▲ Photographed by The Taihe Hall in the Forbidden City in the late Qing Dynasty
The history of the late Qing Dynasty has long since dissipated like smoke,
It is difficult to know all the details of social life at that time.
Fortunately, it also left a lot of debris,
A little patchwork is enough to outline the history.
In this issue,
We go through a set of old photos,
Visualize the social landscape of more than 100 years ago.
▲Giant Zhan Shichao took a group photo with his wife and agent
Zhan Shichao is about 2.4 meters tall and was born in Wuyuan County around 1841. He was discovered by international scouts while working in Shanghai, and in 1865-1866 he performed publicly with his chinese wife Kin Foo in London, and then toured Europe and the United States, known as "Chinese Giant Zhan".
In 871, he performed in Australia and met Catherine Katie Santley, a Woman born in Liverpool, who married after Kim Fook's death and had two sons.
At the end of 1880, the Barnum Circus in the United States paid a high salary of $500 a month and hired him to perform in the United States. In 1893, Zhan Shichao died of illness at the age of 50.
▲ Prisoners in a cell
This photograph presents a corner of the interior of the prison in the late Qing Dynasty and is of high value. The prisoner wore shackles, was chained, and could not escape with wings under the guard of the jailer.
▲ Li Hongzhang's wife Zhao Xiaolian and daughter Li Ju coupled
Zhao Xiaolian was dressed in a supplementary suit, apparently entrusted to her husband's blessing, and had been given the title of Lady of the Commandment by the imperial court.
Li Jule was beautiful and temperamental, and at the age of 22, she married Zhang Peilun, the left deputy capital, as a step-wife, and she herself had no influence on history, but she had a granddaughter who was famous all over the world, that is, the famous writer Zhang Ailing.
However, Li Juling died in 1912, zhang Ailing was born in 1920, and the two did not meet.
▲ The eldest daughter of the late Qing Dynasty minister Na Tong
Na Tong was a heavy minister of the late Qing Dynasty, and successively served as a Shangshu of the Hubu Department, shangshu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Military Aircraft, and Assistant Minister of the Cabinet.
His eldest daughter left little information in history, except that she married Theomoto's grandson, Xixian, who was the grandson of Tobe Shigeru, and died in 1924.
▲ Zeng Jize, son of Zeng Guofan
Zeng Jize was not a famous courtier like his father Zeng Guofan, but he also made pioneering contributions to history. He was one of the first diplomats of the Qing Dynasty and served as minister in Britain, France and Russia.
During the mission, he deeply understood the history and national conditions of various countries, and examined the industrial, commercial and social conditions of Western European countries.
In 1881, the Sino-Russian Revised Treaty was negotiated with Russia to recover the land and part of the interests in the Ili Turks River Valley, which was considered to be a relatively successful diplomatic action in the late Qing Dynasty.
▲Fengtian Daqing Bank commemorated the 3rd anniversary of its establishment
In September 1905, the Qing court set up the "Hubu Bank" in Beijing, and set up branches in Tianjin, Shanghai, Hankou, Jinan, Zhangjiakou, Fengtian, Yingkou, Kulun and Chongqing.
In addition to general banking businesses such as deposits and loans and the collection of promissory notes, the bank also has the privilege of receiving silver and copper coinage and issuing paper money.
In February 1908, the general and branch institutions of hubu bank were renamed the Daqing Bank, clarifying the nature of its national bank.
▲Group photo of young children staying in the United States before leaving
This group of children, whose average age is only 12 years old, will set off from Shanghai and take the ship of the General Administration of Merchants to the United States.
From 1872 to 1875, with the support of Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, the Qing court sent four batches of 120 students to study in the United States.
After returning to China, these young children scattered in various fields such as politics, military, industry, and intellectual circles, and made outstanding contributions to history.
▲ Military attaché in a patch costume with his heir
Because the sharpness of the photo is not enough, we can't see clearly what kind of pattern he embroidered on the complement, and we can't accurately judge his grade.
According to the rules of the Qing Dynasty, military attaches can wear chao beads above four pins, and we can infer that his grade is above four pins.
▲ Chinese men and Russian soldiers
This photograph was taken in 1904, on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War. The Chinese man on the left holds a carrying gun, and the boy on the right also holds a weapon, and they appear to have been hired by the Russians.
▲ In 1890, Li Hongzhang took a group photo with his children and grandchildren.
The text below the photograph clearly describes the background of the shooting: In October of the sixteenth year of Guangxu (1890), The Japanese photographer Yoshikawa Ketsuji of the Tianjin ZizhuLin Wuqi Photography Museum photographed it in the Zhili Governor's Palace. At that time, Li Hongzhang was the governor of Tianjin.
▲ The minister sitting under the canopy
The canopy, which resembles an umbrella, is a ceremonial vessel used by ancient emperors and ministers when they travel, symbolizing the position of power. Its materials, colors, and sizes are a sign that distinguishes the size of official positions and the dignity and inferiority of status. The man with the canopy should tilt it forward and put it on the minister's head. However, despite the canopy and the blessing of the guards, the minister did not look imposing.
