A Study On Pei Shou From The Han To Tang Dynasty

The term “Pei Shou” refers to the combination of a ribbon as the main body and other ornaments worn around the waist to represent status and rank.Pei Shou was created and developed over a long period of time and was handed down from the Qin dynasty onwards,only to be replaced by the top belt system in the Qing dynasty.Pei Shou in the Qin and Han dynasties have been studied more by scholars in the past,but less attention has been paid to the post-Han period.The period of the Han-Tang dynasties saw the establishment,consolidation,disintegration and reconstruction of the great unification system,and each dynasty gradually established its own system of dress through constant adjustment and improvement,so the Han-Tang dynasties should be an important period for the study of the evolution of the wearing of Pei Shou.In this thesis,we focus our attention on the wearing of Pei Shou during the Han-Tang dynasties,classifying and collating the relevant records in antiquarian books such as “Yufuzhi” and “Tongdian”,and then comparing them with the pictorial stones,figurines and wall paintings excavated from tombs during the Han-Tang dynasties to analyse and summarise the characteristics and development of the wearing of Pei Shou in each dynasty between the Han-Tang dynasties.The main research of this thesis is divided into five parts.The first part uses the study of " Pei Shou from the Zhou dynasty to the early Western Han dynasty" as a prelude to the study of "Pei Shou in the Han-Tang dynasties",and explores the origin,formation and perfection of the system of Pei Shou before the Han-Tang dynasties.The second,third and fourth sections examine,in chronological order,the composition and patterns of the combination,mode of wear,means of acquisition,people and occasions of wearing ribbons,as well as the elements of their distribution,in the Eastern Han,Wei,Jin,North and South Dynasties,and Sui and Tang periods respectively.On this basis,the fifth part analyses the evolution of the Pei Shou in the Han-Tang dynasties from the perspective of classification by rank,summarises the changes in the composition of Pei Shou combinations from the Han to the Sui-Tang dynasties,analyses the performance and trends of Pei Shou combinations in terms of classification by rank,classification by occasion and classification by function,and analyses the relationship between the evolution of the Pei Shou system and the dress system.The conclusions of the thesis are as follows.(1)The origin of Pei Shou before the Han-Tang dynasties can be traced back to as early as the Zhou dynasty and no later than the Qin dynasty,and the Pei Shou was transformed from a ribbon tied with jade pendants during the Warring States period.During the Qin dynasty the Pei Shou was composed of three parts: Ni,the ring and Pei,ribbon tied.In the Western Han period,the shape and combination of Pei Shou is not fixed,but is a transitional period from formation to perfection,as seen in the images: a ribbon around the waist;a ribbon loop around the waist;a ribbon around the waist with a “Ni” to attach the seal;a combination of“Ni,the ring and Pei,ribbon tied”;a ribbon narrow and thin,in the shape of a ruyi or triangle.(2)In the Eastern Han Dynasty,“Yin Shou” was popular,with the combination of “ribbon,seal,Ni,Pei,Pan Nang.They were worn in the following ways: "draped,held,embraced,and tucked",and were mainly positioned in front of the waist and at the side of the waist.The main ways of awarding Pei Shou are by gift,inheritance and sale,while the removal of Pei Shou is often accompanied by the dismissal or removal of the person’s identity and official position,symbolising a change in status.Pei Shou was worn by the emperor,the empress and the consort with their ceremonial and imperial garments.The grading of Pei Shou combinations is primarily a matter of grade,with the elements of grading including the colour of the ribbon,the length of the ribbon,the density of the ribbon,the material of the seal,and the size of the Ni.The colour of the ribbon has the strongest grading effect,while the length and density of the ribbon are both graded in numerical order,the higher the status,the more pronounced the gradation,so as to emphasize the higher status.(3)The composition of Pei Shou in the Wei-Jin dynasties was inherited from the Han system,with the name of the “Da Shou” appearing in the Nan dynasty and the system of the “Xiao Shou”in the Bei dynasty.In the Wei,Jin and Bei Dynasties,Pei Shou were worn in three ways: "knotted,draped,and held".In addition to the "Ban Shou" method,there were no seal ribbons for officials from the emperor down to the fifth-ranking official.Pei Shou was worn by the emperor on the occasion of his coronation or court dress,and by the consort on the occasion of her court dress or even casual dress.The graded elements include the colour of the ribbon,the length of the ribbon,the width of the ribbon,the density of the ribbon,the presence or absence of “Xiao Shou”,the material of the seal,the material of the Pei,the shape and the material of the Pan Nang.The gradation of elements tends to be richer in general,and still corresponds to the higher the rank of the identity,the more obvious the difference,in order to highlight the high position.(4)In the Sui-Tang dynasties,the composition of Pei Shou includes a double ribbon,a ring and Pei,a Pan Nang,worn in the manner of “held or draped”.The range of occasions for wearing Pei Shou has been expanded,with the addition of important ceremonial occasions for the wearing of “public and official clothes”.The elements of classification include the colour of the ribbon,the length of the ribbon,the width of the ribbon,the density of the ribbon,the material of the Pei,the number of rings and the material of the Pan Nang.From the Sui to the Tang dynasties,the difference of the classification elements between the emperor and his subordinates was large,but the difference between the rest of the people was consistent,highlighting the emperor’s extremely prestigious status.(5)The most significant change in the composition of the Pei Shou in the Han-Tang dynasties is the disappearance of the “seal”,which gradually lost its practical function of hanging a seal and was worn in fewer ways.The changes in the gradation of the elements of the Pei Shou during the Han-Tang dynasties can be seen in the increasing complexity of the gradation of the elements,which led to an increase in the function of gradation of rank;the function of gradation of occasion began to appear in the Sui dynasty and was constantly improved;the function of gradation of office was weak,it was only found in the seal button and Xiao Shou.The relationship between the system of Pei Shou and the system of dress is one of mutual influence.