Court Hats of the Zhenguo Gong

A rank-specific court crown

The court hat (*chaoguan*) of a *zhenguo gong* was formal headwear worn by a Qing imperial-clan duke in prescribed ceremonies. *Zhenguo gong* was a noble title below *beizi* and above *fuguo gong*, not the name of an administrative office. Court hats must also be distinguished from everyday hats and auspicious-dress headwear.

Juan 4 of the Qianlong-era *Illustrated Regulations for the Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Imperial Court* states that the winter court hat of a *zhenguo gong* used a two-tier gold-dragon ornament, five eastern pearls (*dongzhu*), a ruby finial, and a double-eyed peacock feather. The regulation identifies comparable provisions for a *heshuo efu*, the husband of a *heshuo* princess. This kinship-derived designation should not be mistaken for another name for *zhenguo gong*.

For summer, the hat carried a front ornament known as *shelin* with one eastern pearl, and a gold floral ornament with turquoise at the back. Its upper decoration and peacock feather followed the winter prescription.

Rank and visual evidence

Pearl number, feather type, and seasonal construction expressed recognizable hierarchy. They were not arbitrary elements of popular dress. Nevertheless, the specification of a hat in an eighteenth-century regulation is distinct from the dating or attribution of a particular surviving artifact. Museum records and the wearer's known title remain essential to identification.

Related encyclopedia entry: Court Beads of the Zhenguo Gong.

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