She Ethnic Minority
The She ethnic minority is mostly distributed in Fujian Province, Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province and other provinces in South China. The She ethnic minority has their own language but do not have their own letters, and they commonly use Chinese characters. The She people take agriculture as their main way of life, and the mountainous areas where they live abound in trees and Moso bamboo. The tea produced there is famous both at home and abroad.
The hairstyle of married women of the She minority is very complicated, made by adding a lot of wigs. First, the hair is divided into two parts from front to back, the back part accounting for about two thirds. In between is placed a bamboo shoot spool about 20 cm long and 2 cm in diameter, wrapped with a black cloth. In the middle section, red threads are used to tie it to a tilted angle, making the hair fluffy on the back head, like a half melon; the front hair and the wig are tied down with red wool, to let the wig hang down from the front top of the head. The front hair is divided into two strands, and twisted into small strands to be wound around the top of the head from left to right, forming a spiral fashion, and then is fixed with a hair clip. Finally, a big silver clasp is inserted across the middle of the hair top, forming a unique high bun like a coiling dragon, so lofty and magnificent.
Girls of the She ethnic minority in Fu'an City also make their hair into a high-hat shape when they are over 16. However, they do not press a silver clasp on top, but use a hank of red wool to wind it in front of the right forehead. Maidens of the She make their hair into a round shape, leaving some bangs in front of the forehead, and put two silver clasps fastened by red wool. Some girls insert a silver clasp sideways and hang a tassel of red wool from the clasp.
The black, blue and red woolen loops fastened on the hairline by the She women indicate different ages, namely old, middle-aged and young respectively. Besides, women bereft of their spouses coil their hair with green wool.
