Braids, the bob, the "Yamaguchi Momoe" mop, the spiky bomb and the skewed ponytail, have all featured in Chinese hair couture in the 60 years since the founding of New China. Chinese women of today wear their hair in a wild assortment of cuts and colors.
1950s Braids
In the early years of the PRC younger, unmarried women wore their hair in two heavy braids, often ornamented with red silk ribbons.
The 1960s Bob
From the end of 1950s to the beginning of 1960s, during which time the Chinese lived through the Great Leap Forward, the Great Famine and the short-lived home foundries drive, the bob took over from braids as the most commonly seen hairstyle. The ear-length fringed bob, which complemented the popular olive green military uniform, was the main choice of Chinese women, especially of marriageable age, in the 1960s.
Yamaguchi Momoe
Brigitte Lin
The Yamaguchi Momoe mop, the spiky bomb, and classic shoulder-length locks of the 1980s
Young actress Yamaguchi Momoe's cute-and-innocent image, accentuated by her unruly mop, were a passing vogue in the 1980s, only to be superseded by elegant shoulder-length locks as worn by Hong Kong actress Brigitte Lin in the popular Japanese classical TV series "The Blood Doubt."
As the 1980s reform and opening period gathered pace, Hong Kong and Taiwan pop music, along with an onslaught of western fashion, engulfed China's mainland. The spiky bomb hairstyle became the choice of young women who wanted to project a more unorthodox image.
Maggie Cheung
The 1990s Skewed Ponytail
Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung, who made the skewed ponytail a national hair-wear favorite, epitomized the classic feminie image of the 1990s.
21st Century Cuts
The crowning glory, and how it is worn, is a main aspect of a woman's self image, no matter where she is from. Chinese women now wear choice cuts that originate in the West, or nearer home in the ROK and Japan. Their strong silky locks suit all cuts, from long classic to spiky punk.
