Earrings Research In Ancient China

Ear ornaments in ancient China are classified as one category of ancient Chinese jewelry, which mainly include seven types:Jue, ear Dang, Tian, earrings, eardrops, ear-nails and ear clamps.Ear ornaments, worn on either side of the head, were designed with great ingenuity and made of exquisite material, which boasted not only the esthetic value, but also the wearer’s status and taste as well. Small and light though they were, ear ornaments did not prevent the workers from exercising their amazing craftsmanship to the full, hence, the design and manufacture of ear ornaments could represent the finest mosaic of gold, jade and gems of that time. Meanwhile, the most fascinating of ear ornaments studies lies in the exploration of their relationship with man, and even with the times of their emergence.As one category of jewelry, ear ornaments have undergone the sharpest rise and fall in history. Jade worship culture in china can be traced back to as early as the Neolithic Age, making jade Jue the earliest known form of ear ornaments in history, the unearthed articles of which have been found throughout southern and northern China. However, as history wheeled to the pre-Qin period, wearing earrings soon sank into oblivion in the Han ethnical region because ancient Chinese people, influenced by the Ritual Study, refused to pierce their ears. They held to the belief that people should keep their body intact---"the body, hair and skin, given by parents, should not be harmed." Consequently, the development of ear ornament soon fell into the valley. Such a situation continued until the prime days of the Tang Dynasty. Whereas during that period, the Han nationality invented a special type of ear ornament "Tian", which were not worn on the earlobes but attached to a hairpin."Tian" originally served as a decoration on men’s crown, later graduated into an indispensable part of the official costumes for upper class court ladies. It prevailed in the Han-Jin period and was then called "Zan Er", the pronunciation of which was to remind its wearer to be cautious, self-respecting and away from heresies. Eventually,"Zan Er" established itself as something characteristic of Chinese social institution. Ornaments for pierced ears gained their popularity with the Han nationality in the Song Dynasty and were soon regarded as an important distinction between men and women, like foot binding, became an indispensable symbol of femininity. The reasons behind this were very complicated and might involve philosophical, political and economic factors. Earrings first came into fashion in the Song Dynasty for they did not dangle wantonly like eardrops, thus making them gorgeous, stylish and more graceful. Eardrops did not evolved into a vogue until the late Ming Dynasty as a result of the prevalence of Wang Yangming’s theory, the movement against anti-asceticism of the Song scholars and the Man nationality’ preference for elaborate decorations. The practice of piercing ears still continued in the period of the Republic of China(1911-1949), but became less trendy for women with western education, who would opt for new types of ear ornaments---ear clamps. In modern times, whether to pierce ears or not has completely become a matter of one’s own. Hence, the rise and fall of the apparently small ear ornaments can reflect the evolution of the Chinese concept of life.This article employs such methods as antiques examination, literature review, aesthetic appreciation and cultural interpretation, to make a comprehensive analysis of the origin, naming, categories, material, design, manufacture, technology, wearing style and decorative pattern of ear ornaments from the Neolithic Age to the Qing Dynasty. The article also ventures to explore the changing vogue for ear ornaments throughout the times, interpret the cultural information attached to them, and unfurl the beauty therein.