[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Song Dynasty(960–1279AD)EmperorTraditional Official Hanfu
The official uniform of the Chinese Song Dynasty emperor in “Serenade of Peaceful Joy”
【Historical Reference Artifacts】:
Portrait of Emperor Taizu (21 March 927 – 14 November 976)of Song Dynasty, kept in the National Palace Museum
Portrait of Emperor Yingzong (16 February 1032 – 25 January 1067) of Song Dynasty, kept in the National Palace Museum
Many people may curious about why the emperors of the Song Dynasty did not wear the classic yellow, but instead wore white or red round-necked robes.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, yellow was exclusively associated with imperial authority. According to the theory of “the Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)"which is Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth, yellow represented the center and symbolized the legitimacy of imperial power. However, during the Song Dynasty, due to political changes, Emperor Taizong decided to shift this tradition and adopt red as the new symbolic color for the dynasty. The court officials supported this change and provided various justifications, such as the theory of fire’s virtue and the idea of red being a color of celebration, among others.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, yellow was exclusively associated with imperial authority. According to the theory of "the Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)"which is Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth, yellow represented the center and symbolized the legitimacy of imperial power. However, during the Song Dynasty, due to political changes, Emperor Taizong decided to shift this tradition and adopt red as the new symbolic color for the dynasty. The court officials supported this change and provided various justifications, such as the theory of fire’s virtue and the idea of red being a color of celebration, among others.
【Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty<Zhao Kuangyin/赵匡胤>】
Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy nameYuanlang, was the founding emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguished military general of the Later Zhou dynasty, Emperor Taizu came to power after staging a coup d'état and forcing Emperor Gong, the last Later Zhou ruler, to abdicate the throne in his favor.
During his reign, Emperor Taizu conquered the states of Southern Tang, Later Shu, Southern Han, and Jingnan, thus reunifying most of China proper. To strengthen his control, he lessened the power of military generals and relied on civilian officials in administration. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong).
Early life
Born in Luoyang to military commander Zhao Hongyin, Zhao Kuangyin grew up excelling in mounted archery. Once, riding an untamed horse without a bridle, he knocked his forehead on the wall above the city gate and fell off, but got right back up and chased the horse, eventually subduing it while going unharmed. In the mid-940s, he married Lady He on his father's arrangement. After wandering around for a few years, in 949 he joined the army of Guo Wei, a jiedushi (military governor) of the Later Han dynasty, and helped Guo quell Li Shouzhen’s rebellion.
Career under Later Zhou（后周）
In 951, Guo Wei rebelled and created the Later Zhou dynasty. Because of his brilliant combat skills, Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to a palace guard commander. Chai Rong (Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou) frequently met Guo Wei and noticed Zhao Kuangyin’s potential. Under his command, Zhao Kuangyin was made into a commander of the cavalry units. Under Chai Rong, Zhao Kuangyin’s rise to power had begun.
This rivalry started when Chai Rong ascended the throne and Liu Chong decided to work with the Liao dynasty. In the initial confrontation, the army’s right flank, led by Fan Aineng (樊愛能) and He Hui (何徽), was defeated. Looking at the situation, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde (張永德) led 4000 elite Palace troops to counter the Liao army. Zhao Kuangyin’s exhortation for the loyalty to the emperor quickly strengthened morale. The small force held off the larger Liao army until reinforcements arrived. In the end, the successful counter repelled the Northern Han back to Taiyuan.
The victory raised Zhao Kuangyin up to the post of the grand commander of the palace guards, as well as reorganising and training them. More importantly, he developed the relations with other generals and officials related to the Chief of Palace, including Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi (王審琦), Yang Guangyi (楊光義), Wang Zhengzhong (王政忠), Liu Qingyi (劉慶義), Liu Shouzhong (劉守忠), Liu Yanrang (劉延讓), Mi Xin (米信), Tian Chongjin (田重進), Pan Mei, his brother Zhao Kuangyi, Shen Yilun (沈義倫), Lu Xuqing, Zhao Pu (趙普), Chu Zhaofu (楚昭輔). Within a few years, Zhao Kuangyin completely controlled the palace guards and even developed a set of officials under him with the people mentioned above.
