Tracing The Rich History Behind The Rise Of The Yellow Turban As A Fashion Piece

By Sue Carpenter


There is a rising trend where fashion enthusiasts are increasingly drawn to don distinctively Oriental fashion pieces. The one that has really caught the imagination of the public has been the distinctive yellow turban. Yet a good majority of those who wear it have little or no conception of its deep historical roots. Read on and you will be amazed at the story of the rise of the head gears prominence in the ancient Chinese empire.

The yellow turban rebellion was a revolt mounted against the ling dynasty in the last two decades of the second century AD. The empire was pushing for deeply unpopular policies about farming in famine stricken Northern China provinces, forcing the peasants to rise up in arms. Led by Taoist priests, the rebellion marked a distinct period for the faith.

The revolution was lead by the legendary three Zhang brothers in the Shandong province. They taught their followers a new brand of Taoism where people were encouraged to concept and take to faith for healing and confess their sins. The most inspiring of the three was Jiao who was given the reverent title 'General from Heaven'.

Jiao was a very charismatic priest and war general. Before leading the peasants in has command to battle, how would regale them with inspiring speeches of a new era dawning after their victory over the empire. He would tell them that the sky would turn yellow for a whole year to mark the fall of the Han dynasty. This is why his followers wore the distinctive head gear.

The discontent against the regime was at its most virulent height in three distinct areas especially to the north of the Yellow river where the Zhang brothers lived. It was also very powerful in certain areas surrounding the modern day Beijing city. Other pockets of rebellion were in the Nanyang and Yinchuan areas. The latter two areas of revolt were causing a great concern in the heart of the empire.

The rebellion gathered pace fast and soon there were well over 360,000 men fighting to bring down the empire. This success was to receive a harsh reality check when a half brother to the emperor, Liu Yang, was promoted to lead the army. He immediately embarked on an intensive recruitment of men in the southern provinces where peace was still prevalent. He was soon leading the march of a big army to face the rebels.

With the army being led by Liu Yan, there was no respite at all for the rebels. They were squashed with unrelenting vengeance. Soon the Zhang brothers were captured and killed, robbing the revolution of its leading lights and inspiration. While there were pockets of dissent throughout the subsequent decade, by 205 AD, there was no discernible sign of the yellow turbans.

The oriental influence in western fashion has been rising in prominence over the years. One lasting legacy of this change in tastes has been the almost ubiquitous yellow turban. It is a piece of headgear with a significance that many rarely appreciate or even understand.




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