Under the leadership of many Qing Palace dramas, more ancient cultural customs have become the topic of everyone's attention, in the play we can see that the harem concubines will wear three earrings on one ear, and there are many exquisite small things on the headdress, and found that many concubines also like to wear some long finger sleeves on their hands, adding a little sensory impact, I feel somewhat useless. Today, we're going to talk about the reasons behind these garments.
First of all, "one ear and three tongs", the Manchus all feel that they are the symbol of nobility, and before the Manchus enter the customs, Manchu women have to pierce four or five holes in the same ear. Later, after the Qing Dynasty entered the custom, Han women generally only had one ear and one tong, and in order to show the nobility of the Manchus, it was stipulated that every Manchu woman must have one ear and three tongs. In the play, we can see that the palace women with higher status are also one ear and three tongs, but they usually only wear a pair of earrings. The other two are simple gold and silver earrings, while three pairs of the same type of earrings will be worn. This also shows the status of the nobility.
The second headdress, known as "succulent", is actually a traditional velvet headdress. It originated in the Tang Dynasty and is vivid in form. Hair ornaments are used in place of real flowers and plants, which are both beautiful and seductive. Of course, the materials used were different, and this decoration was usually used by concubines. It was really a big celebration. Gold and silver jewelry will be chosen.
The point is to talk about finger covers. Finger sleeves are also known as finger protectors. Gold Drive. In fact, it is not difficult to guess from the name that the finger sleeve is used to protect the nails. Its origin is the same as that of women who tie their feet, in order to satisfy the aesthetic habits of ancient men.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, aristocrats kept their fingernails and bracelets to show that they were noble, to show that they did not have to work hard and lived a rich and respectful life. Therefore, women are naturally affected, and the flow of nails becomes their unique aesthetic habit. Coupled with the ancient environment, men were particularly fascinated by women's fingers. They believe that women's beautiful hands have satisfied the characteristics of long, white, and thin. Long nails have also become a way for them to make their fingers look more slender.
However, nails that are too long are easy to break and very fragile. Therefore, at that time, the women of the rich would be very careful to protect their long fingers. For example, every night before going to bed, Empress Dowager Cixi not only performed beauty care, but also long nails, soaking them in hot water first, and then instructing workers to correct them with tools. Finally, she also uses nail polish to protect her nails.
In the Qing Dynasty, the finger sleeve was not only used to protect the nails, but more importantly, it symbolized the state of strength and became one of the most important ornaments for women. Before marriage, men will give them to their favorite girl, similar to our current love keepsake.
Since it is a symbol of the state of power, the manufacturing process and material choices of finger sleeves are also very rich. Common materials include gold, silver, jade, ceramics, glass, etc. The manufacturing process is also very complicated, and there are naturally some silver twos that can be favored in the palace, but the higher the status, the more favored it is. It means that the more expensive and gorgeous the finger sleeve, the longer the length.
We can't understand and appreciate this aesthetic now, but from these systems, we can know that the interests of the palace are involved, the competition is fierce, and the women of each harem are vying to be able to get the emperor's favor, so that their families can be appreciated by the emperor, and they themselves can get more treasures, so they continue to work hard.