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In China, few fashion choices carry as much social risk for a man as wearing a green hat. This isn't a matter of style, but a deeply rooted cultural symbol meaning one thing: his wife has been unfaithful.
The origins of this taboo stretch back over 2,000 years. In ancient China, green was considered a "mixed colour" – a blend of the five esteemed "primary colours" (red, yellow, blue, white, and black) and was thus deemed inferior. Low-ranking officials were made to wear green gowns, a mark of their humble status.
The connection to shame deepened over centuries. During the Tang dynasty, erring subordinates were punished by being forced to wear green headscarves. By the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the families of prostitutes were mandated to wear them, and the phrase "wearing a green headscarf" became a common insult for a cuckolded husband.
This historical stigma survives intact in modern China. The phrase "to wear a green hat" remains a potent social label. Internet users even joke that a man in this situation "has a grassland on his head."
The cultural force of this symbol was on full display when mainland singer Gu Jiacheng wore a vibrant green baseball cap in 2021. Chinese social media went wild with comments like, "You are so brave to wear that!"
Similarly, a Beijing-based influencer recounted how her Austrian husband innocently wore a green hat for a jog in a local park, only to be met with knowing smiles from Chinese passers-by—a perfect example of a cultural code lost in translation.
Source:
Editor: Crystal H
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