Manchu Women's Headdress

Abstract

The liangbatou or "two-handled headdress" was a distinguishing feature of Manchu women's dress in the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911), and continued to to be evident on the streets of Beijing until the 1930s. When did it emerge? This overview of its history posits a late date of emergence and, in the early twentieth century, a radical transformation into the dalochi ("greeting drooping wings") style when black silk on a frame was used instead of black hair on a hairpin.