For many visitors to the National Museum of China in Beijing, particularly women who love hanfu (traditional Chinese attire), taking a photo with a magnificent coronet once worn by a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) empress is a must. Now, the museum is putting the dazzling imperial headpiece in the spotlight with an exhibition devoted to its history, beauty and exquisite craftsmanship.
The headwear is sophisticated in structure and adorned with gemstones and pearls. Its imperial status is symbolized by nine ornamental dragons and nine phoenixes, an arrangement exclusive to the royal family and a testament to the superb workmanship of craftsmen serving the imperial court.
For a long time, the coronet had been on display in the museum's permanent exhibition, Ancient China. Because of its great popularity, the museum has now opened an exhibition that places it at the center.
The Grandeur of Ming Court Ritual: Empress Xiaoduan's Coronet with Nine Dragons and Nine Phoenixes, open to the public on a long-term basis, offers visitors diverse perspectives from which to appreciate the object's magnificent beauty and take photos to share on social media.
The exhibition also introduces the major handicraft techniques used in making the coronet — filigree, diancui (kingfisher feather inlay), and gemstone setting and inlay. To help visitors better understand the delicate handiwork involved, videos are played in rotation showing artists reproducing three parts of the coronet using each of the three techniques.
Accessories made using the same techniques from the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties are also on display — some from the collections of other museums, such as the Ming Tombs Museum in Beijing's Changping district.
The Ming Tombs Museum manages the 13 mausoleums where Ming emperors and their empresses were buried, including the Dingling Tomb, whose occupants included Emperor Wanli and his two empresses, Xiaoduan and Xiaojing. The coronet was found inside the tomb with its owner, Xiaoduan, during an excavation in the 1950s.
The gemstones that lent shine to Xiaoduan's coronet are believed to have been presented to the Ming court by foreign traders. The exhibition also includes an immersive area where several screens show an animation simulating scenes outside and inside Beijing. It allows visitors to follow merchants as they enter the imperial capital, cross its bustling streets and finally reach their destination, the Forbidden City, where they were to be presented to the emperor.
Empress Xiaoduan wore the coronet only a few times, and only at grand ceremonies. Thereafter, the headwear became an essential element of imperial attire, representing the monarchy and the solemnity of royal rituals.
Today, while the coronet is on public display and its beauty delights a wider audience, visitors can also take home a piece of its appeal through the more than 100 creative products offered at the National Museum's gift shops.
