#futou

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

I haven't watched The Rise of Phoenixes, but based on screenshots I'm assuming you're referring to these hats:

These black woven hats worn by officials are called wushamao/乌纱帽 (lit. "black gauze cap"). Wushamao belongs to a category of Chinese male headwear called futou/幞头. The style of wushamao you're referring to resembles most those worn by government officials during the Ming dynasty. Below - artifact and painting of Ming dynasty wushamao:

Below - the evolution of wushamao from the years 1426-1644 of the Ming dynasty (x):

As you can see, officials' wushamao during the Ming dynasty typically had "wings" (mao chi/帽翅) at the sides. However, as @hanfugallery notes in their post here, some wushamao without wings were worn by officials. In dramas, jinyiwei/锦衣卫, the imperial secret police during the Ming dynasty, are commonly depicted wearing wingless wushamao. Wingless wushamao are similar in shape to the yishanguan/翼善冠, a type of wushamao that was worn by the emperor. Below - Ming dynasty yishanguan (1/2):

As for the materials, wushamao were historically made using stiff lacquered black gauze/muslin. Lacquered silk could be used for higher ranked wearers, such as for the emperor's yishanguan. The hat frame was made of wood or metal (iron and copper wire).

With that said, the wushamao in the drama may be made of other materials to make it sturdier, which might account for the "plastic" look. If anyone has more insights on what the materials could be, please share!

For more references, please see Wikipedia's articles on futou and hanfu headwear, as well as my tags for futou, wushamao, yishanguan, mens headwear, and hats.

【Historical Reference Artifacts】

1.China Portrait of Qian Duo (10 March 852– 6 May 932), King Taizu of Wuyue (吳越太祖)<Ming Dynasty replica>

2.China Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period: <White marble relief sculpture of Musician> Unearthed from the tomb of Wang Chuzhi, the governor of Yiwu Army during the Five Dynasties period

3.Chinese Five Dynasties Period and Ten Kingdoms Murals: Tomb of Feng Hui冯晖墓

【History about Chinese Traditional Headwear: Futou】

Futou (simplified Chinese: 幞头; traditional Chinese: 襆頭/幞頭; also pronounced and written as putou), also known as fu (幞) and toujin (頭巾),[1] was one of the most important forms of Chinese headwear in ancient China with a history of more than one thousand years. The futou first appeared in Northern Zhou under the reign of Emperor Wu where it became prevalent. It was also commonly worn in the Tang and Song dynasties.  The futou was typically worn by government officials.The futou was originally turban-like headwear which was tied at the back of its wearer's head, with the two corners going to opposite directions and acting as decorations. From the Sui to the Ming dynasties, the futou evolved and was developed based on the fujin.The futou eventually came to assume a variety of shapes and styles.The shape of the futou worn by the government officials in the Song and Ming dynasties, the latter known as the wushamao (烏紗帽), was based on the futou of the Tang dynasty.

The Chinese futou was also introduced in both Korea Unified Silla and continued to be worn by government officials until the late Korea Joseon: 25  The futou with a jinzi (lining) was also introduced back in the Sogdian areas in Central Asia spreading to the Western regions through the Xinjiang region. The futou with jinzi was also introduced in Japan during the Japan Nara period through Prince Shōtaku.

