In various Qing Dynasty palace fighting dramas, we can often see noble concubines wearing long armor sleeves on their hands, which looks particularly charming and feminine. In the play, these concubines' armor covers are not actually designed by the director or screenwriter, but are real in history, so what is the role of these armor covers? Many audience friends don't know much about this, but think that the armor cover is simply for the aesthetic effect, but it is not more than that.
The armor cover has a variety of functions, in addition to decorative, it also has practical significance. On the one hand, it can be convenient for the emperor, on the other hand, it is out of the selfish intentions of the concubines, so let's take everyone to understand the origin and specific use of these armor sets.
First, the origin of the armor cover
Nails have been cherished since ancient times, and people at that time had an old saying that the body was blessed with the skin of the parents, and did not dare to destroy it. The implication is that everything in the body is given to us by our parents, so we should double our love, which is a manifestation of filial piety.
Therefore, the ancients cherished the body things such as hair and nails, and easily did not trim it. This is different from modern people, modern people cut a hair, a manicure is very common, and every time you do modeling can make yourself feel happy, but in ancient times it was not the same, and our thinking is just the opposite.
Although most of the scenes we see in major film and television dramas are Qing Palace dramas, in fact, the armor cover is not an item born in the Qing Dynasty, and the existence of the armor cover has been established as early as the Ming Dynasty. However, during the Ming Dynasty, people's love for armor covers was not particularly deep, so the armor sleeves at that time were not popular decorations.
However, with the development and progress of the times, people's aesthetics are constantly changing. In the Qing Dynasty, people at that time loved long nails more and more, thinking that long nails looked very beautiful, not only concubines would keep long nails, but even high-ranking officials and nobles would also have long nails, so armor covers became popular.
There are also many preserved armor sets in history, which are now treasured in major museums. The material of these armor sets, most of which are based on precious metals such as gold and silver, is very beautiful, and some will be inlaid with some gemstones to increase preciousness and aesthetics. The armor covers worn by people of different positions are also different, and the more exquisite they are, the higher the status of the owner.
Cixi, the last empress dowager of the Qing Dynasty, was a loyal lover of armor covers. We can see Cixi herself wearing a delicate armor suit in various portraits or photographs of herself. In addition to liking Jin's armor cover, Cixi also likes jade's armor cover, and Cixi is well-respected, her nails are very long, so the corresponding armor cover design is also relatively long.
Second, the use of armor sleeves
So after talking about the origin of the armor cover, let's talk about the use, what is the use of the armor cover? The first point, of course, was the selfishness of the concubines, who won the favor of the king by wearing exquisite nail covers. Therefore, the noble concubines in ancient times were willing to spend a lot of time to create exquisite and unique exclusive sets, so as to make themselves have glory, wealth and status in the harem.
The armor cover is a very important accessory, and generally speaking, the design of the armor cover reflects the aesthetic and status of the owner. You can combine some inlays or carving techniques on top of the armor sleeve to create different forms. Generally speaking, armor covers are also seasonal, in order to wear comfortably in the summer, craftsmen will also use techniques such as skeletonization to create, so as to ensure that you feel comfortable when wearing.
The second reason is for protection, because the fingernails of the ancients were very long, so they were easy to break in the middle. In order to avoid such things from happening frequently, the ancients came up with the method of armor cover to protect nails. And most armor covers are made of hard material, so even if they are accidentally bumped, they will not cause serious damage to the nails.
In addition, in the process of long-term wearing, the armor cover can also play a stereotyped effect for the nails, making the nails more slender and beautiful. Because of this, the armor cover generally presents a natural curve and similar specifications, so that it will be particularly convenient when replacing it, and it will not bring discomfort due to the inability to fit the nails.
The third role was to facilitate the emperor, because there were many concubines of the emperor at that time, and many concubines were difficult to see the emperor several times in their lives, so the emperor did not recognize all the concubines. In the process of wearing the armor cover, the emperor can make a judgment through the armor cover of the concubines to understand the position of the concubines in the palace.
Therefore, gradually the armor cover became a symbol of status, and the more favored it was in the court, the higher the specifications of the armor cover and the more beautiful the style. Conversely, if it is an unfavored concubine, the armor cover is correspondingly more rudimentary, and some can even only be made of inconspicuous metal.
But the armor cover is only a thing that is out of reach for most people living in poverty. After all, most women from poor backgrounds have to work continuously all their lives to support themselves.
In such a situation, if you still have to wear a long armor cover, then whether it is washing clothes or cleaning will be very inconvenient. Therefore, for the poor, they are not eligible to wear these armor covers, so this armor cover can only be the darling of the nobility.
Third, the current situation of the armor cover
With the progress of the times, people's aesthetics have also undergone tremendous changes, no longer the pursuit of the state of pampering, so the armor cover has gradually faded out of our lives. After all, modern people need to do their own hygiene, cooking, typing keyboards, these need to have flexible nails, if like the ancients with long nails, then life is very inconvenient.
Of course, there are some exceptions, some people especially like long nails, so they will carefully cultivate their own long nails, so occasionally a small number of people wear armor covers. In addition, the dancer Yang Liping teacher also has the habit of growing long nails, and she chose long nails for her own artistic pursuits and performed a vivid and flexible image when dancing. In addition, most people in life have long been out of the habit of wearing armor covers.