I believe that friends who like to watch costume TV dramas will find that many ministers and even emperors in Qing Palace dramas will carry a string of things similar to Buddha beads around their necks, which makes people wonder what the use of this thing is.
At this point, the TV series is still very restored to history, the costumes of the dynasties and dynasties are not the same, this thing like the Buddha beads is actually an improved version of the Buddha beads, but generally called the Chao Zhu, which is a unique ornament in the Qing Dynasty, and its role is not small.
First of all, it is beautiful, the Qing Dynasty's beads are very exquisite, usually may use agarwood, carved porcelain, jade opal, southern red agate and other more expensive jade, and then after some masters of processing, naturally appear incomparably beautiful.
The second is to distinguish between identities and status. The Imperial Jewels of the Qing Dynasty were not available to anyone, and it was clearly stipulated that the Emperor, Empress Concubines, Civilian Officials and Military Officers had more than four products, and in addition, bodyguards and Beijing officials could wear Imperial Beads, that is to say, ordinary people and ordinary ministers were not eligible to wear Imperial Beads. In that hierarchical feudal dynasty, if someone did something that did not conform to etiquette, the end would not be too good.
Moreover, there is also a difference between the Buddha beads worn by the ministers of different qualities and the relatives of the emperor and the state, so those who have studied this way only need to see the status of this person through a small string of beads, which is sometimes a proof of identity.
For example, when the emperor wears a court dress, he needs to wear a plate of Eastern Pearls, and if the Empress Dowager wears a court dress, she also needs to wear the same beads as the Emperor, in addition to which two plates of red coral beads must be hung obliquely on the two shoulders to show their special status.
However, because hanging obliquely on the shoulders was too troublesome and not very conducive to walking, few people wore it like this at the end of the Qing Dynasty, just like Cixi, who did not have obliquely hung beads in her portraits, but hung a string around her neck.
Another function of the chaozhu was to express the Qing emperor's devotion to Buddhism and respect for heaven. As mentioned earlier, the chaozhu is actually an improved version of the Buddha bead, and the emperors of the Qing Dynasty are more convinced of the Buddhism that came from Tibet, which is somewhat different from the Buddhism of the Central Plains, in order to show their faith, they wear the chaozhu.
There are also a total of 108 beads, which is actually meaningful, twelve represent a total of twelve months of the year, 24 represent twenty-four solar terms, and the remaining seventy-two symbolize the 72 seasons (a calendar that the ancients summed up by combining astronomy and meteorological phenology and other knowledge, specifically used to guide agricultural activities).
In addition, there are four large Buddha heads in the chaozhu, which are the symbols of the four seasons of the year, and the emperor wears the chaozhu on his body, which is to express his respect for the heavens, hoping to be able to adjust the wind and rain. And they will often wear the beads to worship the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, at this time the color and texture of the beads are slightly different, which in the eyes of the ancients is to adapt to the sacrifices, but also highlights the devotion.
Therefore, the Chaozhu is not only beautiful, its role is still quite large, and it belongs to an indispensable part of the Qing Dynasty culture.