These days, many pictures of Chinese students wearing winged-hats have been popular online. Many people say the hats look like those worn during the Song Dynasty.
It's true that in the Song Dynasty, public officers wore hats that had two long wing-like flaps (长翅). . He was the first emperor of the dynasty.
One day, when listening to a minister's report Zhao noticed that many ministers were whispering (耳语) to each other and not respecting(尊重) rules. He required that wings should be added to the ministers' hats.
Using a metal plate, the "wings" prevented the ministers from talking to others sitting beside them.
l though the story is recorded in a book from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), some historians think the story may not be true. As they were not convenient to wear, the hats gradually disappeared in later dynasties.
| A. Zhao came up with an idea. B. Since then, the order had been kept. C. They use the hats to practice social distancing when they return to school. D. The wing-like flags might just be a decoration (装饰). E. According to one story, the hats were made by Zhao Kuangyin. |
