In the film Ne Zha 2, the Shiji (石矶娘娘) who loves beauty was smashed into tiny stones, but in the end, she still picked two leaves to adorn her head? There’s a saying: “One’s head can be chopped off, blood can flow, but the hairstyle must not be messed up.” Turns out this kind of aesthetic comes from our ancestors!

People in the old days already liked to adorn their heads with leaves. This included not only real leaves but also various hair accessories made in the shape of leaves. The most common materials were gold, silver, velvet flowers, rice – paper flowers, kingfisher feathers, and so on. Women could enjoy themselves by using these on hairpins and earrings.

One of the earlier styles was the flower – tree – shaped step – shaking hairpin popular during the Wei and Jin dynasties. Here, “step – shaking (步摇)” is a general term, referring to accessories that jingle when one walks. There were single gold step – shaking hairpins and step – shaking crowns. Influenced by the early worship of nature and mythical beasts, as well as one’s rank and status, as the name implies, a flower – tree – shaped step – shaking hairpin would be decorated with “a tree”, with flowers and leaves on the branches, and various small animals (not only birds, but also bears, deer, tigers, etc. – the six ancient beasts). It was like a “magical forest” on the head.

Many gold and silver accessories in the shape of various leaves have been unearthed from the Tang Dynasty. These were worn on the head, and there could be as many as twelve hairpins. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao Yan’s Song of the River Water (萧衍, 《河中之水歌》)wrote, “On her head, rows of gold hairpins, twelve in all, On her feet, silk shoes with five – colored patterns enthrall.(头上金钗十二行，足下丝履五文章)” The Tang – Dynasty poet Shi Jianwu (施肩吾) also wrote in The Dressing – up – After – Party Poem (《收妆词》), “Before the lamp, she gazes into the bronze mirror once more, In vain, the twelve rows of gold hairpins are arrayed upon her head.(灯前再览青铜镜，枉插金钗十二行)” “Twelve hairpins” were once used to represent a noble status. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, high – coiled hairstyles were very popular. The higher the coiled hair, the more tasteful it was considered.

Especially during the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the trend became even stronger. The more false hair one needed, the more fixed hairpins and hairpins were required, and most of them were in symmetrical pairs. The more gold hairpins one wore on the head, the more it could reflect one’s nobility. If a noblewoman wore a “hairpin – adorned ceremonial dress”, she also had to follow the corresponding way of wearing a certain number of hairpins.

The elaborate way of wearing hairpins and hair ornaments can be seen in many portraits of donors in Dunhuang murals. For example, in the portrait of the Lady of Liang State (凉国) in the Five Dynasties painted in Cave 19 of Yulin Grottoes, she wears eight (four pairs) gold hairpins and several precious hair ornaments. In the portraits of donors from the Cao family (曹氏家族) in Dunhuang, the number of hairpins varies, with some having six and some having four. In the early days, there was a difference in the terms for hairpins. A zan (簪) was usually single – pronged, while a chai (钗) was double – pronged. Later, “zan” gradually became a general term for women’s hair accessories.

In the Song Dynasty, leaves also appeared on various ear pendants. Lotus leaves and willow leaves were the most popular patterns among the people of that time. Besides, there were also designs inspired by pomegranates, lychees, peaches, chrysanthemums, etc. This made the entire accessory system quite “plant – themed”. Moreover, many flower – shaped ornaments were usually paired with leaf – shaped ones. The details were exquisitely crafted, with the veins of the leaves delicately displayed.

Don’t think that only flower – wearing was popular in ancient times. Wearing leaves in the hair was also a common custom in China. All kinds of leaves could be used as hair adornments. And during specific seasons, people would wear different seasonal leaves. For example, during the Qingming Festival, people would wear willow leaves. As the saying goes, “Skip willow – wearing on Qingming Day, and youth will fade away in no delay. (清明不戴柳，红颜成皓首)” During the Start of Autumn, people would wear catalpa leaves to mark the arrival of autumn.

In the film, Lady Shiji never suffered from mental self – consumption. She was emotionally stable and at peace with herself. Even when she turned back to her original form, she still said things like “Great, there’s still a little left”, “As long as the green mountains remain, there will always be firewood”, and “You brat, you better remember this, old lady’s gonna get you!” She had an incredibly strong mind and tenacious vitality. She even paid attention to her image management all the time. Even when she was at a low point and frustrated, she didn’t forget to use two leaves as a headdress. Some people say it looks like a “bow – tie”, but in fact, it reflects the Chinese ancient aesthetic of “wearing leaves in the hair” passed down from our ancestors.