China Colors of life1

2. “Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair”, attributed to Zhou Fang, c. late 8th–early 9th century, handscroll, ink and color on silk, 46 x 180 cm (Liaoning Provincial Museum, Shenyang province, China) In “Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair”, the huge blossoms worn in the ladies’ high bun not only depicted a particular fashion of the time, but also a social custom performed by women during the springtime festival of “Flower Morning” in the Chinese tradition. According to a number of literary accounts, during this festival ladies adorned their hair with artificial flowers made in paper or silk, captured butterflies with their fans and held outdoor picnics in celebration of the springtime. On the one hand, the practice of wearing flowers expressed women’s admiration for the beauty of the blossoms, but on the other hand, flowers symbolized the fleeting nature of youth. Literary records provide clues for another symbolic meaning associated with this conventional practice. The ninth-century scholar Wang Renyu documented that every springtime, the Tang dynasty emperor Xuanzong (who ruled from 685–762) organized a banquet and required palace women to wear blossoms in their hair. Should a released butterfly alight on her blossom, the lady could be selected as a bed partner of the emperor.

3. More broadly, the practice of women wearing flowers in their hair is associated with the pursuit of love and the desire for conjugal happiness—and is not a simple fashion accessory. Zhou excelled by further revealing the court ladies’ inner emotions through the subtle depiction of their facial expressions in the masterpiece Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair, which, more than a thousand years after its creation, continues to hold great significance in Chinese art, history and culture.

4. Hanfu is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. According to legend, in the Tang Dynasty, during spring, Emperor Li Xian would order his servants to take out "colored flowers" from the inner palace and give them to the concubines of the harem to welcome the new spring, and these "colored flowers" referred to the Rong Hua (绒花, velvet flower). Today, Rong Hua is often worn with traditional hanfu and has become one of the most popular accessories in Chinese traditional costumes. The flower hairpin was always one of the most popular decorative styles of the ancients. In the painting "Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair With Flowers" by the famous Tang Dynasty painter Zhou Fang, the woman is wearing a high bun and wearing a flower as a hairpin, which is as elegant and beautiful as a fairy in a fantasy world. But flowers are limited by the season and easily withered, and the petals often wither. So the ancient noble ladies wished to have flowers that would last forever as accessories, and that's when the handmade Rong Hua came into being. Wang Meifang (Chinese, 1949) 仕女 Lady

7. The Chinese word for velvet flower is similar to the pronunciation of "Rong Hua (荣华, prosperity)" and has been given a meaning of good luck and blessing

10. The Rong Hua is made of natural silk and copper wire, and is used in folk festivals and ceremonial decorations in the old days

11. Most of the symbolic shapes are taken from the symbols of folk life and are used to express good luck and good intentions

16. Most of the traditional Rong Hua motifs are phoenixes, treasure bowls, double happiness characters, pomegranates, and various flowers, such as jasmine, white orchid, hibiscus, rose flower, and so on. The patterns of velvet flowers have similarities with traditional Chinese folk art themes, and their shapes have Chinese national characteristics

19. Yangzhou is one of the original places of Chinese Rong Hua craft. Yangzhou velvet flowers are so colorful and bright that they were introduced to the court as early as the Tang Dynasty. In addition, Rong Hua is also widely loved among the folk

21. Even such a beautiful Chinese intangible heritage culture was once forgotten and in danger of being lost. But the inheritors of the Yangzhou Rong Hua have given this traditional skill a successor and more possibilities for innovation.

23. As a kind of accessory, Rong Hua can be flexibly matched with all kinds of shapes, and it is especially common in the hanfu look.

25. At the same time, velvet flowers are also a common accessory in wedding ceremonies. In ancient times, when Yangzhou girls married, most chose to wear velvet flowers

30. There are nearly 10 kinds of techniques to make traditional velvet flowers. It takes two or three days to complete a piece of work even if skilled. Yangzhou Rong Hua are made of pure silk, and the process should be gentle and not pulled hard

32. The most important thing is that each process is entirely made by hand, and there is no way to produce it by machine so far. Therefore, one of the reasons for the extremely low production of velvet flowers in Yangzhou

33. In 2017, the velvet flower headdress that Shanshan Zheng made together with her mother was also featured on the cover of Chinese Heritage magazine

34. The beauty of the velvet flower will continue to be passed on with the efforts of the inheritors

36. Rong Hua (绒花, velvet flower)