An Interesting Look At The History Behind Yellow Turbans

By Sue Carpenter


If you are an enthusiastic follower of trends in western fashion circles, you will not have failed to notice that a distinct oriental style is highly appreciated. The range of Far East styles influence everything from attire to headgear, jewelry as well as other accessories. One of the most enduring idea has to do with the distinctively unique yellow turbans whose inspiration goes back many centuries to the Chinese antiquity.

The headwear rose to prominence in the dying years of the second century and beginning of the third century AD. At the time, the emperor was becoming unpopular for pushing a string of agricultural policies that peasant farmers in the northern provinces felt only served to make the famine situation far worse. As shall be shown presently, the period also brought several changes in the practice of the Taoist faith.

The main inspiration behind the revolt were three brothers surnamed Zhang who were Taoist priests in the Shandong province. The most prominent of the three, Zhang Jiao was an inspirational figure and he taught his followers a strict form of Taoism and he was known as 'The General from Heaven'. He told his followers that they could attain bodily health by confessing their sins and through faith healing.

Before leading his followers in to battle, Jiao would give very inspirational speeches to spur them on. He would regale them with his lofty visions of a new era that was dawning and just waiting for their victory against the empire. He said that during the initial year of the era, the sky would magically turn yellow. This was the reason his adherents had to don the distinctive headgear.

As the rebellion spread, Ling was concerned about the victories the rebels were gaining at the expense of the royal armies in the Zhang home region to the north of the Yellow River. There were also very violent insurgencies in the region where the present day Beijing city is located. The empire was also threatened by outbreak of revolt in the Nanyang and Yinchuan regions.

Before too long, the rebels had managed to amass an army of 360,000 men to fight the empire. The revolution was gathering momentum and raising hackles at the capital. The fortunes were to change when the emperor appointed his half brother, Liu Yan, to command the Royal army. Yan was able to conscript over a 100,000 fighting men from the southern provinces to fight the insurgency in the north.

The rise of Liu Yan was the definitive turning point in the insurgency. He dealt ruthlessly with the turban clad rebels and soon had the three Zhang brothers executed. The fight was almost over though there were sporadic outbreaks for over a decade. By 205 AD though, the empire had managed to extinguish all embers of the yellow turban rebellion.

The oriental flavor adds a measure of mystical drama to modern fashion and style. There are many choices to pick including the distinctive yellow turbans. The head dress idea has a deep historical significance in Chinese cultural traditions.




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