Does my hat say "I heart Stalin"?
August 31, 2010 3:29 PM Subscribe
What does this badge mean?
Response by poster: I'd actually prefer it to be counterfeit so that I can remove the badge. The beret is pretty, pretty pretty.
posted by Sara Anne at 3:34 PM on August 31, 2010
posted by Sara Anne at 3:34 PM on August 31, 2010
Definitely looks to be a PLA beret. Yours appears to be fake--scroll down here for a picture of some authentic versions.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:02 PM on August 31, 2010
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:02 PM on August 31, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for the translation. My fake beret is much prettier than the real ones, and now even more so that I've removed the badge. Winter hat accomplished!
posted by Sara Anne at 4:36 PM on August 31, 2010
posted by Sara Anne at 4:36 PM on August 31, 2010
The symbols in the centre of the star are the Chinese numerals 8 and 1 (八一), a reference the first of August (as the date can be written in Chinese), the day the forerunner of the PLA, the Chinese People's Red Army, came into being during the Nanchang Uprising in 1927. Below that is a stylised representation of Tiananmen Gate, where Mao declared the People's Republic in 1949.
The photo of the label is a bit too blurry for me to read and there's been various styles of uniform down the years, but a quick search reveals that the PLA did issue berets with similar-looking cap badges, like the top one shown here, which is the '97-style cap badge for berets issued to the army (the darker-ground one shown just below is the navy version). Hard to say if it's fake or not given the plethora of styles over the years and endless supply of army surplus here.
posted by Abiezer at 3:39 PM on September 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
The photo of the label is a bit too blurry for me to read and there's been various styles of uniform down the years, but a quick search reveals that the PLA did issue berets with similar-looking cap badges, like the top one shown here, which is the '97-style cap badge for berets issued to the army (the darker-ground one shown just below is the navy version). Hard to say if it's fake or not given the plethora of styles over the years and endless supply of army surplus here.
posted by Abiezer at 3:39 PM on September 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
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posted by Electrius at 3:31 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]