Just as the so-called "life and death have a destiny, wealth is in heaven", birth, old age, illness and death are the necessary processes for everyone, and no one can violate the law. Qin Shi Huang searched for the elixir of immortality, but in the end it was difficult to escape death; patients who were tormented by cancer could not think of dying. Chinese there is a traditional custom, after the death of relatives, relatives often cover the face of the deceased with a white cloth, from ancient times to the present, many places are still in use, why is this?
However, it is impossible to know when the custom of covering the face with a white cloth began, and the earliest record of this incident in history is that of Wu Wang Fuchai during the Spring and Autumn Period. When King Gou of Yue surrendered to Fu Cha, Wu Zixu repeatedly advised King Wu, hoping that he would destroy the State of Yue in one fell swoop. However, King Wu listened to Bo Zhao's rumors, and instead of listening to the idea of "lianqi destroying Yue", he sent Wu Zixu to send an envoy to the state of Qi. After arriving at the State of Qi, Wu Zixu sighed for a long time, he had foreseen the fate of the fall of the State of Wu.
In order to avoid the fate of his son's demise with the state of Wu, Wu Zixu entrusted him to Bao Mu of the State of Qi and returned to the State of Wu alone. Unfortunately, the courtier Bo Yao framed Wu Zixu for rebellion, and Fu Cha gave Wu Zixu death. Before his death, Wu Zixu left a last word, asking his family to gouge out his eyes and hang them on the East City Gate after his death, and he wanted to watch the Yue army destroy the State of Wu. Nine years after his death, the state of Wu was indeed destroyed by the state of Yue, and before his death, Fu Cha said to his subordinates: After I die, please cover my face with a white cloth, because after I arrived at the Yin Cao Prefecture, I did not dare to face Wu Zixu.
Similar to Fu Cha, emperor Chongzhen of Daming left a last word before his death: Death, faceless to see the ancestors in the ground, remove the crown, to cover the face. Let the thief split the corpse, and do not hurt the people. It can be seen that in the very beginning, most of the deceased were because they had no face to face their ancestors or old friends, so they ordered people to cover their faces. However, from a scientific point of view, there are three reasons for this. First, the ancient medical level is low, easy to misjudge, in order to prevent suspended animation, the ancients with a thin yellow sheet of paper or white paper to cover the face, commonly known as "face paper".
If the person is not dead, the yellow surface paper will shake slightly due to weak breathing, and because the yellow surface paper is very thin, the exhaled gas contains water vapor, and the surface of the yellow table paper will be wet. After a long evolution, the yellow table paper became white cloth and has been passed down to the present day. Second, in order to prevent the spread of bacteria. From a medical point of view, after death, the germs in the body will escape from the mouth and nose to the outside, and if you cover your face, you can prevent the spread of germs, and you can also prevent dust from entering the mouth and nose of the deceased.
Third, in order not to frighten relatives and friends, or to cause sad emotions. After the death of a loved one, the person close to him will often be in pain, and when he sees the face of the deceased, he will think of the past; moreover, after death, the body will gradually stiffen, the facial expression will appear slightly vicious, and the face will be covered with a white cloth, which not only respects the deceased, but also avoids fright. Therefore, the act of covering one's face with a white cloth is entirely humane and scientific, and everyone must bear in mind.