Quick Answer: What Is a Wushamao?
The wushamao (乌纱帽, wūshāmào) is a black gauze hat closely associated with the regular dress of Ming dynasty officials. A typical version has a low front, a higher back and a wing on each side. Ming dress regulations pair it with a round-collar garment and a belt.[1][2]
- Shape: Two wings project from the sides of a shaped black crown.[2]
- Context: Officials wore it to conduct regular business at court under the Ming rules.[1]
- Meaning: Wushamao also became a figurative name for holding public office.[5]
Look at the hat with its robe, belt and setting to interpret a historical portrait.
From the front, the wings of the black gauze hat extend beyond the wearer’s head. From the side, the crown rises toward the back. That profile helps separate the regular official hat from other black headwear in Ming images.
Look at the Crown and Wings
A Palace Museum study describes black silk gauze over an inner structure of lacquered rattan strands or hemp. One wing is inserted at each side. Beneath the hat, a wangjin (网巾, wǎngjīn), or hair net, held the hair. The framework holds the shape of the hat. The separate net holds the hair in place. The Chinese gauze guide explains how the open weave differs from the underlying support.[2]
Look for the angle and shape of the wings. Rounded wings appear on the regular official hat. A surviving royal cap associated with Prince Zhu Tan has wings that turn upward at the back. A dark surface and two wings can occur on both. The location of the wings and the profile of the crown give you more to compare.[3]
In a photograph of a single hat, ask for a side view and a view of the inside. They show where the wings attach and whether the visible gauze covers a firm form. The way a structured crown stands away from the head also helps distinguish it from a scholar’s headcloth.
Read the Hat as Part of Ming Official Dress
The Ming administrative compendium specifies a wushamao, a round-collar garment and a belt for the changfu (常服, chángfú), or regular attire, of civil and military officials conducting routine court business. It lists different belt materials by rank. Court ceremony could call for other attire. The liang guan illustrates how another court hat used the raised ridges of its crown.[1][3]
In one scene of Xu Xianqing’s career album, a Ming guard official appears with a black gauze hat and a red robe bearing a lion emblem. The published analysis identifies the robe as a zhishen. The black hat is prominent, while the insignia adds information about the figure’s role. The tieli robe shows how much of a separate inner layer can disappear under an outer garment.[4]
Why Wushamao Can Mean Public Office
The Ministry of Education dictionary records both the literal hat and its figurative use for a government post. A line about losing one’s wushamao can refer to being dismissed. A reference to giving up the hat can describe someone willing to surrender the office over a decision.[5]
The setting tells you which meaning fits. A catalog entry that describes the crown and wings is talking about the object. In a story about an official under investigation, the same word may refer to the position.
Fit a Reproduction to the Intended Use
Choose a dated portrait or an identified museum object. Look for the crown height and width, the outline of the wings and how they sit on the sides. For a stage piece, a larger or differently angled wing may suit the character. The Palace Museum records a theater zhongshamao (忠纱帽, zhōngshāmào) and distinguishes stage wings by the roles they represent.[6]
Measure over the hairstyle or cap liner you will wear. Test whether the crown slips as you turn or lower your head. If you are dressing for a room with narrow doors or moving backstage, check the wing span before securing the hat. The hanfu dressing guide covers fitting headwear after the other layers.
FAQs About the Wushamao Black Gauze Hat
Did the hat always have long horizontal wings?
Wing shapes varied. Sources distinguish the rounded wings on a regular official hat from other extended or raised forms. Use a side view to see the direction of the wings, then check the date and dress setting.[3]
Can you tell the official’s rank from the hat alone?
Check other features of the outfit. The compendium records different belt materials and robe insignia. Those details give more specific evidence of rank than a dark crown with wings.[1]
Is a theater wushamao a reliable Ming court reference?
A stage hat shows how a theater represents an official or other character. Its wings may serve as role cues. For Ming official dress, start with a historical outfit record and a dated image.[1][6]
資料來源
[1] Ming administrative compendium. Da Ming Huidian, Volume 58
[2] Palace Museum. Costumes in Ming Court Drama
[3] Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC. Historical Chinese Dress and Headwear
[4] China Cultural Relics News. Ming Dress Preserved in the Kong Family Collection
[5] Taiwan Ministry of Education. Wushamao, Concise Mandarin Dictionary
[6] Palace Museum. Blue Plain Crepe Silk Zhongshamao