Soon, he was promoted to a jiedushi (military governor), controlling most of the military power under Chai Rong. Nevertheless, he still had two rivals – Zhang Yongde (Guo Wei’s son-in-law) and Li Chongjin (Guo Wei’s nephew). In 959, after a trap[clarification needed] set by Zhao Kuangyin, Zhang Yongde was demoted. After the death of Chai Rong, the Later Zhou throne was left to his seven-year-old son Guo Zongxun, and the second rival, Li Chongjin, soon found himself lacking the political backing. As a result, Zhao Kuangyin was able to use his influence to transfer Li Chongjin to Yang Prefecture as a jiedushi.
Chenqiao Mutiny/陈桥兵变
Main article: Chenqiao Mutiny20th-century illustration of Zhao Kuangyin being proclaimed emperor by the army of the Later Zhou dynasty.
In 960, word reached the chancellorFan Zhi that Northern Han and Liao dynasties were once again allied to invade them again. Without verifying the reliability of the hearsay, Fan Zhi sent Zhao Kuangyin to combat the alliance. After traveling 40 li, there was a clamour that a "prophet” saw two suns fighting, and that this meant the transfer of the Mandate of Heaven to Zhao Kuangyin. The story effectively spread around the army: there came discontent of the “command” of the young emperor and a shift of loyalty to Zhao Kuangyin. A few days later, when Zhao Kuangyin was drunk in his tent, all the troops had not slept the whole night; they got their weapons and started yelling. Zhao Pu and Zhang Kuangyi, who were guarding the tent, saw the situation and went into the tent to wake up Zhao Kuangyin. When Zhao Kuangyin came out, all the troops yelled, “The army is without a master, we are willing to make the general the new emperor.” Allegedly, Zhao Kuangyin took the power reluctantly, only under the urging of his soldiers. The midnight mutiny of officers forcibly urged Zhao Kuangyin to the throne; but, when the officers presented him to the troops as their new commander-in-chief he refused the imperial nomination until they swore unconditional obedience to him as leader.[6] News of the rebellion soon reached the court and chaos erupted. The only person who thought about a resistance was Han Tong, but he was killed by one of Zhao Kuangyin’s generals when he reached home.
Upon entering the capital to take his seat on the throne, Zhao Kuangyin made an executive order prohibiting the troops from looting the city or otherwise violating the rights of the population.
This coup would allow Zhao Kuangyin to become emperor in 960.With the gates opened for him, he became emperor with no resistance. Before the chancellor Fan Zhi could say anything, one of Zhao Kuangyin’s generals pointed a sword at him and said, “We are without masters. Today, we must have an emperor.” After the officials looked at each other and knew it was hopeless to resist; they all bowed down. With the court under control, Zhao Kuangyin was officially proclaimed emperor. The new dynasty’s name, Song, was inspired by the army Zhao Kuangyin commanded in Song Prefecture.
After the declaration, Zhao Kuangyin sent the dethroned young emperor Guo Zongxun with his mother to the Western Capital (西京). He personally ordered the Zhao family to receive the Chai family into their family’s care for generations.
In 960, Zhao Kuangyin helped reunite most of China proper after the fragmentation and rebellion between the fall of the Tang dynasty in 907 and the establishment of the Song dynasty. The plan set during Chai Rong’s reign was to first conquer the north, then the south. During Emperor Taizu’s reign, there was a change in strategy. He would conquer all the smaller states such as Later Shu, Southern Han and Southern Tang. The exception was the strong Northern Han in the north at Taiyuan supported by the Khitans of the Liao dynasty. Emperor Taizu’s strategy was to win over the independent southern states[8] as the south was weaker than the north as the Liao dynasty supported Northern Han.
