The two things we are most afraid of now are power outages and disconnections. Especially at night, it can be boring to the point of exploding in place. To know that in ancient times, there was no electricity and no network, what did the ancients do at night? Is it really just sunset? What about winter? It was dark at five o'clock in the afternoon, and it was dawn at seven o'clock the next day, so who could sleep all the time for fourteen hours?
We have read some inspirational stories of the ancients at night, with sacs of fluorescent snow and chiseled walls stealing light. This all stems from the fact that there is no light at night, and you can't read books without seeing things. The ancients were very wise, and of course thought of many ways to illuminate. For example, someone will catch fireflies to illuminate the house. But the most effective is the lamp invented by the ancients, although it is not as bright as the electric lamp, but it is also very powerful.
In fact, when humans find fire and will retain the fire, they will learn to illuminate. Then the lamp was invented. With lights, the night is no longer dark. There are many ancient lamps left behind, especially the lamps used by princes and nobles, which are not only practical, but also incomparably exquisite.
In 1968, a Western Han Dynasty tomb was discovered in Mancheng, Hebei Province, and the owner of the tomb was Dou Xuan, the wife of Liu Sheng, the King of Zhongshan Jing. Zhongshan Jingwang is more familiar to us, because Liu Bei's uncle Liu Huang is a descendant of Zhongshan Jingwang. What about this Dou Qi? She was a member of Empress Dowager Dou's clan and had a fairly high status. The most famous cultural relics unearthed in Dou Xuan's tomb are the golden jade robe and the Changxin Palace lamp.
The lights of Changxin Palace are gilded throughout and exquisitely shaped. Height 48 cm, weight 15.85 kg. The main body is a palace girl with a lamp in both hands, and her demeanor is particularly idyllic and elegant. The two hands of the palace maid, one out of the main force, the other seem to be blocking the wind. The lamp has a rainbow tube on it, which can be used to absorb oil fumes and also prevent air pollution. Moreover, it is said that this lamp was once used by Empress Dou in the Changxin Palace.
At the same time unearthed in Dou Xuan's tomb, there was also a Suzaku copper lamp. It is 30 cm high and 19 cm in diameter. It consists of three parts: a lamp plate, a suzaku and a panlong. The overall look is very grand, Suzaku tilted his head and tail, holding the lamp plate with his mouth, stepping on the dragon with his feet, and looking like he wanted to fly. The lamp plate of this lamp is ring-shaped, with four slots, which are divided into three compartments, each with candle fibers.
The Suzaku copper lamp is obviously a good idea to insert a candle into the lamp plate, but some lights are not so simple. For example, in the tomb of Dou Xuan's husband Liu Sheng, a different sheep-shaped copper lamp was unearthed. This lamp has no candle fiber, you can't think of how to use it, what is this lamp like?
The sheep-shaped copper lamp is 18.6 cm high and 23 cm long. The shape of the lamp is reclining sheep, with double horns curled up and the head held high. The back and body of the sheep are cast separately, and there is a living button on the neck of the sheep, and the back of the sheep can be turned upwards. The belly of the sheep is used to store lamp oil, because without candle fiber, it is not known how to order it.
In ancient times, the lights from the Warring States onwards were basically a nail standing in the center of the lamp, and the candle could be inserted. Or there is a hard wick in the lamp oil, and the wick can be lit to illuminate the light. Because the wick burns more and longer, so at that time the nobles will have a special lamp holder, a candle cutter.
Of course, the common people in ancient times were more miserable, and there were lamps that were broken, and they could not afford to buy lamp oil. Nor will there be anyone to look after the lights. That's why there will be those who catch fireflies, steal light and so on. This was the case in ancient times, where the hierarchical differentiation was too severe.
We don't have to worry about lighting now, just press the switch, the whole house is bright, the street is bright. There will be no power outages under normal circumstances, so cherish the time now! But don't be too indulgent and try not to stay up late!