Damao (), is a type of Chinese round hat with a wide brim which was worn in the Ming dynasty. It was often worn by commoners of the Ming dynasty and is often seen in Ming dynasty portraits. It originated in the Yuan dynasty; it was derived from the Mongols' .
Design and construction Damao is composed of a wide brim, a high crown and a long string which is used as a tie. It could be made from straw or fabric.
History
Yuan dynasty
Boli hat (), a cymbal-shape hat with a round crown and with a brim which extended outwards and downwards, was one of the most popular hats worn by the Mongols (including the Yuan Emperors, officials and male commoners) in the Yuan dynasty. The use of boli hat by the ordinary Mongols in their everyday lives in the Yuan dynasty. This eventually influenced the Han Chinese.
Ming dynasty The boli hat continued to be used in the Ming dynasty where it was renamed damao in historical documents of the Ming dynasty, which may be because they were rounder and bigger than the futou had traditionally been worn by the Han Chinese. The damao was also widely worn by government clerks and family servants of the Ming officials and the Imperial family, and postmen (). The damao was one of the principal forms of men’s headwear during the Ming dynasty, worn by people across the social hierarchy, from the emperor to commoners. It also served as an important form of formal headwear for Ming men, functioning much like a dress hat. A damao made of rattan called is also used by military men, sometimes decorated with feathers attached on top of the hat.
The damao was also frequently bestowed as a gift upon neighboring tribes and tributary states, a practice extensively documented in the Ming Shilu (Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty).
The damao also appeared in the Ming dictionary, Sancai Tuhui, where it is depicted and is called damao; according to the accompanying text in the Sancai Tuhui: in the early Ming dynasty, the emperor saw the imperial examinees sitting under the sun; therefore he ordered a damao hat for each of the examinees to be worn so that they would be protected from the sun. Since then, the hat was used by , i.e. nominees for offices.
Similar items
Humao Weimao Gat – A traditional Korean hat
See also List of hat styles Hanfu Hufu Hanfu headgear
References