Quick Answer: What Is a Chinese Mian Crown?
A mian (冕, miǎn) is a Chinese ceremonial crown with a projecting board and hanging bead strands. Each pendant strand is called a liu (旒, liú). Early Ming dress rules specified different strand counts for the emperor and for princes.[1][2]
- Board: It extends in front of and behind the cap.[1]
- Strands: The beads hang on individual strings at the board’s ends.[1][3]
- Dress: In early Ming rules, the crown belonged to a complete ritual ensemble.[2]
The mian is one kind of formal headwear within the history of Chinese official hats.
From the front, the beads dominate. A side view shows the board, the cap beneath it and the fittings that supported the crown.
The Board, Bead Strands and Fastening
A crown excavated from the tomb of Zhu Tan (朱檀, Zhū Tán), an early Ming prince, has a cylindrical woven frame finished with black lacquer. The board is covered in dark silk, and strings of coloured jade beads hang at both ends. The record also describes gold fittings and a pin crossing the cap.[1]
The cap gives the board a base, while the pin secures the crown at the head. Smaller hair coronets used pins to hold covers directly over gathered hair.
Zhu Tan’s Crown and Early Ming Dress Rules
Zhu Tan’s crown has nine strands in front and nine at the back, with nine beads per strand. In this description, nine can refer to the strings along one edge or the beads threaded on one string.[3]
Early Ming regulations describe an emperor’s mian with twelve strands at each end. They give the crown prince and imperial princes nine strands. The ceremonial outfit, or mianfu (冕服, miǎnfú), also included prescribed upper and lower garments. The prescribed outfit also specified waist accessories.[2] Other ceremonial ensembles used different forms of court belt.
Earlier records show that regalia could also mark the status given to a figure in a ritual image. Song records describe changes to both the crown and the robe on images of Confucius.[4]
What to Check on a Modern Reproduction
For a historically informed display, compare a dated example from the front and the side. Check the board’s proportions, the placement of the strings and the way the cap sits. For a wearable reproduction, see whether the cap remains stable when you turn or bow your head and how far the pendants hang into your view.
FAQs About the Chinese Mian Crown
Did Every Mian Crown Have Twelve Strands?
Early Ming examples vary by rank. Zhu Tan’s princely crown has nine at each end.[2][3]
Is a Strand the Same as a Single Bead?
A strand is the string carrying the beads. A description can state how many strands and how many beads are present.
Was the Mian Crown Ordinary Headwear?
Early Ming rules list the crown as part of formal ritual dress.[2]
資料來源
[1] Shandong Provincial Gazetteer. Dress and Crowns Excavated From Zhu Tan’s Tomb
[2] Palace Museum. Early Ming Rules for Mian Ceremonial Dress
[3] Ding Ding. On Bead Strands Behind the Mian Crown
[4] Confucius Research Institute. Confucian Temple Rites and the Dress of Images