Hairstyles of Tang Dynasty

Hairstyles

“In early Tang, hair ornaments were rather simple, but during the reign of Emperor Taizong the buns got higher and higher and the number of styles grew.” (5000 Years of Chinese Costume, 77)

“During the earlier years of Emperor Xuanzong’s rule, the Tartar hat was fashionable, but in the later years…many women opted for switch buns (also called ‘false buns’). In late Tang and the Five Dynasties, the high buns were often decorated with different kinds of flowers.” (5000 Years of Chinese Costume, 77)

“Ponytails were also quite popular among a small number of aristocratic ladies during the years of Tian Bao (Xuangzong’s reign).” (5000 Years of Chinese Costume, pg. 84)

“Common women…preferred the ‘tossing-up bun’, with the hair at the temples embracing the buns were made higher and higher, and were decorated with flowers, which heralded the popularity of the flowery hats of the early Song Dynasty.” (5000 Years of Chinese Costume, pg. 84 )

Makeup

“Women of the Tang Dynasty paid particular attention to facial appearance, and the application of powder or even rouge was common practice. Some women’s foreheads were painted dark yellow and the dai (a kind of dark blue pigment) was used to paint their eyebrows into different shapes that were called dai mei (painted eyebrows) in general.” (5000 Years of Chinese Costume, 77)

“…between the brows there was a colourful decoration called hua dian, which was made of specks of gold, silver and emerald feather. Some women painted their cheeks with motifs such as a moon or a coin, and their lips were also rouged.” (5000 Years of Chinese Costume, 77)

“[The hua dian was] said to have originated in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. […] In the Tang Dynasty, hua dian was either painted or made of tiny metal pieces.” (5000 Years of Chinese Costume, pg. 86)