▲ Group photo of British missionaries in a certain place in Shandong
The most prominent feature of these people is that they put on the clothes of the common people at that time, and they looked at all contradictory. They dress up in the countryside and follow the customs, but also for the sake of efficient missionary work, which is more conducive to dealing with locals, and the teachings they spread are naturally more acceptable.
▲ In 1901, a woman took a picture on Jiro's legs
The woman's photo pose deliberately highlights her "three-inch golden lotus". We now feel that foot binding is incredible, neither beautiful nor healthy, but in the social cognition at that time, small feet were the primary condition for beautiful women, and in many places in North China, bigfoot women are likely to not be able to marry.
▲ Two women are pushing the stone mill
The woman facing the camera wraps her feet and wears bow shoes, which is difficult to walk, and it is very difficult for her to do physical work. Stone grinding was a necessity for rural households in that era, grain became cookable flour, the grinding process was indispensable, of course, this way of grinding the flour is very coarse.
▲ In 1901, it was directly subordinate to Wu Tao, Zhixian County, Xianxian County
This is the image of the legendary county prince. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was very rare for Zhixian to leave a photo, and the reason why Wu Tao was able to leave an image was because he was friends with the local missionary Ge Guang, and the blessing of the Tuoyang people took a photo.
▲ In 1901, officials directly under a certain place took a group photo with officers of the Eight-Power Alliance
The foreign officer on the right is facing the camera sideways, with a look of arrogance.
▲ In 1904, a woman who carefully modified her eyebrows
Her dress has a strong late Qing Dynasty character. The forehead she wears on her head and the skirt she wears are all traditional styles, but in the details, it is no longer the kind of wide shape, but it is tighter, which can highlight the curve of women's figures.
▲ Yikun Palace in the Forbidden City photographed by James Li Carlton
According to photographers, several people in front of the gate were eunuchs who were responsible for guarding the place after Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor fled.
There is a stopped Western clock on the wall of the palace, but it is not known whether the time when the clock stopped moving was when the emperor fled.
▲ Forbidden City Chuxiu Palace Gate Photographed by James Licarton
The Gate of Chuxiu Palace in the Forbidden City, although it is one of the residences of Empress Dowager Cixi, Cixi rarely lives here, most of the time Cixi lives in the Summer Palace, and several Chinese on the picture below are the guards of Chuxiu Palace, and they follow foreigners who enter the palace at any time.
According to the photographer's records, at that time, soldiers, officers, photographers and other "foreign devils" came here to visit.
▲ The ministers of the prime minister of the late Qing dynasty government, James Licarton
The Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs, abbreviated as "Prime Minister Yamen", "General Administration" and "Translation Office", was a central organ specially designed by the Qing government for foreign affairs and foreign affairs, and with the defeat of the Opium War, the qing government's foreign affairs became more and more important, and was established on January 20, 1861 with the approval of the Xianfeng Emperor.
▲ Prince Yi li of Qing, photo by James Li Carlton
In the 26th year of Guangxu (1900), the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, and the picture shows Yi Xi, a major minister of the late Qing Dynasty, the first prime minister of the Qing Dynasty, and the Prince of Qing, who was ordered to sign the "Xinugu Treaty" with Li Hongzhang on behalf of the Qing government the following year.
Miss Smith, holding a child, poses in front of the ruins of a london church school
Photo by James Lea carlton
Here are the ruins of a London church school, destroyed during the eight-week-long Boxer siege. Chinese, who took a group photo in front of the ruins, were survivors of the incident who had fled to the British embassy and were protected by Miss Smith.
▲ Children performing juggling on the streets
In real life, walking the rivers and lakes to sell art is not because of the pride of the legendary chivalrous guests, but because of the compulsion of life.
In the face of natural disasters and man-made disasters, losing their homes, or fields being annexed and losing their livelihoods, they will choose to break into the world in desperation.
The audience in the photo is wearing cotton clothes, and the two performers, one big and one small, are shirtless, which shows how hard it is to do this line!
▲ The eight flags of archery with a bent bow
Bows and arrows are traditional weapons, and the Eight Banners pay special attention to archery.
In the photo, a young man pinned two feather arrows around his waist, stepped on his horse, and wore a wrench in his right hand to pull a bow, aiming at the target.
The other man held an arrow and waited to be fired, carefully observing the results of his opponent's shooting.
However, in the era of hot weapons in the European and American worlds, you are still obsessed with traditional riding and shooting and ignoring gun training, which is undoubtedly a kind of pedantic.
▲ In the late Qing Dynasty, a car traveled by a minister in the capital took an old photo
According to historical records, in the late Qing Dynasty, there were different levels of palanquins for imperial court ministers and ordinary people, usually in the capital for the officials of the ministers of the palanquins used silver on the top, and the sedan body was covered with soap. Later, the human palanquin was slowly eliminated due to the inconvenience of travel.
▲ Two Manchu women in the Forbidden City in the late Qing Dynasty, Gan Bo
They basked in the sun in front of the house in gorgeous Manchu costumes, and they looked like they were supposed to be royal relatives in the Imperial Palace of the Forbidden City.