Back in ancient China, there was no cozy central heating like we enjoy today. In those days without electricity, just getting a candle to light up was tough for many folks. Winters could be really brutal, and people could actually freeze to death. You know that famous line from Du Fu‘s poem A Five – Hundred – Word Lyric on My Way from the Capital to Fengxian County (《自京赴奉先县咏怀五百字》) : “Behind the fancy red gates, food and wine are wasted, while on the streets, you see the bones of those who froze to death.” This shows how poor families, with no money for warmth, were left to die in the cold. Clearly, not having proper ways to stay warm in ancient times was a huge problem.​

If you’re someone who often goes out in the cold, you know that ears can quickly get numb and frozen in the snow and ice. You definitely need some way to keep them warm. So, let’s join silkdivas and find out what the ancient Chinese did to protect their ears during the winter.

In some ancient – costume TV shows like The Story of Farmer (《田耕纪》) and The Secret Records in the Brocade Bag (《锦囊妙录》), we’ve seen those furry earmuffs. They really look quite similar to the ones we use today! But what were they actually called in ancient times? As we mentioned before, only those with better financial conditions could afford such warm – keeping items. It had various names, such as ear warmers, ear clothes, ear protectors, and so on.​

Ⅰ. In the Tang Dynasty​

In the Tang Dynasty, people called it “ear clothes”, which were specifically designed to protect the ears from the severe cold in winter. Li Kuo (李廓) of the Tang Dynasty mentioned in his poem: “The golden – decorated belt is heavy, and the iron – sewn ear clothes are cold.” The word “iron” in the text was noted as “brocade” in the annotation. This indicates that ear clothes at that time might have been made of brocade. Judging from cultural relics, they might also have been made of fur. However, the exact style and shape of them are unknown today.​

It is guessed that this kind of ear clothes has an opening inside, which can be directly put on the ears. Judging from murals and clay figures, one type is a long woolen strip that hangs down from the ears, and the other is a cold – proof accessory made of fabric around the ears, with a cord at the lower ends on both sides to tie it.​

Ⅱ. In the Ming Dynasty​

In the Ming Dynasty, “ear warmers” emerged as a kind of warm – keeping item and were officially incorporated into the official – costume system. According to the records in History of Ming: The Annals of Imperial Carriages and Attires (《明史·舆服志》), before Emperor Wanli ascended the throne, every November, all court officials were required to wear ear warmers to keep out the cold. Some scholars speculate that the ear warmers at that time were rectangular in shape, could be worn on both sides and covered outside the hat, similar to the style in the picture below. Generally speaking, men’s ear warmers were basically paired with hats, while women’s were paired with “lying rabbit (卧兔儿, a kind of women’s hat made of animal fur)” as a single item.

At that time, ear warmers were usually made of precious furs. According to Records of Beijing’s Festive Seasons in the Ming Dynasty (《北京岁华记》), during the Winter Solstice, people rushed to buy ear warmers, causing the market price to soar. Even today, they could be considered luxury items. As recorded in Anecdotes of the Wanli Reign in the Ming Dynasty (《万历野获编》), whenever the cold winter arrived in the capital city, the emperor would bestow mink – fur ear warmers on both inner and outer court officials as a sign of favor. The officials who received the gifts would wear them the next day to show their gratitude. At that time, most of the mink fur used in the imperial court was tribute from the Jurchen people. The cost of making ear warmers was huge, with each time costing tens of thousands of strings of cash (each string was one thousand copper coins, totaling about tens of thousands of taels of silver). During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, considering the large expenditure, the emperor stopped this kind of reward. For example, this cultural relic is a pair of mink – fur ear warmers. The fur is taken from the finest and softest parts of high – quality furs, which is extremely precious and rare.

Ⅲ. From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China​

Winters in northern China were extremely cold, so earmuffs for keeping warm became very popular accessories. Ear warmers were popular among the common people in the Qing Dynasty, especially among women in northern regions. They had an inner and an outer layer. The outer layer was embroidered with various patterns, and the inner layer was an earmuff. When wearing, people just unfolded the inner layer and put it on their ears. They were mostly in the shape of a peach, with a thin layer of cotton padded in the interlayer, which was both warm and practical, as well as decorative. Even the earmuffs are in the shape of love. It’s really so sweet.

By the Qing Dynasty and the period of the Republic of China, ear warmers had evolved into a kind of folk clothing accessory. They were made from various materials and came in diverse shapes, such as heart – shaped, butterfly – shaped, and so on. These ear warmers had built – in buckles for easy wearing on the ears. The outer edges were decorated with delicate embroidered borders, on which were embroidered beautiful patterns like flowers, birds, dancing butterflies, and famous lines from poems, showing luxury.​

The two ear warmers were connected by a thin thread. When not in use, people could directly hang the two ear warmers around the neck by the connecting string, or fasten them to the coat buttons and hang them in front of the chest. This made them easy to carry around. In the Northeast region, ear warmers were made of fur and were also called “fur ears”. Rabbit fur was sewn on the edge of the seams, and a thin layer of cotton could be stuffed in the middle layer, which made them even warmer.​

Summary

Wearing ear warmers together with warm hats (or lying rabbits) and fur collars can provide extremely good cold protection. Even today, we still use this combination. Does this kind of winter fashion also make you feel warm? There’s a ready – made “example” here. We can’t help but sigh: fashion really does come full circle! Fortunately, winter has passed. No matter how last year went, it’s time to welcome the spring of the new year now.