In 968, Emperor Taizu personally led the army against the Northern Han. At first, his forces tore through the defences and placed Taiyuan under siege, but was ultimately forced to retreat after he struck against the defences of the Northern Han with the Liao cavalry coming in to support.Portrait of Emperor Taizu, who founded the Song dynasty
Emperor Taizu established the core Song Ancestor Rules and Policy for the later Song emperors. He was remembered for his expansion of the imperial examination system such that most of the civil service were recruited through the exams (in contrast to the Tang where less than 10% of the civil servants came through exams). He also created academies that allowed a great deal of freedom of discussion and thought, which facilitated the growth of scientific advance, economic reforms as well as achievements in arts and literature.
Emperor Taizu is well known for bringing the power of the military under control, ending the era of the warlords, centralizing the state over regional commanders and so preventing anyone else rising to power as he did.[8] Upon becoming emperor, he invited the general officers to a lavish banquet, where he convinced them all to retire as military leaders or accept minor posts, in favour of enjoying extensive estates and generous retirement funds and benefits which he then offered them.At a certain point during the feast, the new emperor made a speech to the military officers assembled there, which he began by expressing his deep gratitude to each and all of them for placing him on the throne, and that now that he had the power to do so, he wished to reward them to the utmost of his ability; then he went on to say that he thought the present company would all understand that he could not feel at ease on his new throne, with them continuing in command of their various armies of troops: and, he said, that if they duly considered the ramifications of the matter, neither would they. He then sincerely promised that they and their families would live in happiness and harmony, if they accepted his offer to retire with the stated benefits: eventually, none of the generals refused his terms, and thus began a period of relative internal peace within the realm for the duration of the Song dynasty which he thus founded, also better securing the military forces for involvement with the rival surrounding empires.
Many Song and later sources record the story of the “Taizu’s Oath”, which forbade his successors from killing scholar-officials. However, this story might be a later construct.
Death and succession dispute
Tomb of Emperor Taizu in the Yongchang Mausoleum, Gongyi, Zhengzhou
Emperor Taizu reigned for seventeen years and died in 976 at the age of 49. Curiously, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong), even though he had two grown sons – Zhao Dezhao, the Prince of Yan (951–979), and Zhao Defang, the Prince of Qin (959–981). The traditional historical accounts place emphasis on the role Zhao Kuangyin’s mother played in the decision which was made shortly after the Song dynasty was proclaimed (around 961). So for nearly his entire reign, it was known and accepted that Zhao Kuangyi would succeed him.
After Emperor Taizong, the line of succession passed on to his son and descendants rather than those of Emperor Taizu. However, when Emperor Gaozong (1127–1161) failed to produce an heir, he selected a descendant of Emperor Taizu to be his adopted heir to succeed him in 1161. After 1161, all the subsequent Song emperors were descended from Emperor Taizu through his two sons, Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang.
the hat is called a miǎnguān and it’s worn by emperors, ministers, and various aristocrats for important events before the fall of the ming dynasty.
i saw a really cool screenshot of a film called “the emperor’s shadow”. near the end the emperor wears this outfit for…something (i didn’t watch the movie), and it was a very beautiful ensemble.
sighh this outfit was originally gonna be a lot more intricate (designs on the borders and shit) but my hands started hurting and i took it as a sign to stop for the day…and then i completely lost interest in completing the piece. still looks good tho.
[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Song Dynasty(960–1279 AD)EmperorTraditional Ceremonies Clothing Hanfu in Cdrama <清平乐/Serenade of Peaceful Joy>
【Historical Reference Artifacts】:
Posthumous Portrait of Emperor Zhaowu of Song Dynasty wearing TongTianGuanFu(通天冠服).
Palace Portrait of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty wearing TongTianGuanFu(通天冠服).
The emperor wearing wearing TongTianGuanFu(通天冠服) in the Song Dynasty painting “Book of a girl’s filial piety/女孝经图”
【History Note About Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服)】
Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服) is a form of court attire in hanfu which was worn by the Emperor during the Song dynasty on very important occasions, such as grand court sessions and during major title-granting ceremonies. The attire traces its origin from the Han Dynasty. It was also worn in the Jin dynasty Emperors when the apparel system of the Song dynasty was imitated and formed their own carriages and apparel system,and in the Ming dynasty. The tongtianguanfu was composed of a red outer robe, a white inner robe, a bixi, and a guan called tongtianguan（tongtian crown）, and a neck accessory called fangxin quling.
