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Why is there a white circle on the official uniform of the Song Dynasty?
There were many different dynasties in ancient China, and these different dynasties also had many different habits, the most obvious one being their dress. For example, in film and television dramas about the Song Dynasty, we often see officials with a white circle around their necks and a square below them when they go to court, which should be standard for officials. But what is such a thing called? What does it do?
The clothes of the Song Dynasty were mostly inherited from the Tang Dynasty in terms of color and style. However, compared with Tang Dynasty clothing, Song Dynasty clothing has a better and more natural integration with tradition, giving people the feeling of restoring Chinese style.
In fact, this is not only a decoration but also has a deep meaning. This thing first originated in the Western Han Dynasty. At that time, officials wore a lot of clothes. The clothes inside tended to make the coat look bulging, so it affected the appearance. So they put a white collar on top of the coat, so it is called a “curved collar”.
This reflects the most core cosmology and world view in ancient China, the idea of a round sky and a round place. The circular design on the upper part represents the sky, and the square below represents the earth. As a design feature, the arrangement of the emperor of the Song Dynasty actually has a deeper meaning. Before the Song Dynasty, there were many things that “the subordinates committed crimes against the superiors”.
For example, cyan is used for ninth-rank officials and above; green is used for seventh-rank officials and above; vermilion is used for fifth-rank officials and above; purple is used for third-rank officials and above. During the Song and Yuanfeng years, the color used changed slightly, purple was used for the fourth grade and above; scarlet color was used for the sixth grade and above; green was used for the ninth grade and above.
Court clothes of the Song Dynasty—Official clothes of the Song Dynasty are divided into sacrificial clothes, court clothes, official clothes, time clothes, military clothes, mourning clothes, etc. Court clothes of the Song Dynasty, also known as costumes, were used during court meetings. The upper body is made of red clothes, and the lower body is tied with red clothes. That is to say, the scarlet robe skirt is lined with a white flower single, tied with a large belt, and then tied with a leather belt to cover the knees.
Zhao Kuangyin is very smart. He uses everyone’s thoughts to describe his imperial power as a gift from heaven, while the upper circle represents the mandate of heaven, and the lower circle represents imperial power. Hold the hearts of the courtiers firmly.
