Ji Li (ceremony)

Ji Li (Chinese: 笄禮), also known as the hairpin ceremony, is the equivalent of the Guan Li; the Ji Li marks the transition from childhood to adulthood of a Chinese woman and involves the use of a ji (lit. '[Chinese] hairpin'). It is only after the Ji Li ceremony that a woman is considered an adult and is therefore eligible to be married. In ancient times, the Ji Li ceremony could be performed by people of any social class; however, rich people were more likely to hold the ceremony than poor people.