Guan Li

Guan Li
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese冠禮
Simplified Chinese冠礼
Literal meaningTo put on a guan ritual
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuànlǐ
English name
EnglishCapping ceremony

The Guan Li (simplified Chinese: 冠礼; traditional Chinese: 冠禮; pinyin: guànlǐ) is the Confucian coming of age ceremony. According to the Li Ji (lit. 'Book of Rites'), it is only after the coming of age ceremonies that young people could call themselves adults and could share social responsibilities.[1] The name Guan Li refers to the ritual ceremony for men which involves the use of a guan, while the Ji Li (simplified Chinese: 笄礼; traditional Chinese: 笄禮; pinyin: jīlǐ) refers to the one for women and involves the use of a ji. Both the Guan Li and Ji Li have important symbolic meaning for the Han Chinese.[2] Both of these ceremonies are key Confucian rites, and are part of the "four rites", along with marriage, mourning rites, and sacrificial rituals.[1]

The Guan Li and the Ji Li ceremony can be performed by people of any social class; however, rich people were more likely to hold the ceremony than poor people.[3][2] In the 20th century, these ceremonies slowly phased out, but there has been a recent resurgence of interest, especially in those who are interested in Confucian traditions and hanfu.[3] Since 2010, large Guan Li ceremonies have taken place each year at Wenmiao, in Taiyuan, Shanxi.[4][5]

  1. ^ a b Li, Hongrui (2017). "Culture Insider: How ancient Chinese welcomed youth into adulthood[1]". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  2. ^ a b Hardy, Grant (1993). "The Reconstruction of Ritual: Capping in Ancient China". Journal of Ritual Studies. 7 (2): 69–90. ISSN 0890-1112. JSTOR 44398771.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Modern Chinese Religion II 1850 - 2015. Jan Kiely, Vincent Goossaert, John Lagerwey. Brill. 2015. p. 799. ISBN 9789004304642.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ "Traditional Chinese coming-of-age ceremony in Shanxi -- china.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2021-04-02.