The Story of Minglan

When audiences first tuned into The Story of Minglan (知否知否应是绿肥红瘦), they were drawn into a world of intricate family politics and personal growth. A subtle visual detail caught many eyes: the hairstyle of the protagonist, Sheng Minglan (盛明兰), played by actress Zhao Liying (赵丽颖). In her youth, she wore hair that fell over her forehead, much like contemporary bangs. After marriage, this style vanished, replaced by a formal, swept-back updo. This shift is far from arbitrary; it is a deliberate reflection of ancient Chinese societal codes, where hair served as a clear indicator of age, status, and personal responsibility. This exploration goes beyond the drama, uncovering how hairstyles functioned as a silent language in historical China, marking the significant transition from the carefree days of childhood to the weighted duties of adulthood. Decoding Childhood Hair In ancient China, the hairstyle we now loosely associate with bangs was exclusively a child's privilege. This look, known as Liu Hai (刘海), originated from the term "childhood-specific hairstyle", meaning "hair left for a child." From the Zhou Dynasty onward, both boys and girls wore their hair in this manner during their early years. Historical artworks, such as the painting Children at Play in an…

In the period drama The Story of Minglan, there's a line about "loosening the hair buns and letting the hair fall, imitating the styles of courtesans". Is leaving two strands of bangs by the temples really a style of the demimonde? Is there really such a saying? Then, have most period dramas nowadays fallen into this trap? Let's start with the conclusion. Many of us now call a similar hairstyle the "catfish whiskers". In fact, it also has a prototype. For example, during the Han and Jin dynasties, especially after the Eastern Han, there were two strands of hanging hair called "chuí tiáo" (垂髫). You can see this in themes like paintings of immortals in the Wei and Jin dynasties and the hairstyles of ancient children. Strictly speaking, this kind of chuí tiáo is not bangs, but neatly arranged strands of hair falling from the hair bun, forming a decorative structure. However, the period when this hairstyle with hanging strands on both sides was popular was relatively short, mainly during the Wei and Jin dynasties, the so - called era of "Wei and Jin elegance". It's still different from the "catfish whiskers" we see in today's cdramas. Even though later…