In the ancient - costumed TV drama The Legend of Zanghai, is there a story behind Xiao Zhan's scarf headgear? Does it seem to represent the typical outfit of a poor scholar in old - fashioned TV dramas? Comparing the picture on the left where he isn't wearing the scarf, he does seem more innocent. First, let me conclude. This is an ancient handkerchief, a square piece of cloth. You wrap it around your head with two corners on the outside to secure it. Both men and women often used it to cover their heads. The purpose is the same as using a hairband to hold back loose hair today, just to keep the hair in place and make the appearance neater.
This way of wrapping the head with a scarf has appeared throughout the dynasties and was mostly used by the common people. It could be made from scraps of clothing. However, don't look down on the scarf headgear. It's a 'veteran' among head - scarf accessories. Before the Wei and Jin Dynasties, both men and women could wrap their heads with scarves, with men using it more often. One type is called 'Zi Cuo' (缁撮), which is the 'bun' - shaped scarf on the heads of poor scholars in old - fashioned TV dramas. 'Zi' means black cloth, and 'Cuo' means to grab with hands. As the name suggests, you gather your hair together with your hands and wrap it with a cloth. Later, because it was so commonly used, it was also fixed into the style of a 'hat', like the evolution of the Futou. But it's speculated that the general shape is still similar to the old - fashioned one, just with possible differences in materials and structure.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the military also used it. They mostly used dark - red cloth to wrap around their heads as a head - scarf, called 'Jiang Pa Tou' (绛帕头) or 'Jiang Pa' (绛帕). In the 'Annotation of Jiang Biao Zhuan' by Pei Songzhi in Records of the Three Kingdoms - Biography of Sun Ce, it says, 'In the past, Zhang Jin of Nanyang was the governor of Jiaozhou... He often wore a red scarf on his head.' In the Qin Dynasty, men also used the scarf headgear, which was later improved to a more durable leather one, also called 'Pi Bian' (皮弁). In the Han Dynasty, it was used together with the Ze. Wearing it with the Ze was also popular in the Han Dynasty. According to Mr. Sun Ji's supplement, the Bian could be worn alone without a Ze underneath, which was also common at that time. There was also a type of headgear for women in the Han Dynasty called 'Jin Guo' (巾帼).
Most of the men's scarves were solidified into a type of hat after verification, while women still used soft scarves more often. So after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, women used it more. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was popular to wrap the whole head with a scarf. In the Song Dynasty, it even became a popular hairstyle worn by everyone. We also call this kind of bun wrapped with a scarf a 'Bao Ji' (包髻). Scarves were not only used to wrap hair but also to cover the forehead. Among women in the Yuan Dynasty, there was a popular style called 'Za E Zi' (紥额子), which was to fold a scarf into a strip, wrap it around the forehead, and tie a knot in front of the forehead or the bun at the back of the head. This could not only keep the loose hair in front from flying around but also serve as a forehead decoration. It's a bit like the revival of the Jin Guo hairstyle.
Because it was so common and frequently used, in the literary works compiled later, there were more names for it. This square scarf could be called Pa Tou (帕头), Mo Tou (帞头), Xiao Tou (绡头), Luo Tou (络头), etc. The larger ones were called Gai Tou (盖头). Initially, it was also used for daily outings, and later the red Gai Tou became an accessory in Ming and Qing weddings. Even today, 'wrapping the head with a scarf' is still practiced in some parts of the country and can be seen in some local folk customs. In some areas, after men and women reach adulthood, they use a scarf to wrap their buns instead of wearing a hat, which is more convenient in daily life and even work.
We're used to seeing elaborate and gorgeous hair accessories in ancient - costumed dramas, but we've overlooked some simple and beautiful small accessories. Just like hairbands in our daily lives today, we think they're very common, but they're an essential and versatile item. This head - wrapping scarf was the same for the ancients. Men used it functionally to tie up their hair, looking simple and elegant. And on women's head - ornaments, it was used in more than a dozen different decorative ways. Even our current matching of ancient - style hairbands and silk scarves on the head is actually influenced by its aesthetics. Looking at it this way, fashion shows similarities across the ages.
