Among China’s traditional colors, red is truly the best at enhancing one’s complexion and creating an atmosphere. Whether it’s the bright red of the Chinese New Year or the peach blossom red favored by young girls, it always makes people think of the blooming spring at a single glance. In the recently popular Chinese TV drama The Glory, the actress who played Aunt Zhou once said, “Wearing crimson makes one’s complexion look better!” However, it should be noted that, considering her outfit, the “crimson” that she mentioned actually looks more like the color of imperial concubine pink or rouge.

I. The Romantic Pink Color

The term “crimson” is also closely related to hanfu. It is said that the color of imperial concubine pink was originally called “lychee color”, and later, due to the story of Yang Guifei’s love for lychees, it evolved into “Yang Guifei color”. However, there is another theory that, according to real historical records, it is more likely that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty liked to eat lychees, while Yang Guifei liked to eat pomegranates.

Another theory holds that this color got its name from the color of the clothes that Yang Guifei often wore. But regardless of its origin, the pink color series has always been highly associated with this beauty from the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Perhaps it’s because pink, to some extent, represents sweetness, cuteness, and feminine charm.

The following picture is a meticulous painting of a lady by Xiang Weiren (项维仁). In the painting, Yang Guifei is wearing the color of “Yang Guifei pink”. It can be said that this color has really won the hearts of people, hasn’t it?

The so-called “Yang Guifei color” is actually a lighter and more delicate version of crimson. To accurately understand its hue, we need to first explore the origin of the crimson color. In ancient novels, we often come across descriptions of women in crimson clothes, which depict women as fiery as red.

The character “绯 (fei)” first appeared in the poetry and prose of the Sui and Tang dynasties. It was not until the Song Dynasty that Xu Xuan (徐铉) supplemented and recorded in Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters) that it was explained as “the red color of silk fabric”, specifically referring to the deep red color dyed on textiles. And the color “赤色 (chi se)”, in ancient times, was called “the color of fire”. Crimson is even deeper than the color “chi”. As the name implies, crimson is a deep red color.

The color worn by the noblewoman in the painting Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair with Flowers in the picture below can well summarize the temperament of Hanfu in this color: luxurious and gorgeous, it is a symbol of status indicating that the wearer is either wealthy or of noble status.

It should be noted that the crimson color belongs to the category of deep red, while the imperial concubine pink color belongs to the pink spectrum. Although both are within the red color family, they differ greatly in terms of shade. So, crimson is a deep red, and the imperial concubine pink color is closer to what we now call pink. The imperial concubine pink color is not just one shade. There are several other names for color terms with the character “妃 (fei)”. For example, “妃红 (fei hong)”, “杨妃 (Yang Guifei color)”, “湘妃 (Xiangfei color)”, etc., all of which are elegant names for “pink”.

We can take the Ming Dynasty clothing of actress Chen Duling in the TV drama The Glory as an example. It may seem that it’s the same style of clothing, but the temperament presented is different. The crimson color gives off a stronger aura, while the pink color is more gentle and graceful. Sometimes, even when the same person wears Hanfu in different colors, there will be significant differences. Besides the obvious differences in aura, why does the pink color make a person’s complexion look so good?

II. The Reason Why Pink Enhances Complexion

Surprisingly, there is indeed a reason. Why does this shade of pink enhance the complexion so well? Regardless of age, it seems that wearing pink really makes one’s complexion look better. That’s because the traditional Chinese pink actually leans towards an orange – tinted pink.

Compared with other colors, orange – pink is relatively less picky about the wearer. Since the skin tone of the Chinese people is on the yellow – side and both are warm – toned colors, orange – pink can better set off the complexion.

Some netizens have also conducted tests on different shades of pink. They found that for people with a yellow – tinged complexion, colors close to rose red and orange – pink can better enhance the skin tone, while colors with a blue undertone make the skin look darker. It seems that if you want your skin to look fairer, you should choose colors like rose red and orange. If you want to have a sun – kissed look, then bright clothes with an overall blue undertone are a good choice.

Moreover, pink has always been a symbol of beauty and vitality. In ancient times, people liked to use “peach blossom pink” to describe a beautiful woman’s fair complexion. For example, in the poem “The Peach Tree in Blossom” from Classic of Poetry – The South of Zhou (《‌诗经·周南·桃夭》), the line “How gracefully the peach tree grows, with its rich and blooming flowers” not only depicts the scene of peach blossoms in full bloom but also makes people imagine the delicate and vibrant appearance of a beautiful woman.

The ancients described different shades of the pink color series as follows:

【Peach Blossom Color 】

“The peach tree sways in youth’s full glow,

Its blooms aflame where soft winds blow.”

【Herald of Spring Hue 】

“Five drumbeats urge the lotus city to wake,

A lone plum branch springs forth, winter’s grip to break.”

【Ginger Shoot Tint 】

“New buds, translucent as jade under sun’s gaze,

Like a maiden’s powdered fingertip they blaze.”

【Silk Tree Color 】

“East winds perfume the silk tree’s bloom,

While setting sun hears crows mourn ‘neath the Longing Tree’s gloom.”

However, highly saturated pink, which is full of a lively and charming feeling, is not so versatile. It can be said that it requires fair skin, some cultural deposits, and temperament to carry it off well. Therefore, even though they are mother and daughter in the drama, the shades of pink hanfu they wear are different.

Summary

Some people say that it makes sense to wear light pink when you’re young and dark pink when you’re older. If light pink is like a budding flower bud, then dark pink represents a kind of magnanimity and elegance that comes with developed temperament. Young women exude a youthful vitality like a flower bud about to bloom, while older women possess a kind of wisdom and composure that has been precipitated by the passage of time.

There was a time when pink represented masculinity and noble status, and blue was the color symbolizing women. At that time, noble men in Europe would go after pink. The uniforms of Napoleon’s cavalry regiment were decorated with pink, and this army was known as the “Pink Legion”, which struck fear into the hearts of enemies on the European battlefields.

By the beginning of the 20th century, with the development of the modern printing and dyeing industry, pink became increasingly accessible to the general public. Merchants began to promote the idea that boys should wear blue and girls should wear pink.

This marketing strategy gradually strengthened the association between pink and women. We can say that in fact, colors themselves have no gender. After all, in ancient China, it was quite common for men to wear pink and adorn their heads with flowers. Everyone has the desire to pursue beauty. It is also hoped that both men and women can find the most suitable shade of pink for themselves at different stages of their lives.