Among the Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服), the “Tongtian crown” which wear by emperor has a long history, and has been recorded as early as the Han Dynasty(202 BC –220 AD) in “Book of the Later Han·Yufu Zhixia/后汉书·舆服志下"：
In the Han Dynasty, when all the officials paid their congratulations on the Zhēngyuè/正月 (the first month of the year in the Chinese calendar), the emperor would wear the "Tongtian crown”. According to the Tongtian Crown, it existed in all dynasties from the Qin to the Ming Dynasty (except the Yuan Dynasty), and was abolished in the Qing Dynasty.
And the Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服) of the Han Chinese dynasties in China have gone through a certain amount of evolution.
For reference:
Han Dynasty(202 BC –220 AD) Tongtian crown/通天冠
The earliest form of Tongtian crown that can be seen so far comes from the Han Dynasty stone carvings.
The Tongtian Crown of this period has a similar structure to the Jinxian Crown(进贤冠) of the ministers.
Wei and Jin Dynasties-Southern and Northern Dynasties Tongtian crown/通天冠
Tang dynasty (618–907) Tongtian crown/通天冠
Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Tongtian crown/通天冠
The Tongtian crown of the Ming Dynasty was briefly used in the early years of Hongwu(the early ming dynasty), but was soon completely replaced by Pi Bian(皮弁), and its appearance was much lower-key than that of the Song Dynasty
after replace by Pi Bian crown(皮弁)：
This Pi Bian crown belonged to King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty, so it only has 9 colorful beads, while the emperor’s Pi Bian crown has 12 colorful beads on it.
※The Yuan Dynasty established by the Mongols and the Qing Dynasty established by the Manchus did not use this kind of crown and clothing※
Hello there! I would like your advice on what chinese emperors wear? I need some references for an oc I have and I dont want to be inaccurate with his design.
Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!
I have a post about what Chinese emperors wear in this post, so please check it out!
Hi! I hope you don't mind me asking a question about Chinese clothing. I'm not Chinese but I freaking love watching Chinese films and C-Drama. One thing I'm very curios about is the Emperor's hanfu during the Tang Dynasty. Is there a specific name for that hanfu? And should it always be in gold? And does the Emperor have a crown?Please keep up the great work, btw! I love reading your posts and I I love learning more about Chinese culture. Please have a great day ahead! :)
The main garments of Chinese emperors (including those of the Tang Dynasty) were the Longpao/龙袍 (dragon robe) and the Mianfu/冕服. Longpao was the everyday dress of emperors (after the Sui Dynasty). Mianfu is what emperors wore on important occasions. I made a post about Mianfu here.
During the Tang dynasty, yellow was considered the superior color for garments, and the court made it official
that no one besides the emperor had the right to wear
yellow. However, the emperor did not always have to wear yellow. He could also wear other colors such as black, red, and purple. Below - Tang Dynasty emperor wearing yellow Longpao:
Yes, Chinese emperors wore crowns called Mianguan/冕冠, to go with Mianfu. You can read more about Mianguan in my post here.
Finally, thank you so much for your encouraging words! I’m so glad that you love reading my posts and find them useful.
The ceremonial garments of the Emperor always remained Mianfu, the Robe and Crown Regalia. (And not only was it the regalia for the Emperors, it was for all his nobles and officials as well, being divided into five grades. Officially, there’s six, but the Great Coat Robe/大衮冕 went out of use after the Tang Dynasty. The five grades of Mianfu were:
Dragon Crown Robe/衮冕, the Phoenix Crown Robe/鷩冕, the Fur Crown Robe/毳冕, the Linen Crown Robe/絺冕, and the Black Crown Robe/玄冕, all named for their dominant emblem) It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the Emperors came up with an official yellow Dragon Robe. A Dragon Robe is considered festive clothing, and even then only for non-official occasions. It’s something the Emperor might wear in private or when hosting a banquet for his officials.
