Li ceremony can be performed by people of any social class; however, rich people were more likely to hold the ceremony than poor people. In the 20th century, these ceremonies slowly phased out, but there has been a recent resurgence of interest, especially in those who are interested in Confucian traditions and Hanfu. Since 2010, large Guan Li ceremonies have taken place each year at Wenmiao, in Taiyuan, Shanxi. History. The Guan Li and the Ji Li ceremony appeared in China in ancient times, prior to the Qin era. Some philosophical texts  dating from the Zhou dynasty and Warring States period provide some evidence for the Guanli ceremony, for example in the Analects of Confucius and by texts written by Mencius. The Guanli ceremony can also be found in the Han Shu. Guan Li Ceremony. The Guanli is also known as the "capping" ceremony. Guan (冠) is sometimes translated as crown or cap. As a coming of age ceremony, the Guan Li ceremony marks the passage of man from childhood to adulthood. It is only after the Guan Li ceremony that a man is considered an adult and can be given adult  responsibilities and rights; for example, a man could become the heir of his family, get married, inherit a business, and participate in other aspects of society. Age. The Guanli ceremony typically occurs when a man reaches 20 years old. Location and organization of ceremony. The ceremony takes place in the young man's ancestral temple on a carefully chosen date, which was considered auspicious, and it was organized by a respectable senior relative of the young man. It could also be done by the eastern stairs (which was the entrance typically used by the master of the house) if the  boy was a son by the proper wife, to symbolize that he was in the succession line. On the day of the ceremony, many guests were invited, including the parents of the young man, the master of the ceremony, and an assistant. Procedures of Guan Li ceremony. The procedures of ceremony occur through the following steps: Ji Li Ceremony. The Ji Li is the equivalent of Guanli; it is also known as the "hairpin ceremony". It marks the transition from childhood to adulthood of a woman. It is only after the Ji Li ceremony that a woman is considered an  adult and is therefore eligible to be married. Age. The Ji Li ceremony occurs when a girl is engaged or if she is getting married. However, it typically takes place when a young girl reaches the age of 15 even if the girl is not engaged or married. If the young girl was still not betrothed at the age of 20, the Ji li ceremony had to be performed again. Procedures of Ji Li ceremony. The procedure of the Ji Li ceremony occur through the following steps: After the Ji Li ceremony, women had to learn how to be proper  wives; these learning including the proper manner of speech and dress. They also had to learn needlework.