As the saying goes, man rests on his clothes and horses on his saddle. The most direct way to dress up is to rely on the sudden difference and majesty of the Heavenly Son. The most commonly worn by the emperor to the outside world must be the dragon robe, which not only has the function of manifesting identity, but also represents the unique right of the Ninth Five-Year Supreme.
01 The product of the feudal ruling class
The dragon robe, which is the exclusive costume of the emperor, can be traced back to the Sui and Tang dynasties. At that time, there were frequent exchanges between China and foreign countries, and in order to show the majesty and strength of the regime, the rulers would wear extremely luxurious costumes as an image to the outside world. At that time, the dragon robe did not make uniform regulations on the appearance.
Twelve dragons were carved and embroidered on the dragon robe unearthed in 1958, which is the Wanli Emperor's silk twelve-chapter costume. After years of evolution, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the dragon robe was basically nine dragons. The color has gradually changed from a variety of colors to bright yellow.
Compared with the previous dynasties, the Qing Dynasty, where the laws were relatively sound, the ruler's regulations on clothing were even more complicated. From the former emperor to the emperor, from the prince to the prince, the costumes are very different, and there are many exquisite. At that time, clothing was the most direct way to show status, and the imperial robe, as the standard dress of the country's highest ruler, was more rigorous and complex in design and process.
The people who could participate in the production of the imperial robe were even more candidates at that time, and most of them had the hands of Jiangnan weaving and also held relatively high incomes.
But these people who make dragon robes take great risks every day, because this work does not allow them to make a single mistake, otherwise they will face heavy punishment and even lead to the disaster of killing.
02 How to maintain the royal robe
So what if such a precious dragon robe reaches the emperor and the emperor wears dirty clothes? In the ancient summer, no matter how hot the weather was, the emperor had to wear a heavy dragon robe to face the civil and military officials when he went to the court, so in such a hot weather, although the emperor was very reluctant to wear it, he had no choice but to break the rules and image, or insist on wearing the dragon robe.
Dragon robes are generally made of fine silk, special satin, and accompanied by pearls, corals, jade and even peacock feathers. Therefore, the dragon robe as a luxury is indeed unwashable. Therefore, the emperor's dragon robe will not be washed. Therefore, in order to prevent the dragon robe from smelling of sweat, after each retreat, there will be a special palace eunuch to perfume the emperor's dragon robe.
In this way, when the emperor continues to wear it the next day, he will not smell bad and reasonably increase the comfort of wearing. For the dirty dragon robe is also a way to deal with, the person responsible for handling the dragon robe will sprinkle alcohol on the dragon robe, wipe the dirty place, and after the alcohol volatilizes, the dirt will be taken away, and then continue to smoke the dragon robe with incense.
In order to save the dragon robe, some emperors wore as little as possible, and after each retreat, they would take it off in time and change into civilian clothes. However, among the more affluent royal families, there is no need to go to such great lengths. Because as the Nine-Five-Year-Old, although their dragon robes were precious, they were not small in number at all, and sometimes they could not wear them at all.
03 Dragon Robe drives a huge industrial chain
Because there are as many as a thousand people responsible for making dragon robes for the emperor, although the production process of the imperial robe is very complicated, the production process is very scientific. Unified streamlined production, everyone has a special responsibility for the details, effectively improve the efficiency of production, save time and cost, these well-trained tailors, can quickly supply the emperor's demand for the quantity and quality of the dragon robe.
Therefore, basically the emperor does not lack imperial robes at all, and some emperors will dispose of the dragon robes they wear once, and basically will not wear them a second time. If the emperor encounters a more favorite style, it will be conveyed, and the following makers will follow this style, and then produce many sets for the emperor to wear.
In order to prevent the emperor's height and weight from changing, the relevant person in charge will always enter the palace regularly to measure the emperor, and then update the style and size of the dragon robe for the emperor according to the latest size data.
The family of Cao Xueqin, the author of "Dream of the Red Chamber", originally held a position in Jiangnan weaving in the imperial court, responsible for the processing and design of the emperor's clothing, which won the emperor's attention and trust, and this position brought a rich salary and prominent rights to the Cao family.
04 Types of clothing of the emperor
In fact, the emperor's costumes are divided into several categories, including jifu, dress, regular, walking clothes, rain clothes, casual clothes and so on. Among them, the emperor's least favorite thing to wear is probably the dragon robe, because the complex processing of heavy processing leads to a lack of comfort in wearing. The emperor's attendants will also prepare clothes and collocations for the emperor according to the work and things that the emperor will do on that day.
For example, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty was very diligent, and Sangen Chicken Ming got up early to learn his homework, and then learned archery and horseback riding to go to the early dynasty.
These processes involve three types of clothing, which need to be prepared for the emperor in advance.
In addition to daily work, the palace also regularly hosts hunting conventions, festive banquets, and so on. The costumes that need to be worn on these occasions are different and are very rigorous and sophisticated. Among them, the process is also very complicated is the dress, which is what the emperor needs to wear to show the strength and majesty of the country on the birthday feast of the festival.
However, most of these dresses are not very comfortable, the emperor will not wear them again except once on the day of the event, and this clothing that consumes financial, human and material resources is basically stored in the wardrobe and dusted.
The emperor's regular clothes and casual clothes are relatively comfortable and suitable for usual wear, but their craftsmanship is also very exquisite, and it is definitely a contemporary luxury.
05 Conclusion
The royal grounds of the forecourt and backyard are rare to hear. Throughout the generations of feudal history, royal life has always aroused our curiosity and exploration.
A simple piece of clothing, in the feudal era, can have so many rules and orders, let us can't help but sigh. Behind this is more the suppression of the feudal ruling class, and no matter how prosperous the dynasty is, it cannot escape the essence of feudal society.
And this imperial robe, which represents a symbol of extremely high power, eventually disintegrated with the collapse of feudal society and became one of the many historical relics. What makes us sigh, maybe not the value of this luxury, the ancient civilization behind it.