hello! i was wondering if you had any information on the belts/ropes tied around hanfu, like if they belong to a certain dynasty or just generally used throughout history?
Hello! Thanks for the question!
Belts and ties are used throughout all clothing history. You have to be able to keep your garment closed! But there are special belts made from various materials that denote status. Ties, unlike belts, are usually made from fabric and can be tied closed without special metal buckles or belt heads.
I discussed with fouryearsofshade a bit about the difference between a belt on a ruqun vs something like a zhiju here
Here’s a video that shows 10 different ways to tie a qun (x)
Much of the info for this post I got is from Gao Chunming’s Chinese Dress & Adornment Through the Ages. Highly recommended book!
The general term for belt is dài/带 but there were many different kinds of belts including and grand/large belts (dà dài/大带). leather belts (gé dài/革带), buckled belts, gold engraved belts (jīnlòu dài/金镂带), and pendant belts.
Large belts (dà dài/大带) were compulsory in the imperial court and signified rank based on material, color, and ornamentation. They were composed of silk bands fastened at the waist over clothing, with the unused portion hanging down in the front.
Leather belts (gé dài/革带) were made of untanned leather and worn by all social ranks. They could not be tied like regular silk waistbands and required some type of clasp usually made from metal, jade, stone, or glaze. These special clasps were called “belt hooks/带钩”. According to Gao Chunming, “a belt hook typically comprised a head, the main body, and a clasp. The clasp was first inserted into one end of the belt, fixed in place, and then the head of the buckle was connected to the other end of the belt”.
Gold lute shaped belt hook embedded with precious stones. Warring States Period.
Gilt and silvered bronze inlaid with jade (nephrite), mother-of-pearl, and turquoise. Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
Eventually, belt hooks fell out of use and were replaced by buckles. These buckles consisted of a reamer with a tongue or small hook that held the ends of the belt together and was more secure than just a hook. They were made of metals such as copper, iron, silver, gold, or jade.
Gold belt buckle inlaid with turquoise. Western Jin dynasty.
A type of leather belt engraved with metallic plaques was known as a “gold engraved belt”.
Belt Plaques. Western Jin dynasty.
Belt Buckle and Ornamental Plaques. Tang dynasty.
Another type of leather belt was the “pendant belt” in which additional strips of leather were looped around the main belt and were for attaching various waist pendants or even tools. This type of belt was quite practical, and was often worn by warriors and officials across history. Even women during the Tang Dynasty wore pendant belts as they often wore men’s hanfu.
A modern-made Tang Dynasty Style pendant belt. Not an actual artifact.
Additionally, belts in the Tang and Song Dynasties were usually wrapped in silk which hid the leather underneath. Different colors denoted status (ie. a lower ranking official wore a black belt, while a higher ranking official wore a red belt).
Of course this is not a comprehensive list of belts and ties, but some of the more interesting ones I’ve found.
