The social picture of the Qing Dynasty has long since dissipated, but the photography that flourished in the early years recorded some precious moments and preserved them to this day, allowing us to have a historical dialogue. The photographs selected in this article were taken between 1897 and 1910.
Water dwellers.
The history of the water dwellers is called "the people", who have been floating on the water for a long time, taking the boat as their home, and their labor and eating and living are completed in this narrow space. They are of low status, oppressed, not allowed to live ashore, not allowed to intermarry with land people, and most of them live in poverty and do not even have shoes. It mainly relies on fishing, ferrying, transporting timber sand and gravel to make a living.
Women take pictures of their daughters.
One thing that makes these women on camera feel good is that they are lucky that they are not tied to their feet. You know, the Qing Dynasty was the most intense period in China's history, and the vast majority of Han women could not escape this fate, a lifetime of entanglement, a lifetime of pain.
The coolie that carries water.
One of the three coolies was thinner than the other, apparently undernourished and malnourished. At that time, most of the low-level workers were of this type.
Spring Festival folk performance.
The actors wear big head masks to perform, which is a common folk art form, called "big head dance" or "Luohan dance". There is no language during the performance, there will be gongs and drums to accompany, the shape is funny, the action is exaggerated, the humor is humorous, and it is full of a lively and cheerful atmosphere. Folklore has it that wearing a big head mask can drive away ghosts, ensure a good harvest, and can bring happiness and well-being to life.
tinker.
This craftsman has mastered many skills, and his wooden box reads "Trim the foreign gun, bucket eye, yang ping, fan lock", I don't know if it is bragging? In particular, I have deep doubts about the repair of foreign guns. What he was doing was to make a curium bowl, that is, to make up the cracked place of the porcelain bowl with palladium nails.
Shave your hair.
Shaving head was a profession that appeared in large numbers in the Qing Dynasty, because men shaved every ten days and half a month, and although this small business did not make a lot of money, it was very stable and sustainable. The customer in the photo also has to carry a basin to break his hair, which is quite funny.
A small temple full of plaques.
In the small temple in the mountains, people sent plaques full of their expectations. "Dream bear" and "Enyou Langzhang" mean the same thing, that is, to pray to the gods to bless my family's sons, and so on; in addition, there are those who seek wealth and auspiciousness. I have to say that this god is busy enough.
Street view of Guangzhou.
This street is very lively, all kinds of shops are dazzling, there are snuff sellers, there are photographs, there are teeth to mend, there are jewelry, there are foreign goods such as dental powder, and so on, and so on. This street also brings a strong sense of beauty, and the signs hung out of the shop use different fonts, one beautiful like one, walking in it, like admiring a calligraphy exhibition.
pumpkin.
Spanning more than 100 years of time and space, it is also interesting that we meet a pumpkin. Listening to the old man, the previous pumpkin taste was soft and sticky and sweet, but the yield was not high. With the advancement of agricultural technology, new varieties of pumpkins are emerging in an endless stream, and I wonder if the pumpkin in the photo has a chance to continue to produce?
Older brother takes care of younger brother (or younger sister).
In the past, almost every household had a second, third and fourth child, and it was blessed to have many children and many grandchildren. Parents have to go out to earn money to support the family, who comes to see the children? It's not hard to let the older children take care of the little ones. Middle-aged and elderly people over the age of forty or fifty may have experienced such a life.