Activity: Make an Imperial Court Hat
Category
Duration
Audience
Age
Grades
About
Make a court hat like the ones worn by the emperors and empresses of China, and show everyone who's boss!
Getting Started
The clothes that you wear can tell people a lot about you. They can let people know who you are, what family you belong to, what things you like, and what job you do. A court hat could quickly tell people that its owner was to be treated with respect!
Context
Learning Goals
- Understand that world cultures throughout history had different ranks.
- Discover how clothing and other apparel was a useful way to quickly convey the wearer's rank to others.
- Identify how hats were worn by the emperors and empresses in imperial China to denote their rank and status.
Background Information
A hat was an important part of the Imperial ensemble; it was a very visible and easy way of showing that someone was a person with power and status. Emperors and empresses both wore impressive court hats of red silk trimmed with sable fur and adorned with gold and pearls. The imperial concubines and the empress would secure their hair first with a diadem or circlet of gold, decorated with pearls and precious gems, which would be visible beneath the brim of her hat.
Can you spot the empress' hat with the diadem?
Materials & preparation
Materials
- template [PDF]
- glue
- cardboard or Bristol board
- scissors
- markers or crayons
- embellishments (stickers, felt, feathers, rhinestones, buttons, beads, etc.)
- your imagination!
Preparation
Look up images of Chinese royalty and try to spot the difference between the different types of hats.
Can you see different colours in the spheres on top of the hats? Hat spheres helped denote a person's station and rank.
How to Make an Imperial Court Hat
Dig Deeper
Follow-Up
- Imagine that you are a curator in a museum, and you are putting this hat into an exhibition. Write a short label for the hat that answers some or all of the following questions:
- Who wore this hat?
- When did they wear it?
- What is it made from?
- How does this hat convey information about the person wearing it?
- What garments do people in other cultures wear to show leadership?
- What do people wear at your school to show leadership?
Teacher Reflection
- Does the finished product demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and function of such attire?
- Did the student create a straightforward reproduction or creatively interpret the assignment?
- Did the interpretation they chose convey the intended message about the hat and its wearer?
Extension Activities
Complete your Imperial ensemble with the Court Robe activity!
Glossary
Forbidden City: The Forbidden City was the largest palace complex in history, home to the emperors of China and their families from 1420 to 1912.
Diadem: A type of crown, like an ornamental headband, worn by royalty.
Concubine: A woman who lived with a man, but who was not married to him. An emperor usually had many concubines in addition to the empress, who was his wife.