Sui, Tang dynasty, and Five dynasties and ten kingdoms period

Prior to the Song dynasty, the futou was mostly made of black muslin.  In the early Tang, the futou was a sijiaoruanjin (四腳軟巾; 'Four-feet soft scarf'),where all four ribbons were allowed to hang down after being tied. Later on, the early Tang dynasty minister, Ma Zhou, was the first person to use a square kerchief in order to tie a futou and was also the person who added a lining to shape his futou making it more beautiful.The lining which was added to the inside of the futou from the year 614 AD was called jinzi (巾子); the jinzi was used to make the futou look more straight and beautiful in terms of appearance. After being cut into the desired shape, the jinzi was painted black with lacquer and would then be covered by the futou. The jinzi was made with soft and light tung wood and with other materials such as bamboo strips, timbo, miscanthus, silk, and leather. It was also possible to line the futou with a mount-shaped item made out of paulownia (Chinese: 桐木为冠; pinyin: Tóngmù wéi guān; lit. 'paulownia crown') in the front. The step-by-step process to wear the futou with jinzi was to tie the hair up in a topknot, followed by covering the topknot with the jinzi as hard lining, then wrapping the head and the jinzi with a black, square-shaped piece of cloth, and finally tying the cloth in the desired style. The futou with jinzi then became the standard form of futou in the early Tang dynasty. A form of futou with jinzi was a kerchief with two corners attached with two ribbons in opposite directions of each other; the ribbons would then be tied at the back of the wearer's head, allowing the two back ribbons to hang down freely as a form of decoration.With time, the futou with jinzi was further developed, and a ribbon was attached to each corner of the turban to make it more decorative; two ribbons were tied on the top of the head while the back ribbons were tied and were allowed to hang down freely. The futou with jinzi could also have all four ribbons tied at the back of the head and allowed to hang down freely. The yingwangboyang (Chinese: 英王踣样), a futou with a big and forward top jinzi, was created by Emperor Zhongzong and became prevalent during his reign when he awarded this type of futou to his officials. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the neiyang (Chinese: 内样), a futou with a small and round top jinzi became popular around the year 726 AD. Moreover, by adding wire or silk strings inside the added ribbons, the futou could take different shapes and styles depending on its wearer's liking. However, in the Tang dynasty, only the Emperors could use these hard ribbons; these hard ribbons would be bent upward.The Tang dynasties emperor wore a futou with two upturned tails until the Five dynasties period.The Tang dynasty emperors also wore the zhijiaofutou (Chinese: 直腳幞头; pinyin: zhíjiǎofútóu; lit. 'straight-feet futou').

For more the history of futou's evolution, please refer to:

The evolution of futou in China

—————-

Photo：Chinese Actor 曾柯琅/Zeng Kelang

CDrama name：【墨雨云间/𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲】

🔗Weibo：https://weibo.com/u/7823001376

Small official styling reference

Inspired by the "Wen Hui Tu": Literary Gathering painting, the image of a minor clerk in Song dynasty is: hair cap, round collar robe with left lapel-over-right shirt underneath, and open crotch pants.

In the Song Dynasty, men thought that showing their hair in public was not proper, so whenever you go out, you must wrap your hair in a scarf or a hat. It was both for prevention against dust and as good manners.

.

Tuan Guan (Round Crown) styling reference

Inspired by the murals from Baisha Tomb of Song.

Zhang Qiniang's crown is silver-plated and hand- decorated by gold. This was a trendy style among wealthy Song Dynasty women. There have been various other materials used as well, such as flowers and emerald-adorned and lacquered crowns.

.

Song Dynasty Outfit-of-the-Day

Zhao Ban'er: A Part-timer Coroner "I can! I can do it! Let me try!"

Playful double bun- At first glance, she looks like a woman who is not afraid of anything!

Small crossbody bag- Decorate what you are supposed to decorate, opportunities always come to those who are prepared!

Orange top- Everywhere you go, there is a little sunshine around you~

Zhao Mo'er: A Scientific Researcher "You will know after experimenting."

Knot type futou- The hair is neatly tied up, "You can't have strands of hair when doing experiments~"

Blue and gray robe- At first glance, he looks like an iceberg guy with fashionable colors (actually he is an introvert)

Dirty little hands- Can instantly tell he's someone who is destined to do great things!

Zhao Li: A Tipsy Grandpa "If you don’t enjoy happiness now, when will you wait?"

Big red flower hairpin- He looks like a happy old man!

Cardigan coat- The slightly dipped grandpa's unruly clothes, the chill feeling is perfect!

Delicious wine- Drunk or not, I can always drink again~

Gu Zhen: A Hardworking Officer "Interesting, y'all are interesting."

Cross foot Futou- Wearing a little hat is a symbol of status and dignity

Dark pattern official robe- If you see these thieves from a distance, you will tremble and take a detour!

Black and silver- It’s a luxury product for men. If you save some money, let’s exchange it for a black gold one~

Wen Yue: A Shopkeeper "Don't mess with me if you don't have a few lives!"

Silver hairpin bun- As soon as you pull it out, it will be a life-threatening blade, hiding a little secret~

Light blue shirt- The fabric is soft and docile, and the small floral decorations make it look even more gentle~

Umbrella shop ledger- Must read it every day. With a little bit of savings, the big house is waving to her!

Zhao Buyou: A Flirt "Wife, I've secured us a good spot, come here!"

Soft cloth futou- ·Looks warm, soft and friendly~

Wearing a flower hairpin- Just to attract the other person’s first glance in the crowd~

Crew neck blouse- Gentle and elegant, the smell of a scholar can be smelled eight hundred miles away!

.

Traditional Color Palette of Wen Yue's Wardrobe

.

How to shoot hanfu couple dating?