Chinese hairpin
Hairpins are an important symbol in Chinese culture, and are associated with many Chinese cultural traditions and customs. They were also used as every day hair ornaments in ancient China; all Chinese women would wear a hairpin, regardless of their social rank. The materials, elaborateness of the hairpin's ornaments, and the design used to make the hairpins were markers of the wearer's social status. 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. Prior to the establishment of the Qing  dynasty, both men and women coiled their hair into a bun using a . There were many varieties of hairpin, many having their own names to denote specific styles, such as , , , and . Cultural. Burials. During the Chinese funeral period, women in mourning were not allowed to wear hairpins. ceremony. played an important role in the coming-of age of Han Chinese women. Before the age of 15 years old, women did not use hairpins, and always kept their hair in braids. When a woman turned 15, she stopped wearing braids, and a hairpin ceremony called (), or "hairpin initiation", would be held  to mark the rite of passage. During the ceremony, their hair would be coiled into a bun with a hairpin. After the ceremony, the woman would be eligible for marriage. 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. After the wedding, the husband would then return the hairpin to his newly-wed wife by placing it back in her hair. Separation and reunion love token. The hairpin 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. Similarly, when married couples were separated for a long period of time, they would break a hairpin in two and each keep one part. 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. Design and construction. Materials. Initially, Chinese people liked hairpins which were made out of bone and jade. Hairpins which were made  out of carved jade appeared in China as early as the Neolithic Period (), along with jade carving technology. Some ancient Chinese hairpins dating from the Shang dynasty can still be found in some museums. 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. Some ancient Chinese hairpins dating back to 300 BC were made from bone, horn, wood, and metal. 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. Many of these wooden hairpins were then coated with silver. 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. Decorations. Hairpins could also be decorated with gemstones, as well as designs of flowers, dragons, and phoenixes. Types. There are various types of Chinese hairpins: The was an elaborate and exquisite form of hairpin which denoted noble status. It was generally made of gold and was often decorated with jewels (such as pearls and jade) and carved designs (such as in the  shape of dragons or phoenix). It looked similar to a , but one of its main characteristics is its dangling features, which gave it its name (lit. "shake as you go" or "that sway with each step" or "step shake"). The became popular in the Western Han dynasty. The is a type of hairpin with double or multiple pins. The double-pin evolved from the ; it was frequently found in Chinese poetry and literature as it played an important symbol and as a love token. hairpin. The hairpin, also known as "kingfisher feather hairpin", were made using the traditional Chinese art  of . Flower-hairpin headdresses. The Flower-hairpin headdresses is a generic term which was used to refer to the jewellery and headdresses worn by the Song dynasty Empresses and imperial concubines. The Flower-hairpin headdresses were decorated with flower hairpins. Different numbers of flowers were used depending on the imperial consorts' ranks and specific imperial rules were issued on their usage. Known as the "gold cicada on a jade leaf" hairpin, or (a homonym for the Chinese idiom "one of noble birth"), a type of Ming dynasty hairpin in the shape of a cicada made of gold sitting on a  piece of jade carved in the shape of a leaf. Phoenix hairpin. Phoenix hairpin originated in Qin dynasty and had an upper part made of gold and silver while the feet was made of tortoise shell; it later evolved into the "fengguan" during the Song dynasty. The "fengguan" then continued to evolve further in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and in the modern republic. In the Han dynasty, an imperial edict decreed that the hairpin with "fenghuang" decorations had to become the formal headpiece for the empress dowager and the imperial grandmother. The is a Chinese hairpin worn by women  in the Ming dynasty in their hair bun; the upper part of the hairpin was usually in the shape of a Buddhist statue, an immortal, a Sanskrit word, or a phoenix. The Chinese character (, "longevity") could also be used to decorate the hairpin. The is a type of hairpin with a single pin. The zan could also come in different styles such as: