中国·福州——热爱城市从热爱美食开始

Blades and hairpins might seem completely unrelated, but in Fuzhou, there’s a hairstyle known as the “Three Hairpins” that surprisingly uses blades as hair accessories. This unique trend has recently gained popularity among young women.

Even on a quiet, rainy day, you’re likely to spot a young woman in one of Sanfang Qixiang’s long, winding alleys, holding an oil-paper umbrella as she takes photos. Her black hair is neatly styled in a bun, adorned with three silver hairpins shaped like blades, their subtle gleam softly reflecting the warm yellow light filtering through the umbrella. Or you might encounter a group of young women inside an ancient residence, dressed in Hanfu or qipao, each wearing a unique version of the “three-blade” hairpins, strolling together along a rain-kissed corridor.

Over the past year, articles and short videos about the Three Hairpins trend have exploded across major social media platforms and news apps. On Douyin alone, related videos have racked up over 350 million views, drawing numerous visitors from other cities who fly to Fuzhou specifically to experience it firsthand.

What makes Fuzhou’s “Three Hairpins” so uniquely captivating?

The Dream of the Three Hairpins: A Mystery of Its Origins

In the early 20th century, when Bing Xin was still a young girl, she returned to her hometown of Fuzhou to visit her family. While traveling along the Minjiang River into the city, she glanced out from her sedan chair and saw this vivid scene: “...the streets were bustling with strong, healthy farm women coming and going! Their skin was fair, and their jet-black hair was adorned with three gleaming silver hairpins shaped like blades. They wore blue clothing and walked barefoot...”

Over the following decades, Bing Xin traveled widely and observed the styles of women from many countries. Yet, in her essay The Charm of My Hometown, she fondly recalled the scene from her youth, praising the elegance and strength of Fuzhou women dressed in this way as “the finest in the world.”

The three silver hairpins are flat and blade-like, each etched with delicate patterns. When worn, they are arranged in a bun with the main pin’s blade pointing downward, while the two side pins cross over each other with their blades facing outward... This is the traditional Fuzhou women’s headdress that left a lasting impression on Bing Xin—the Three Hairpins, also known as the “Three Blades.”

What is the origin of this distinctive style? Local records and historical documents offer no specific accounts, leaving the origins of the Three Hairpins shrouded in mystery.

“During the Yuankang period of Emperor Hui’s reign in the Jin Dynasty, women adorned themselves with Five Weapons pendants. These hair ornaments were crafted from gold, silver, and tortoiseshell into shapes such as axes, battle-axes, daggers, and halberds, and worn as hairpins.” The Book of Jin (Jin Shu), in its “Treatise on the Five Elements” (Wu Xing Zhi), documents a Jin Dynasty custom in which women wore “Five Weapons Pendants”—hairpins fashioned from weapon-shaped ornaments.

The late Fuzhou historian Zheng Lisheng traced the origins of the Three Hairpins back more than 1,700 years to the Western Jin period. During the Yongjia Rebellion, when eight clans migrated south to Fujian, the tradition of the “Five Weapons Pendants” was carried along by the Central Plains aristocracy. Over time, these hairpins evolved from shapes resembling axes, battle axes, daggers, and halberds into designs more like knives and swords. This distinctive custom was ultimately preserved in Fuzhou, becoming a rare and unique cultural relic of Jin heritage found nowhere else in China.

Another widely circulated version of the origin of the Three Hairpins dates back over 400 years to the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the coastal Fuzhou region was frequently plagued by raids from Japanese pirates. In response, local women fashioned their long hair into sheaths and wore knives as hairpins, ready to draw them at a moment’s notice to defend against attackers. This story adds a heroic layer of “protecting home and country” to the legend of the Three Hairpins.

Over time, the three sharp blades worn by women gradually evolved into purely ornamental pieces. Although they maintained the shape of knives and swords, the materials changed from iron to silver or copper. In more remote and impoverished areas, women even crafted knife-shaped hairpins using wood or bamboo.

A century ago, when preparing bridal dowries for their daughters, families in Fuzhou would have skilled craftsmen create sets of Three Hairpins, alongside the traditional “five-piece set”—rattan lacquer pillows, fully lacquered cowhide trunks, chamber pots, mirror boxes, and lanterns. It was customary for a bride’s family to prepare these hairpins for her wedding, much like the tradition of making a longevity lock for a newborn. This practice highlights just how deeply rooted and widespread the custom of the Three Hairpins was throughout the Fuzhou region at that time.

One early morning in the early 1900s, Zhang Zunxu, a progressive intellectual of the Republic of China era, walked through Fuzhou’s city gate and took in the sight: “… From a distance by the gate, the dazzling ornaments of the ‘Three Blades’ gleamed like the ranks of a Roman legion on parade…”

Even during the Republic of China era, the working women in the suburbs of Fuzhou remained the main wearers of the Three Hairpins hairstyle. One can easily imagine the scenes in the bustling streets and alleys of the city, at the ferry docks outside the walls, and in the everyday morning routines where women balanced baskets of rice and vegetables on their shoulders while trading for daily necessities—all marked by the sharp glint of those three hairpins.

But Zhang Zunxu probably never anticipated that this dreamlike scene of the city brimming with gleaming hairpin blades would soon be shattered.

In 1930, Fang Shengtao, Acting Chairman of Fujian Province under the Nationalist government, imposed a strict ban on the “Three Hairpins” hairstyle, condemning it as “barbaric” and “immoral.” Police were stationed at the city gates to confiscate and forcibly remove the hairpins from any woman caught wearing them as she entered the city, publicly discarding the ornaments in disgrace. Faced with this harsh decree, women in Fuzhou and the surrounding areas had no choice but to comply, albeit reluctantly.

In 1936, Fujian’s Civil Administration Report (Min Zheng Gai Yao) noted: “In the suburbs of the provincial capital, it was once common for women to wear three silver hairpins shaped like daggers, known as the ‘Three Hairpins.’ Following guidance and persuasion, the practice has now ceased.”

At that time, Fuzhou had no high-rise buildings, just rows of ancient houses. Yet beneath the distinctive saddle-shaped walls, the presence of the Three Hairpins had vanished. What Bing Xin once called “the finest in the world” had quietly faded away.

“What Happened to Fuzhou’s Own Three Hairpins?”

In 2023, “Zanhuawei” (also called Zanhua, a tradition of wearing hairpin flowers) gained popularity in Quanzhou, southern Fujian.

Wearing hairpin flowers and dressing in Hanfu to wander through historical streets and alleys has become a nationwide cultural tourism craze. In Fuzhou, it’s common to see people adorned with hairpin flowers out and about, capturing photos. Meanwhile, makeup and styling shops are actively promoting related services across social media platforms.

Under a post sharing the experience of wearing Fuzhou-style Zanhua, a commenter remarked, “Quanzhou’s Zanhua have caught on in Fuzhou, but what happened to Fuzhou’s own Three Hairpins?” The comment stirred a wave of wistful sighs.

He Wei, Deputy Director of the Gulou District Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Fuzhou, was also deeply moved. In 2018, while researching at the Fujian Provincial Archives, he came across an old photograph of Fuzhou women wearing “Three Hairpins.” At first glance, he was captivated by the intricate beauty of their styling.

“Fuzhou has a history spanning more than 2,200 years. If the Three Hairpins and their associated styles could be brought back, they would serve as a vibrant symbol of the city’s modern historical and cultural heritage,” said He Wei. He immediately set out to find someone to recreate the Three Hairpins look. However, due to the scarcity of physical artifacts and historical documentation, everyone he approached politely declined, viewing the project as costly, labor-intensive, and unlikely to yield financial returns.

In the days that followed, He Wei visited nearly every Hanfu styling shop in Gulou, tirelessly searching but coming up empty-handed.

One day in early 2024, a group of young women entered the Cultural Center of Gulou District. Leading them was a girl carrying a wooden box. She approached a staff member and asked, “We’ve recreated the Three Hairpins and the traditional styling. Can we apply for intangible cultural heritage status?” Upon hearing this, He Wei hurried over. Three brand-new blade-shaped silver hairpins, engraved with exquisite patterns, rested quietly inside the box.

The woman was Huang Qiuhui, a Hanfu stylist, accompanied by her entire team—all Fuzhou natives. A few years ago, during a casual gathering at her parents’ home, someone mentioned the beauty and uniqueness of the Three Hairpins. As everyone sighed over never having seen one in person, her mother, then in her seventies, unexpectedly brought out an old silver hairpin, its surface tarnished with age.

“That was the main hairpin placed right at the center of the bun. It originally belonged to my grandmother, then passed down to my mother, and now it’s mine,” Huang Qiuhui explained. With the actual piece in hand, everyone grew interested. They pooled together over 100,000 yuan to find two matching side hairpins at an antique shop to pair with the main one, and then hired a silversmith to craft a new set modeled after them. But, “Simply replicating the hairpins isn’t enough. It would be just a hollow replica. What’s truly crucial and most challenging is recreating the complete hairstyle of the Three Hairpins.”

The design of the blade hairpin could still be traced from scattered historical records, and skilled silversmiths helped reproduce it. However, the tradition of using blade hairpins had long since disappeared. How was the hair styled? How was the bun secured? With no teachers to pass down the knowledge and no detailed historical documentation, Huang Qiuhui and her team had to rely on blurry black-and-white photos from the late Qing and Republican eras. They carefully studied and compared these images, experimenting repeatedly. Even as hairstyling experts, the team spent more than four years painstakingly reconstructing every detail to bring it back to life.

Once revitalized, the Three Hairpins quickly radiated their full charm.

In April 2024, at the main event of the Fuzhou Beautiful Countryside Tourism Season, models debuted with the striking three-hairpin hairstyle, captivating the audience.

In June, with the support of the Gulou District Bureau of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the restored three-hairpin hairstyle, categorized under “Traditional Fuzhou Hairstyling Techniques,” was included in the seventh batch of representative intangible cultural heritage items of Gulou District.

In September, Fuzhou-born actresses Chen Haoyu and Wan Nida returned home to experience the traditional three-hairpin hairstyle. The promotional video Three Hairpins garnered over 12 million views, while the related Weibo topic attracted more than 110 million views.

In November, the “Traditional Fuzhou Hairstyling Technique (Three Hairpins)” was included in the eighth batch of representative intangible cultural heritage items of Fuzhou City…

In just one night, more and more young people started sharing posts featuring the Three Hairpins hairstyle all over social media. Some posted photos capturing the hairstyle’s mix of feminine elegance, resilience, and strength; others traveled to the countryside to shoot videos in the style, recreating scenes from a century ago and sparking nostalgic memories for many older viewers. Meanwhile, a handful of video bloggers brought the Three Hairpins look to Europe—posing by iconic landmarks like London’s Big Ben and the London Eye—where this captivating Eastern hairstyle sparked curious glances and questions from passersby.…

The Three Hairpins style has quickly spread to cosplay and themed photo studios nationwide, including cities like Beijing, Chongqing, Shenyang, and Dali. Meanwhile, along the streets of Fuzhou, makeup and styling shops have updated their signage to feature the Three Hairpins alongside offerings such as Zanhua and Miao costumes. In historical and cultural districts such as Sanfang Qixiang, Shangxiahang, and Liangcuo, it’s common to see tourists sporting the Three Hairpins look as they wander and snap photos. White saddle-shaped walls, stone-paved lanes, and ancient covered corridors have become popular settings for photos featuring the Three Hairpins style.

Over nearly a hundred years, countless faces have passed by, yet the ancient buildings and old alleys have once again welcomed their “old friend,” the Three Hairpins.

As the Three Hairpins become all the rage, Huang Qiuhui has been keeping busy at the styling shop near Wanshou Bridge in Fuzhou’s South Park. Many visitors have come to try the Three Hairpins hairstyle, with some even traveling by plane from other provinces just for the experience.

One day, a young woman brought her grandmothers to the shop, hoping they could experience the restored Three Hairpins style. After some bustling preparations, the two elderly women were dressed in blue wide-collared robes, their silver hair adorned with the three silver hairpins. When they looked into the mirror, one of them suddenly welled up with tears. “It’s like I’m seeing my own grandmother,” she said.

Huang Qiuhui said, “At that moment, we all realized we had made it.” The stories about the hairpins, passed down through generations, had truly come to life.

The Three Hairpins Open a Window

Beyond efforts to preserve and restore traditional hairstyling techniques and apply for intangible cultural heritage status, the revival of the Three Hairpins holds greater significance in today’s world.

“The Three Hairpins serve as an emotional link between past and present. Finding contemporary ways to reinterpret them can open new possibilities for both preserving and passing on traditional culture, while also promoting cultural tourism,” said Zhu Shouliang, Deputy Director of the Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. In his view, creating innovative, modern uses for the Three Hairpins and weaving them into everyday life is the most effective way to protect and revitalize this form of intangible cultural heritage.

The Three Hairpins, rooted in history, have quickly taken on a variety of forms of expression.

Thanks to the support of the cultural and tourism authorities, the Three Hairpins have taken center stage—in theatrical productions, traditional operas, and public spaces alike. In the immersive drama Most Memorable Is Foochow Arsenal 1866 at Foochow Arsenal Culture City, actresses wear the Three Hairpins to bring to life the story of late Qing dynasty shipbuilders who pioneered advanced technologies and pursued self-reliance and prosperity. This vividly portrays resilient, knowledgeable, and forward-thinking women. In an innovatively staged immersive Fujian opera, the Three Hairpins appear in everyday scenes surrounding the audience, making their story and symbolism more immediate and relatable. Meanwhile, across various historical and cultural districts, Three Hairpins-themed flash mobs are regularly held, where performers wield hairpins as swords in dynamic dances, captivating onlookers with their spirited displays.

Whether as a traditional women’s hair ornament from the Jin dynasty or a symbol of patriotic resistance during the Ming dynasty, the Three Hairpins have come to represent qualities like women’s strength and grace, independence, hard work, and devotion to family and country. They have seamlessly woven into Fuzhou’s city character. Though not always the centerpiece in stories of past and present, the Three Hairpins quietly enrich the city’s identity, adding a vivid touch to how people perceive and cherish Fuzhou.

Originally daily hair accessories for young women, the Three Hairpins carry an inherent sense of everyday charm which has allowed them to seamlessly and widely integrate into various aspects of modern life.

Xinghui Cultural Space is located in a charming riverside building in Zhuzi Lane, a popular gathering spot for young women to meet up with their close friends. Recently, a growing number of visitors have become enthusiasts of the Three Hairpins. It’s common to see women gathered inside for tea, their hair styled with various Three Hairpin designs.

“We also provide styling and photography services featuring the Three Hairpins. Many guests have tried it and taken plenty of beautiful photos,” said Hu Lei, owner of Xinghui Cultural Space. The unique designs and cultural significance of the Three Hairpins have attracted many fans, though some visitors struggle with how to wear them in everyday life. “The makeup and hair accessories for photoshoots typically feature three metal blade-shaped hairpins paired with Hanfu, which tends to be a bit too grand for regular wear.”

Traditional metal hairpins seem a bit heavy for modern-day use. “To better integrate the Three Hairpins with modern fashion, innovation in materials, finishes, and designs is essential,” said Hu Lei. She has been experimenting with crafting Three Hairpins using horn comb techniques and lacquer art, providing more versatile options for different everyday occasions.

Thanks to their distinctive texture and beautiful patterns, the newly made Three Hairpins have become popular cultural products among many visitors. “Every time new hairpins are launched, it’s the busiest time in the shop. They’re sold out in no time,” said Hu Lei.

In lacquer artist Fang Xiaohui’s studio, an impressive collection of lacquerware is on display. On the main workbench, dozens of freshly dried Three Hairpins crafted with lacquer techniques are being gently polished under running water to remove the outer lacquer layer, gradually revealing a radiant sheen of silver leaf, intricate paintings, and a magical golden glow.

“The blade of each hairpin is like a miniature scroll painting, displaying more than a hundred lacquer techniques,” said Fang Xiaohui. Whether it’s the Fuzhou horn comb-making technique behind the horn hairpins or the Fuzhou bodiless lacquerware painting technique used on the lacquered ones, these hairpins represent the creative spark that emerges from blending two ancient intangible heritage crafts. As the Three Hairpins gradually make their way back into daily life, the profound and ever-evolving beauty of these traditional techniques will be appreciated by a wider audience.

Through styling experiences, artistic performances, and cultural product development, the Three Hairpins have quickly given rise to a growing cultural industry chain. Yet, according to Zhu Shouliang, beneath their surface appeal lies a richer cultural meaning and untold stories waiting to be explored and shared.

They transformed weapons into hairpins, with long hair serving as their sheath. The three silver blades each hold a symbolic meaning: one for the country, one for the family, and one for themselves... Through the striking blend of strength and elegance in the Three Hairpins, we catch a glimpse of the legends of Fuzhou’s young women.

In the late Qing dynasty, Wang Meishou devoted herself to advancing education. Starting in 1906, she founded both the Women’s Normal Training Institute and the Women’s Vocational School on what is now Guanglu Lane, part of the Sanfang Qixiang. She later led the effort to merge the two into the Women’s Normal School, where she served as director. She juggled the responsibilities of running the school while devoting herself to teaching, rallying support from all quarters to open a small door to education for women.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Lin Huiyin journeyed across 15 provinces, surveying nearly 3,000 ancient buildings amid the turmoil of war. Despite harsh conditions, she cared for her two children while tackling a heavy academic workload. Even while ill, she worked with her husband, Liang Sicheng, to complete A History of Chinese Architecture, a seminal work that laid the foundation for architectural studies in China.

For nearly a century, Bing Xin navigated life with her pen as her guiding vessel. In literature, she broke new ground with works like Two Families and The Man Alone Is Off Color, pioneering novels that confronted social issues, while Stars and Spring Water marked the dawn of modern “short poetry.” She was also a dedicated translator, introducing outstanding foreign literature, and passionately involved in social causes, making significant contributions to cultural exchange and advocating for women and children…

In fulfilling their duties to nation, career, and family, the women of Fuzhou embody resolute strength and courage as sharp as steel blades. “Using the Three Hairpins as a medium, we may be able to better share the stories of Fuzhou and its people, while vividly capturing both the beauty of women’s makeup and their inner charm,” said Zhu Shouliang. (Reporter: Li Haoze)