Expert: Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert - 4/29/2008

Question
I am only familiar with the Coolie hat, and would like to know if this particular style of headgear is generally considered offensive, or in any way demeaning, to the Chinese people. Or is is simply a peasant hat worn by farmers, etc. I'm particularly interested in how a North American Chinese person views the Coolie hat.
Thank you in advance for your help.


Answer
I have seen more conical straw hats in greater China than any other type of hat. From my observations, these "coolie" hats are more popular than baseball caps, even in large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Of course business men and store clerks won't wear such a hat, however everyone from street cleaners to farmers to fisherman pride themselves on their caomao or dǒulì.  They are prominent in West and South China, especially on the island of Hainan, the hottest region in China.

I myself am visually fascinated by these hats and have made it a point to include several photos featuring these hats in my upcoming book of photography, CHINA: Portrait of a People.

Of course these hats carry a certain stereotype, considering they have been worn by Chinese for literally thousands of years. These days they are considered a symbol of the lower class peasantry, so most urban Chinese mock their use. But in rural China, they are everywhere and nothing to be ashamed of.

I think if a western tourist wore such a hat around, along with a fanny pack, sandals and shorts, he would either be derided for making fun of Chinese people, or just laughed at for being a typical foreign clown. I wouldn't suggest it.

Tom Carter
http://www.tomcarter.org

Thank you in advance for your support of my upcoming book CHINA: Portrait of a People, the most comprehensive book of photography on modern China ever published by a single author, on sale soon.
http://www.blacksmithbooks.com/9789889979942.htm