Guan Li

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The {{Transliteration|zh|Guan Li}} and the {{Transliteration|zh|Ji Li}} ceremony appeared in China in ancient times, prior to the Qin era.{{Cite web|title=Ethics: the Core Concept of Chinese Rite of Passage--《Northwestern Journal of Ethnology》2017年02期|url=https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-SAGA201702017.htm|access-date=2021-03-18|website=en.cnki.com.cn|archive-date=2022-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907115800/https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-SAGA201702017.htm|url-status=dead}} Some philosophical texts dating from the Zhou dynasty and Warring States period provide some evidence for the {{Transliteration|zh|Guan Li}} ceremony, for example in the Analects of Confucius and by texts written by Mencius. The {{Transliteration|zh|Guan Li}} ceremony can also be found in the Han Shu.

The {{Transliteration|zh|Guan Li}} is also known as the "capping" ceremony. The character {{Transliteration|zh|guan}} ({{Lang-zh|c=冠|labels=|p=guān}}) is sometimes translated as crown or cap.{{Cite web|title=Evolution of Caps in China|url=http://en.chinaculture.org/2014-12/11/content_584883.htm|access-date=2021-03-19|website=en.chinaculture.org}}{{Cite book|last=Yuan|first=Xiaowei|title=Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Humanities (ICCESSH 2017) |chapter=Traditional Chinese Jewelry Art: Loss, Rediscovery and Reconstruction Take Headwear as an Example |date=2017|location=Paris, France|publisher=Atlantis Press|doi=10.2991/iccessh-17.2017.135|isbn=978-94-6252-351-7|doi-access=free}} As a coming of age ceremony, the {{Transliteration|zh|Guan Li}} ceremony marks the passage of man from childhood to adulthood. It is only after the {{Transliteration|zh|Guan Li}} ceremony that a man is considered an adult and can be given adult responsibilities and rights; for example, a man could become the heir of his family, get married, inherit a business, and participate in other aspects of society.{{Cite web|title=On the Symbolism of Crown Ceremony and Hairpin Rite during the Pre- Qin Period--《Nankai Journal(Philosophy, Literature and Social Science Edition)》2011年04期|url=https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-LKXB201104012.htm|access-date=2021-03-18|website=en.cnki.com.cn|archive-date=2023-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202210538/https://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-LKXB201104012.htm|url-status=dead}}

The {{Transliteration|zh|Guan Li}} ceremony typically occurs when a man reaches 20 years old and when a girl reaches 15.{{Cite book|last1=Zhu|first1=Ruixi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40elDQAAQBAJ&q=capping+ceremony+china&pg=PA226|title=A social history of middle-period China : the Song, Liao, Western Xia and Jin dynasties|last2=朱瑞熙|date=2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|others=Bangwei Zhang, Fusheng Liu, Chongbang Cai, Zengyu Wang, Peter Ditmanson, Bang Qian Zhu|isbn=978-1-107-16786-5|edition=Updated|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom|pages=226–227|oclc=953576345}}

The ceremony takes place in the young man's ancestral temple on a carefully chosen date, which was considered auspicious, and it was organized by a respectable senior relative of the young man.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/784952529|title=Understanding Chinese society|date=2011|publisher=Routledge|others=Xiaowei Zang|isbn=978-0-203-80328-8|location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon|oclc=784952529}} It could also be done by the eastern stairs (which was the entrance typically used by the master of the house) if the boy was a son by the proper wife, to symbolize that he was in the succession line.{{Cite book|last=Legge|first=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_sIxAQAAMAAJ&q=capping+ceremony+china&pg=RA1-PA55|title=The Sacred Books of China, The Texts of Confucianism|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1885|volume=27|location=Pennsylvania State University|pages=437–438}}

On the day of the ceremony, many guests were invited, including the parents of the young man, the master of the ceremony, and an assistant.

The procedures of ceremony occur through the following steps:

1. Before the ceremony, the boy takes a bath; his hair is done and he then waits in a room.
2. At the beginning of the ceremony, the father of the boy gives a brief speech.
3. The boy comes out from the room and meets with the guests.
4. The father of the boy would hand him a cup, in the guest's place, without receiving one in return.
5. The senior relative, or the master of the ceremony, washes his hands.
6. The senior relative places three caps on head of the young man, as follows:
7. The ceremony master washes his hand and places a {{Transliteration|zh|futou}} on the boy's head; the boy then goes to another room to wear clothing with the same colour as the cap. After that he comes out and returns to the ceremony master.
8. The ceremony master then gives him another cap; the boy goes back to the room and comes back wearing a dark coloured clothing which is worn by adult men to match the cap.
9. The young man gives a salute to all the guests and officially becomes a "man".
10. The young man would obtain a courtesy name.

Following the Confucian tradition, Koreans also performed the "capping" ceremony, known as Gwallye ({{Korean|hangul=관례|hanja=冠禮}}) as a symbol of coming-of-age for men.{{Cite book|last=Clark|first=Donald N.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51432263|title=Culture and customs of Korea|date=2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-00727-6|location=Westport, Conn.|pages=96|oclc=51432263}}{{Cite web|title=Coming-of-age ceremony for boys(冠禮)|url=https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/49|access-date=2021-06-12|website=Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture}} On the day of the coming-of-age ceremony, Korean men would have their hair put up in a top knot and cover it with a hat (e.g. a gat) and were official given responsibilities as an adult men.{{Cite web|title=Coming-of-age Day|url=https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/255|website=Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture}}{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/882879939|title=Guide to Korean culture.|date=2013|others=Haeoe Hongbowŏn|isbn=978-89-7375-571-4|location=Seoul, Republic of Korea|pages=107–108|oclc=882879939}}

• Ji Li (ceremony) – equivalent ceremony for women
• {{Transliteration|zh|Guan (headwear)}}
• Hanfu

• Genpuku, the Japanese coming-of-age ceremony
• Cug Huê Hng, the Teochew coming-of-age ceremony

{{Reflist}}

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing}}

{{Religious Confucianism}}

Category:Chinese culture

Category:Rites of passage

Category:East Asian traditions

Category:Confucian rites