This conical hat is a helmet, part of the combat uniform of asoldier of the imperial army of the Qing Dynasty. The organization of the Qing army can be divided in two big groups, the elite or “the eight flags army” and the non-elitecalled “the green flag army”. The lower-ranking soldiers wore helmets and shields made of vegetable fiber, which they painted with calligraphy and protecting images. In this case, the upper part was painted with the colors of five elements (water, metal, earth, fire and air) and three yin yang symbols in red and white colors. The yin yang is a principle of the Chinese philosophy as opposing energies like
feminine-masculine and light and dark, where the existence of one depends on the existence of the other.