How things turned out this way is actually a funny story. Despite being the color of the Earth and the central color in Chinese color theory, yellow was originally a very cheap and not well regarded color. It was easy to produce from a variety of common materials including gardenia berries and mandarin melon berries. As a result, it was a publicly accessible color that sold cheaply and was widely worn by the lower classes. In that case, how did such a cheap color make its way to the Imperial palace? Well, during the Sui Dynasty, China got a tightwad emperor. Emperor Wen of Sui (official name Yang Jian, childhood name Narayana) was a penny-pinching miser who insisted on the cheapest, simplest, and least labor intensive of anything. A good thing too, seeing as how he had to lead the nation out of the turbulence of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Since he lived simply, his clothes were made of the cheapest color on the market: yellow. In the succeeding Tang Dynasty, the earliest emperors led a nation recovering from the ravages of Emperor Yang of Sui (the son of the penny-pinching guy). As a result, they also lived frugally and carried on the tradition of yellow robes. Finally, so many emperors wore yellow in their daily lives that ochre yellow was officially made the imperial color, and future emperors got their own set of yellow dragon robes…in a shade definitely not available to the general public.
The “Cultural Fashion” posts that no one asked for! ^_^
The Earth King’s design is inspired by the dress of Qing Dynasty emperors (1636–1912) for their royal portraits. The clothing that the Earth King wears is inspired by Qing emperor robes known as
gunlongpao (袞龙袍), which translates to “imperial dragon robes”. Out of everything in the Earth King’s design, the robes have the most symbolism and history behind them.
The yellow coloring of both the Earth King’s robe and the dragon robe is significant. In Chinese culture, yellow is associated with the element of earth, Chinese civilization, and the emperor. The importance of yellow is due to the many Chinese societies that sprung up around the Yellow River. Similarly, one of most influential Chinese deities is the “Yellow Emperor”, considered to be a divine leader and the patron of invention. Fun Fact: The Mandarin word for emperor (皇帝) sounds similar to the phrase “yellow earth” (黄地), as both are pronounced huāngdì. Just in case there were any ambiguity left as to what inspired the Earth King and Ba Sing Se…
Aside from the coloring, the Earth King’s shirt also possesses the same rounded cross collar (pianjin/偏襟) and sleeves as Qing Dynasty dragon robes. The fitted cuffs ending in a distinct U-shape are known as mǎtíxiù (马蹄袖), which translates to “horse hoof cuffs”. The Earth King also wears a belt similar to what is shown in the Qing Dynasty emperor portraits.
Finally, the shoes that the Earth King wears were not traditionally worn by Qing Dynasty emperors, as they tended to wear more chunky shoes. His shoes are instead modeled off qiao tou lǚ (翘头履) or “raised toe shoes”, which were popular during the Tang Dynasty. The purpose of raised toe shoes was to prevent the hem of a long skirt from completely covering the feet, making it easier to walk without stepping on any fabric. The Earth King’s skirt isn’t really long enough to accidentally be stepped on, so I guess he just likes the curly-toe look.
Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^
Cultural Fashion: Earth King Kuei Pt. 1 - Head & Shoulders
The “Cultural Fashion” posts that no one asked for! ^_^
The Earth King’s design is inspired by the dress of Qing Dynasty emperors (1636–1912) in their royal portraits. Starting from the top: The hat worn is called a cháoguān (朝冠) in Mandarin, meaning “court hat”, and a mahala(ᠮᠠᡥᠠᠯᠠ ) in Manchu, meaning “morning crown”. This hat was only allowed to be worn by Qing emperors and members of the imperial family. The chaoguan came in two styles: one for cold weather (what the Earth King wears) and one for warm weather (pictured here).
