On the court clothes of Song Dynasty officials, there is a very special thing - collars. Some friends may find this thing when they watch TV or Song Dynasty portraits, but more people may have flashed by without carefully exploring what this strange "collar" really is.
The costumes of the officials of successive dynasties are very exquisite, and the styles are different. The rules advocated by the emperors are different, and the embodiment is naturally different, some dynasties wear red imperial clothes, some dynasties wear dark blue, and the Qing Dynasty is an official uniform with flower plumes and animal patterns. Officials of the Song Dynasty often wore red official uniforms, in addition to wearing a "collar" around their necks. Don't underestimate this "collar", this thing is quite connotative!
In fact, this kind of "collar" has already appeared as early as the Western Han Dynasty, according to the description of Liu Xi's "Interpretation of the Name" of the Han Dynasty: "The curved collar is inside, with the middle collar, and the bridge is also curved." It can be seen that at that time, the curved collar was not worn outside the collar, but inside the neckline, covering the neck. At that time, officials wore a lot, three layers inside and three layers outside, too many collars, it was difficult to see without taking something to cover, and they could also protect their necks from wind and cold when it was cold.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, because of the different aesthetics, officials also changed the "qu collar" and the square heart appeared. In order to make the collar bulge, they will lining the neckline with a semi-circular hard lining. Book of Sui and Etiquette Chronicle: "The Prince of Zhenggong's uncle ... Leather belt, curved collar, square heart, knee covering, white pen"; New Book of Tang CheFu Zhi: "The one who has passed the heavenly crown... Silk covers the knees, Bai Luo, Square Heart Qu Collar, White Contempt, Black Gang".
The Song Dynasty was a very ceremonial dynasty, and after five generations of wars, they revived the Fang Xin Qu. Moreover, the ruler particularly highlighted the "collar", changed this thing to the shape of the upper circle below, which attracted more attention, and named it "Square Heart Qu Collar", which became a must-wear for all court officials, including the emperor. Zhao Kuangyin's move has great significance.
First of all, before the Song Dynasty, it was five dynasties and ten kingdoms, and it was not uncommon for "rebellion against the army" and "the following offenses" were not uncommon, and even Zhao Kuangyin's imperial throne was "yellow robe plus body" from his subordinates. Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin was very insecure in the face of his courtiers, and "releasing military power through a glass of wine" was only one of the measures taken by the Song Dynasty to further strengthen the "centralization of power". And "centralization" is also reflected in the clothes of officials.
Above the shape of the "Square Heart Qu Collar", the upper circle represents the Mandate of Heaven, the lower represents the Imperial Power, and the person is in the middle of the Mandate of Heaven Imperial Power, and the moral norms of the ancient feudal system have been highly unified on the small "Square Heart Qu Collar", always alerting officials to abide by the courtesy of the monarch, remember their own identity, and do not allow the following to commit.
In order to consolidate the imperial power, the emperors of all generations have done everything to the extreme, and everywhere must reflect the supremacy of the imperial power, and this kind of clothing is perfectly combined with the ancient moral norms, which can firmly grasp the hearts of the courtiers. This practice did play a very good role, and the Song Dynasty successfully avoided the phenomenon of short-lived dynasties of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
Secondly, the material of the "Square Heart Qu Collar" is a white robe, which also reflects the loyalty of the officials to the Son of Heaven, and reflects the official style of the officials who have two sleeves of clean wind and white and flawless official style. What the ancients were best at was to suppress people with their mandate of heaven and regulate their morality and desires. The feudal morality of ancient China was regulated in the square heart of the party, which must have been loved by the rulers.
Moreover, ancient artifacts pay the most attention to the unity of heaven and man, so the "square heart qu collar" below this upper circle is unified with the ancient cosmology of "heaven and round place", and the law is the law of the world. The "Square Heart Qu Collar" is not only worn by officials, but also by the emperor. There are circles and squares, rigidity and softness, the heavens and the earth, and the center of man, reflecting a kind of harmonious unity of man and nature.
In addition, at first glance, the upper part of the "Square Heart Curved Collar" is a ring, just to put the person's head inside. Actually not, the circle is tied up, tied on the back of the neck, and you can also tie a beautiful bow.
Careful friends may find that the myth and legend of the Jade Emperor also has a "square heart qu collar" on his neck. In fact, this is true, the image of the Jade Emperor did not appear until the Song Dynasty and was passed on to future generations. The Jade Emperor was originally the Haotian God, and during the Song Zhenzong period, the Haotian God was given the honorific title of "Taishang Kaitian Zhifu Imperial Calendar Contains the True Body Dao HaoTianyu Emperor God".
The "Fang xin qu collar" was still used in the Ming Dynasty, and officials must be required to wear the "Fang Xin Qu collar" when wearing the sacrificial clothes. After the Manchu Qing Entered the Customs, the implementation of "shaving hair and easy clothes" and "square heart qu collar" completely disappeared. It is worth mentioning that the traditional costumes of Japan and Korea have also been influenced by the "square heart collar", such as the use of collars in modern Hanbok today.
(References: New Book of Tang, Chefu Zhi, Book of Sui, etc.)