When it comes to the four beauties in Chinese history, we have to talk about Yang Yuhuan. To be precise, Yang Damei is one of the most unique classical Chinese beauties, because on the one hand she represents the ultimate of our aesthetics, but on the other hand, she seems to have gotten rid of the limitations of traditional slim beauties.
As Su Shi's poem says, Yan Thin Ring Fat, it is proposed that Yang Yuhuan is relatively fat. It is difficult for us to understand how a relatively fat girl became one of the four beauties.
And what is more interesting is that this fat beauty not only became one of the four great beauties in China, but also became the favorite woman of Tang Xuanzong, so much so that even Bai Juyi specially wrote a long story to commemorate their love. So the question is, what does Yang Yuhuan look like in real history?
First of all, we must mention that in the minds of most people, Yang Yuhuan is a fat beauty, and even we have an illusion that the Tang Dynasty regarded fat as beauty. I remember watching a sketch at that time, which proposed that the more fat and beautiful the women of the Tang Dynasty, the slimmer and the uglier, Yang Yuhuan was a fat man of more than 150 pounds, so he became the first beauty.
Of course, the sketch must be a farce, just to make everyone laugh, but after we laughed, we couldn't help but ask questions, if the real Tang Dynasty is fat as beauty, then what does Yang Yuhuan look like? Does she really fit our modern aesthetic?
If we want to discuss the aesthetic problems of the Tang Dynasty, then we need to document and excavate cultural relics. Regarding the aesthetic problems of that time, the history books do not clearly record it, but the three most famous beauties of the Tang Dynasty all belong to the type of fat and fat beauties.
This first one is naturally Wu Zetian, a beautiful woman of Wu Da. In the hearts of most people, Wu Zetian is the ultimate imperial sister, and is the Tang Dynasty version of Dai himself who can destroy a country by beauty. However, according to historical records, Wu Zetian's figure is relatively fat, especially in several important parts, which is particularly eye-catching.
This is really not a fool's errand, at that time, the historian commented that Wu Zetian thought that Princess Taiping was rich in body and generous in face, so she felt that her daughter was kind to herself, so she particularly liked it. Therefore, the second big beauty sitting here is Wu Zetian's daughter, Princess Taiping.
As for the 3rd chubby beauty, that is the Yang Yuhuan we are going to talk about.
As representatives of the three beauties of the Tang Dynasty, all three of them were chubby figures and were recorded in historical records. This has to make people wonder whether the Tang Dynasty was fat as beautiful.
In addition, from the pottery figurines of the Tang Dynasty and the paintings of the Tang Dynasty unearthed today, there are many contents, and the female characters are fat. This further confirms that Women in the Tang Dynasty seemed to be fat for beauty.
So the question is, can we conclude that Yang Yuhuan is a fat beauty? Is the content in the sketch true? To tell the truth, we really dare not imagine how a 150-pound Yang Yuhuan can be compared to the Tang Dynasty' concubines.
However, just when we were confused, archaeologists made timely discoveries and debunking rumors. The first to appear is naturally Professor Qi Dongfang, as a famous archaeological researcher, Professor Qi Dongfang showed us more Tang Dynasty pottery figurines and painting antiques.
The professor told us that many of the clay figurines unearthed in the past were indeed the image of fat girls, but this only accounted for a small part of the content. In most of the unearthed clay figurines, in fact, those girls are slim figures, and some are as slim as Zhao Feiyan, full of a sense of fairy spirit returning by the wind.
And what is more interesting is that the professor pointed out that most of those fat pottery figurines are from the period of Tang Xuanzong and Wu Zetian's reform. If we combine the above historical details according to this content, then we can be sure that the Tang Dynasty has always paid attention to slimness and beauty, only because the rulers are beautiful women who belong to the plump body, so the people below have created art.
As for why there was such a phenomenon during the Tang Xuanzong period? Then it is very likely that the problem lies in Yang Yuhuan, and this big beauty may also be a fruitful girl.
Obviously, the professor's answer made us understand that the Tang Dynasty was not fat for beauty, but this does not explain whether Yang Yuhuan was fat or thin. Fortunately, when the professor was debunking the rumors, archaeologists on the other side were also working on restoring Yang Yuhuan's appearance.
Up to now, experts have given Yang Yuhuan's physiognomy restoration map, from the image we can see that Yang Yuhuan is a woman who is more prominent than slim, but far less than obese. Perhaps, Yang Yuhuan is somewhat similar to Wu Zetian in that year, it belongs to the plump and slim, or it is the kind of plumpness of the Taiping Princess, the body is the golden ratio, and the flesh has grown to the right place, but it does not conform to the traditional concept of slimness.
If you look closely, you will find that the restoration map is a bit like Tang Minghuang and Yang Yuhuan in the film and television works, I don't know if it is a psychological role, I always feel that the two of them are very similar, maybe the director does have a foundation in history.
However, there is also a question, since Yang Yuhuan's beauty is different from the traditional aesthetics of the Tang Dynasty, then why can Yang Yuhuan get all the love of Tang Xuanzong, and even be pushed to the height of the four beauties?
Personally, I think that the reason why Tang Xuanzong liked Yang Yuhuan at a glance was because Yang Yuhuan's beauty was too distinctive. We know that a person's aesthetic will be tired, and Tang Xuanzong's environment is all slim beauty, even if the beautiful women have their own advantages, but they are all Zhao Hede, Zhao Feiyan type, after all, there will be some boredom.
Now, suddenly, a plump beauty has appeared, not only maintaining the best flexibility in stature, but also dancing and making people feel excited. And the body is full of flesh, which perfectly combines the dignity and sexiness of the Noble Lady of the Tang Dynasty. These all reflect the uniqueness of Yang Yuhuan, whether it is people or items, they are rare and precious, so Tang Xuanzong will like her so much, even at the expense of robbing people with his son.
It is precisely because of Tang Xuanzong's liking for Yang Yuhuan that the result led to the Tang Dynasty's politics from openness and vitality to conservative and dead silence, so Yang Yuhuan was forced to label the demon of the subjugated country. Although this incident is an insult to Yang Yuhuan, a woman's beauty can make a country collapse, then her beauty is naturally added to the madness. Perhaps this is the case, Yang Yuhuan first became the king's favorite person, and then became one of the four beauties in Chinese history.
Of course, the above is just a reasonable guess we have made through archaeological discoveries, but in general, it is well-founded, and Yang Yuhuan's appearance is really similar to Yang Yuhuan in The Tang Ming Emperor. Perhaps the only difference in some details is only in terms of modesty and temperament. After all, Yang Yuhuan is a person who has walked through the Daming Palace, and modern women are really inferior in this regard.
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