Moving on to the neck, the little collar-cape is called a pī lǐng (披领), meaning “detachable collar”. This collar was worn by members of the imperial family, nobility, and court officials for formal occasions. The necklace is called a cháozhū (朝珠), meaning “court beads”. Traditionally, chaozhu were only allowed to be worn by Qing dynasty emperors, members of the imperial family, 1st through 5th rank imperial civil officials, and military officials above the 4th rank. The chaozhu of an emperor was typically composed of various valuable materials such as pearl, coral, amber, jade, and other precious stones. For animation purposes, the Earth King’s simplified chaozhu is composed exclusively of jade beads.
Fun Fact: Chaozhu were actually inspired by Tibetan prayer beads! However, they lost their religious connotation once they became adopted as court dress.
In Part 2, we’ll cover Earth King Kuei’s clothing and shoes.
Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^
AI reconstruction from portraits of emperors of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) (北宋). Sometimes I think the AI fantasizes on its own. However, it’s still curious.)
The emperors of the Northern Song dynasty come from the Zhao (趙) family. They are relatives of Zhao Zheng (趙政), who went down in history under the pseudonym of Qin Shi Huang.
[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Ming Dynasty(1368-1644 AD) Emperor Hanfu Based On Ming Dynasty Emperor Portrait
【China Ming Dynasty Emperor Portrait Reference】
Palace Portrait of Hongzhi Emperor (30 July 1470 – 9 June 1505)
Posthumous Portrait of Ruizong Emperor （22 July 1476 – 13 July 1519)
Palace Portrait of Jiajing Emperor (16 September 1507 – 23 January 1567)
十二章纹衮服圆领袍 (The Twelve Ornaments Round collar robe)：
The Twelve Ornaments (Chinese: 十二章; pinyin: Shí'èr zhāng) are a group of ancient Chinese symbols and designs that are considered highly auspicious. They were employed in the decoration of textile fabrics in ancient China, which signified authority and power, and were embroidered on china emperor’s robe.
【On the upper Robe】
The sun (日, rì) with the three-legged crow
The moon (月, yuè) with the moon rabbit in it, who is constantly pounding the elixir of life
The Three Stars (星辰, xīngchén), which could also be the Fu Lu Shou stars, which symbolise happiness, prosperity, and longevity
The Sacred Mountains (山, shān), which symbolize stability and tranquility
The Dragon (龍, lóng), symbol of adaptability and strength
The Pheasant (華蟲), which is however the phoenix (鳳凰, fenghuang), symbol of peace and refinement
The dragon and phoenix represent the natural world. In yin and yang terminology, a dragon is male yang and the phoenix a female yin.Therefore, the emperor was often identified as the dragon, while the empress was the phoenix. This was also reflected in the robes they wore.
—-
【On the lower robe】
Two Cups (宗彝, zōng yí), which are a sacrificial utensil, sometimes feature patterns containing each a tiger and a monkey, and symbolize faithfulness and respect
A Spray Of Pondweed Or Algae (藻, zǎo), a symbol of brightness and purity
Fire (火, huǒ), which symbolises brightness.
Grains Of Rice (粉米, fěn mǐ), which symbolises nourishment and the country’s agriculture, but also wealth
An Axe (黼, fǔ), symbol of courage and resolution, but also executive justice.
The figure 亞 (黻, fú) underneath the axe represents two animals with their backside together. This symbolises the capability to make a clear distinction between right and wrong. —————————–
Also called the Dragon Robe, it was a garment worn by the emperors of
China but was also adopted by other rulers throughout Asia. Typically it was
yellow since that was the color forbidden for anyone besides the emperor to
wear.
Note: the dragon robe in the above photo is from the Qing dynasty, below are dragon robes from the Tang and Ming dynasties (source):
The highest level of formal dress worn by Chinese monarchs and the
ruling families. The mianfu is a set of clothing which includes a crown called
a mianguan. The mianguan had chains and beads at the front and back, usually 12
chains however this number changed depending on the event and rank difference.
The upper garment of mianfu was usually black in color while the lower garment
is crimson red in order to symbolize the order of heaven and earth. The upper
and lower garments are tied with a belt. A pure red bixi hangs down under the
belt. The Twelve Ornaments are usually the decoration of choice for mianfu.
