What kind of crown did princes of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) wear? The nine-string mian (crown) provides some clues.
As the most important ritual crown in the Ming Dynasty clothing system, the mian is woven from cane with black paint and gold decor. A black plank is attached to its top, adorned with nine strings in the front and in the back. Each string contains nine beads in red, white, green, yellow and black colors.
Unearthed from the tomb of Zhu Tan, Prince of Lu of the Ming Dynasty in Zoucheng, Shandong province in 1971, the crown is kept in the Shandong Museum.