I've Seen A Few Photoshoots And Characters In Dramas Wearing Veils Over The Lower Part Of Their Face

I've seen a few photoshoots and characters in dramas wearing veils over the lower part of their face and I was wondering if this was an actual accessory or a modern artistic liberty? Either way it's very pretty but I was hoping you had some insight :) thank you for your time and I love your blog

Hi - thanks for the question, and I’m glad you love my blog!

The veils worn over the lower part of the face that you see in Hanfu photoshoots and Chinese dramas are called Miansha/面纱 (veil). As far as I’m aware, they are a modern artistic liberty and were not actually worn as accessories by the ancient Chinese. Nevertheless, they frequently appear in Chinese dramas, and have currently become a fashionable accessory among Hanfu wearers. 

So how did this come to be? It’s important to keep in mind that China actually has a history and tradition of veiling the entire face, with examples being the veiled hats called Mili/幂蓠 and Weimao/帷帽 (see here and here for more information) and the red wedding veil called Gaitou/盖头. Chinese drama costume designers no doubt drew on this tradition to come up with the lower-face veil that we see now, which is meant to emphasize the mysteriousness and beauty of those who wear it. Below - Miansha in Chinese dramas, often paired with Weimao (rows 1 & 2):

In a case of art imitating life and life imitating art, Hanfu wearers have drawn inspiration from the aesthetics of such dramas, and subsequently incorporated Miansha into the Hanfu wardrobe as a fashionable accessory. Nowadays you can find Miansha in various colors and designs on Taobao: 

The latest face veil trend among Hanfu wearers is the Mianlian/面帘 (curtain). Mianlian involves a veil that’s made of tassels instead of a piece of fabric:

Nowadays you can find various types of Mianlian on the market, from the simple to the glamorous and blinged-out:

Mianlian can be worn in several different ways - on the lower face, on top of the head to cover the entire face, and on the back of the head as a hair ornament:

In summary, while Miansha and Mianlian are not strictly historically accurate, their current popularity exemplifies a creative reinvention of tradition that I find commendable. Plus, they really do look very pretty! Below - Hanfu street style (Miansha on left, Mianlian on right):

Hope this helps!

Sources/Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

transluscent mask and chinese hanfu in xianxia style by 神之月晓

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