Photographs are not uncommon in China, but as early as 100 years ago, in the 19th century, when the camera was first brought into China by Western missionaries, the people believed that the camera could absorb the soul of the person. But even with this kind of ignorant thinking, it can't resist people's curiosity about cameras and their interest in taking photos.
Because of this, the nobles, commoners and other people of the Qing Dynasty have left many photos, which can give future generations a glimpse of their true style in the late Qing Dynasty. The first photo is of the late Qing dynasty royal family's orthodox Gege Wang Mintong, whose mother was qianlong's fifth direct granddaughter, and her cousin was Empress Wanrong at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Wang Mintong is not only prominent in his life, but also known as the most beautiful character in the Qing Dynasty because of his beautiful appearance and graceful posture. It is said that she especially likes her brother-in-law Puyi, but because her cousin Wanrong has already been selected, she can only have a silent crush. However, fortunately, she did not go deep into the royal family anymore, and did not suffer too much suffering like Wanrong.
Next came the Lady of the Commandments of the late Qing Dynasty. From the Tang Dynasty onwards, the imperial court would also give the wives or mothers of powerful courtiers the titles, and the "Lady of the Commandments" was a woman from the family of the First and Second Pin masters who could only be crowned. Dressed in an intricately patterned official dress and wearing a golden crown, the Lady of commandments was sitting precariously.
On closer inspection, under her official uniform, a pair of feet that are extremely small and not proportional to the body are exposed, which is the symbol of the golden noble woman in ancient times. In addition, the polished chair and exquisite carpet under her show her solid family situation, and the slightly ticked corners of her mouth also indicate the happiness of her life.
The third photo is of Li Hongzhang, a major minister of the Qing Dynasty, and his family, and even if it is a blurry black-and-white photo, it is not difficult for everyone to see the beauty of Li Hongzhang's wives and concubines, as well as the handsomeness of his sons. In 1844, Li Hongzhang married his original wife Zhou Shi, although he was married on the orders of his parents, but the husband and wife were very affectionate.
In 1861, after the death of the Zhou family, Li Hongzhang mourned for a period of time before continuing the string according to the words of the media concubine and marrying Zhao Xiaolian. Zhao Xiaolian also has a prominent family and knows dali. The next photo is of Mrs. Zhao Xiaolian and their daughter Li Ju coupled. Li Ju coupling married Zhang Peilun, a famous minister of the late Qing Dynasty, and their descendants were also extremely famous, and their granddaughter Zhang Ailing was a very prestigious writer in China.
In addition, although there was a trend of three wives and four concubines in ancient times, only nobles or large families could afford to marry concubines. Although the concubines do not make identity requirements, Li Hongzhang's concubines are all beautiful, and they all know a little about poetry and song, and the fifth photo is his concubine Dongmei, whose appearance is comparable to that of modern actresses.
In addition, Li Hongzhang's mother, Li Shi, also left a valuable photo, when she was 80 years old, and she was raised in the palace with several sons with a number of outstanding children. In 1901, she was also named Lady Yipinbo by the imperial court, and died at the age of 83.
The last photo is a bit subverting people's reverie about the palace women's draft. Several little girls stood in a row, with signs hanging around their necks, which wrote corresponding names, places of origin, and other information. Although this photo shows only the scene of the selection of the palace women in that year, it also witnesses one of the processes of selecting palace women during the Qing Dynasty.
Thinking back to more than 200 years ago, Empress Xiaoyichun of the Qianlong period also became a palace girl through such a dress draft, and then after years of groping and fighting, she sat in the position of the lord of the six palaces, which made people sigh.