Liangmao

Liangmao (Chinese: 涼帽; lit. 'cool hat'), also known as Hakka hat[1][2] and Hakka bamboo hat,[3] is a traditional bamboo and/or straw hat worn by the Hakka people who perform manual work, such as farming and fishing.[1][4][5] Hakka women wore it when working in the fields.[6][7] The liangmao is made and is most commonly worn by the Hakka people who were originally from Northern China.[4] The liangmao is a typical symbol of Hakka culture[7] and is a "unique feature of Hakka culture";[8] it is also the "most public symbol associated with the Hakka".[2] Some Hakka women still wear the liangmao when working outdoors nowadays.[5] It also worn by non-Hakka women who work outdoors.[2]

This article is about the cool hat worn by the Hakka people. For the liangmao hat worn by officials of the Qing dynasty, see Qing official headwear.
Liangmao
Hakka woman
A Hakka woman wearing the traditional Hakka hat, called Liangmao.
Chinese name
Chinese涼帽
Literal meaningCool hat
English name
EnglishCool hat/ Hakka hat/ Hakka bamboo hat

History

Popularity and decline

Gankeng town is the home of Liangmao village.[8] The people of Gankeng have been making liangmao for more than 200 years.[3] After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Gankeng town was the biggest producer of liangmao.[7] In the 1970s and 1980s, every household in Liangmao Village would produce liangmao which would then be exported to Southeast Asia, Britain, and France.[7][8] In the late 1970s, the liangmao lost its market appeal and the demand for the hat shrank.[7] In 2002, the last Hakka hat maker died; and no more residents of Gankeng town made the hats anymore.[7]

Intangible cultural heritage
  • In 2006, the Gankeng bamboo hat was included on the Shenzhen Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage list.[3]
  • In 2013, the Hakka hat-making craft was added to the Guangdong's provincial intangible cultural heritage list.[7]

Cultural inheritors
  • Zhang Guanxian and Zhang Hangyan, who are both veterans liangmao craftsmen, were named as the inheritors of the Hakka liangmao.[3]

Monuments

Construction and design
Liangmao, lit. 'cool hat', now stored in Shenzhen Museum.

The design of the liangmao reflects its functions as a hat designed for farming and fishing:[4]

  • The liangmao is made of a flat disc of woven bamboo and/or straw.[4][1][5]
  • There is a hole in the centre of the hat which is trimmed with black embroidered cotton.[4] The lack of crown on top of the hat allows the head to remain cool.[4]
  • Around the outside edge of the hat, there is a fringe or veil of black (sometimes blue[5]) pleated cotton fabric hanging down.[4][1] The cotton fringe around the edge of the hat is about 15 cm deep.[5] The cotton fringe covers the shoulders and give protection from insects.[4] It also keep the sun off from the face of its wearer, and in winter, the cotton fringe would offer some warmth.[4]
  • In summer, the cotton cloth could be removed, and the hat would be secured by attaching ties through the loops that were attached to the central hole.[4]

See also

References
  1. Davison, Gary Marvin (1998). Culture and customs of Taiwan. Barbara E. Reed. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-313-03214-1. OCLC 49797139.
  2. Constable, Nicole (1994). Christian souls and Chinese spirits : a Hakka community in Hong Kong. Berkeley: University of Calif. Press. p. 12. ISBN 0-585-11231-2. OCLC 44966033.
  3. "The beauty of Hakka bamboo hat_EYESHENZHEN". www.eyeshenzhen.com. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  4. "Womens hat (liangmao) by Hakka people". collection.maas.museum. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  5. Garrett, Valery (2012). Chinese Dress : From the Qing Dynasty to the Present. New York: Tuttle Pub. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-4629-0694-9. OCLC 794664023.
  6. "Hong Kong Museum of History". www.lcsd.gov.hk. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  7. "Rejuvenating Folk Culture-- Beijing Review". www.bjreview.com. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  8. "Gankeng, an ancient town hidden in a modern city". www.szdaily.com. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
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