The late French fashion guru Christian Dior once said, "Without hats, we would have no civilization."

This remark points out the essential but often overlooked role accessories play in the long history of human civilization.

China's first museum dedicated to hats has recently opened in Beijing, illustrating the role hats have played in China over the centuries.

China Hat and Culture Museum is located on the third floor of a commercial building overlooking Qianmen Street.

Opened to the public on July 11, it displays 45 hats, carefully chosen to represent key characteristics from past eras.

The range includes hats from as early as China's first dynasty, the Xia Dynasty (C.2070-C. 1600BC), through to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and in the 20th century in general.

On display are also machines and materials used for making hats, and photos showing craftsmen and workshops.

Most of the exhibits are original hats or replicas worn by officials from different historical periods.

It will later expand its collection to display hats with a certain theme and host exhibitions in other provinces in the country, said Lei Jun, director of the recently founded China Commerce Association for General Merchandise, which funds and runs the museum. 

Highlights include a 120-year-old buntal fiber hat, a luxury back then made from a rare plant that was known for being cool in the summer.

There is a replica of a British style hat made of sea otter leather purchased by Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) in 1924 in Tianjin.

Replicas of other tailor-made hats worn by great leaders can also been seen, such as one worn by Mao Zedong.

"The reason we opened the museum is to let people know more about the unique culture and long history of hats in China," said Lei.

"In ancient China, the hat was a symbol of social status," he noted. When China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC) unified the Middle Kingdom in 221 BC, he issued regulations to standardize clothes and hats.

Officials, in line with their positions, were allowed to wear hats of different heights and shapes, but commoners were only allowed to wear small hats or a piece of fabric on their head.

However, the once prosperous hat tradition seems to have diminished over the years.

On average one British person owns five hats, a Russian person has 30, but the average in China is less than one, according to Lei.

"People in the West wear different hats on different occasions, but in China most people just wear hats for functional purposes, such as to offer protection against the sun or to keep one warm in the winter," said Liu Yazhou, manager of Majuyuan, a Beijing-based hat shop that has operated for about 200 years.

"Some young people also wear hats for fashion," he added.

A museum entirely dedicated to hats is an interesting addition to Beijing.

However, the museum is not without fault, said a native Beijinger surnamed Sima, who learned of the museum on TV.

"One problem is that there are no explicit introductions or guides for the exhibits. There are only simple descriptions, so it is hard for visitors to know the culture behind the hats," he said.

Address: 55-57 Qianmen Street, Dongcheng district

Opening hours: 9 am - 5 pm

Admission: free

Contact: 6318-3647