Crown Clothing System of the Sui and Tang Dynasties

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In the Sui and Tang dynasties, characteristics of the crown clothing system wer that the males of the upper class wore gown, the officials wore scarves on their heads, while the commons wore short jackets. With the unification of the nation, the Sui and Tang dynasties reformed the yufu system based on the old system of previous dynasties,, ordering that the official dress for the emperor and other officials be distinguished through dress color, and that the flowering figures be used to distinguish official grades. In the Sui dynasty, the red court dress was upheld, the soldier dress was in yellow, and the informal dresses were in various colors. The Tang people took the sienna as the most honorable color. Red, purple, bluish green, dark brown and other colors belonged to lower position, and white color meant no status.

There was specific style for the official dress. Usually, the officials wore wushamao (black gauze cap), gown with round collar and narrow sleeves which theupper clothes was often a bit longer and the lower skirt was to the heel,a red strap around the waist, and black boots. The styles for the emperor and officials were almost the same and differences were only in the dress material, color, ornaments on the strap and the figures embroidered in the dress. At that time, thelandlord class and the hermits preferred the monk’s garment with high collar and loose sleeves, which inherited the loose style of the shenyi. The commons could onl wear short jacket and trousers, and they were not allowed to wear dresses of brightcolors. The servants of big families and peddlers usually wore prick-shaped hat and twine shoes, while working or walking they tied the corner of clothes to the waist just for convenience.

The system of wearing scarf by officials started in the Northern Qi dynasty (550-557), and gradually became mature in the early Sui and Tang dynasties. This wasa hat made of black gauze (a kind of cotton), which was tied behind the bob leaning forward. The two hat strips were tied at the front of the hat top; the other two were hanging behind the neck. The length of the strips was not designated, and ther were various styles. In the early Tang dynasty, the Emperor Xuanzong (685-762) had obliged officials with a kind of special scarf, and thus we may guess that this type of scarf first appeared in the court. The two strips behind the neck were upward, hanging, leaning, and cross sometimes. The strips were first tied into the shape of the shuttle, and later developed into a round shape which was supported by the stings. By the Five Dynasties, the two strips were straight on two sides, and this was the original form of the scarf in the Song dynasty-black gauze hat.