In ancient times, when there was no electricity and no entertainment, what would people generally do after dark? Is it directly to sleep or to start the nightlife?
According to historical records, the earliest use of electricity in China was through a small foreign generator. It was used in about the fifth year of the Qing Dynasty, that is, in 1878.
It follows from this that electricity did not appear in any dynasty before that. So what would the ancients do without electricity to pass the long night?
In ancient times, there was a saying among the peasants called "work at sunrise, rest at sunset", indicating that people at that time were still in an era of busy farming.
Male cultivators and women weaving was a normal state at that time, and men had a lot of work in the fields, and after a whole day of wind and sun life, they just wanted to go to bed after dinner, so that they had enough energy to do tomorrow's work in the fields.
In ancient times, women had to take care of the size of the family, taking care of the children during the day, sewing and mending worn clothes for naughty children at night, and sewing the clothes of their husbands who had been worn by hoes for a day.
Therefore, the life of rural women in ancient times was also very tiring, so that on nights when there was no light, they would also rest after today's events.
But this does not mean that the nightlife in the ancient city is to go to rest at night, and their nightlife will be very colorful. The ancients loved to drink, so no matter day or night, there will always be people in the tavern, they drink while chanting poetry, and the good life is not much worse than modern people.
Therefore, as soon as the ancient people went to sleep as soon as the sky turned dark, it was also necessary to have a professional distinction.
To what extent did curfews affect the nocturnal activities of the ancients? Did the ancients really love to sleep?
In different dynasties and places in the past, local officials had mandatory rules on events that could not be held at night, so under the restriction of a large number of rules, sleeping as soon as it got dark became the safest night activity. So to a certain extent, this also makes us know that the ancients did not necessarily love to sleep, because the strict regulations restricted a variety of night entertainment activities, they had to choose to sleep.
Curfews are an ancient equivalent of a legally binding provision. This rule clearly states that the people cannot carry out activities when night falls. If someone does not abide by this hard rule, even if he is a guilty person, his crime can be called "night of sin".
Before the Two Song Dynasties, whenever the sun set and the sky was getting dark, there would be a fixed person to beat the drum on the upper floor of the city to warn people that they should go home quickly, and those who were at home should not go out.
Each dynasty had a different time for reminders of impending curfews. For example, in the prosperous ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty, they reminded that the time of curfew was different from the Song Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty would have a special door drum and a closed door drum.
If people wander the streets during the time period when the door drum and the door drum are ringing, they will be punished accordingly. Unless there is a special state request for urgent reporting, or a life-threatening incident in the home requires going to the street to seek a doctor. Only after verification by street curfew inspectors can they have the right to freedom on the street.
According to historical records, the Ming Dynasty was more strict about the management of the night. So under this strict restriction, the ancients may really be forced to choose to sleep to pass the boring night without electricity. It was not until the Time of the Qing Dynasty that candles entered the homes of ordinary people, and the curfew was not so strict, and the nightlife of the ancients became more and more abundant
What are the more common nightlifes when curfews are open and candles are gradually entering the lives of the ancients?
According to historical records, in the pre-Qin era, people poured wax juice into hollowed out reed pipes and lit the placed wax juice to illuminate the dark night, which was also the template for the candles that first appeared.
And the dynasty in which candles really appeared was in the Han Dynasty. Candles at that time were difficult for ordinary people to obtain, and the high price was beyond the reach of many people.
At that time, there was a widely circulated story about two wealthy people, Wang Kai and Shi Chong, who competed to make their kitchens light the whole house with candles when cooking at night in order to compare who was richer in the local area. It was impossible for people at that time to have candles, let alone use candles to illuminate the whole house for the sake of cooking.
Ordinary people slowly began to use candles in the Ming Dynasty. The people of that dynasty gradually became skilled in using animal fats to make candles. More and more people can master this technology.
The candle really entered the life of ordinary people in the Qing Dynasty when oil was excavated, due to the emergence of oil, the manpower and material resources consumed in the manufacture of candles were gradually reduced, and the cost required was gradually not too high. At that time, the candle was completely entered the life of the ancient general public.
Candles are generally used in the house, and people generally need oil lamps made of oil when they go out to run errands, and the oil lamp has a protective cover on the outside when burning, which can make the candle inside not be blown out by the wind. Oil lamps were also very expensive at the time. So unless there is something important, ordinary people don't use oil lamps all night.
After the Song Dynasty, the curfew system of the ancients was weakened, and what followed was the interesting night life of the ancients. In the homes of the rich and noble, the sky is getting late, the light of candles sprinkles all corners of the house, many houses have song and dance activities to enrich the life of the night, and some people will like to appear at night to chant poems and drink wine. Listen to a little tune and enjoy some good wine and food when you're tired.
This wonderful nightlife only belongs to the children of rich families and the descendants of famous people, compared with the nightlife of ordinary people may not be so colorful.
Due to the lack of money, going out at night is difficult for them to do, but every festival, there are some events held on the street, and this is a wonderful nightlife for them. They can watch the illuminated nights for free, and there are small stalls selling suppers on the street. In short, although the ancients did not have our modern neon lights and mobile phones and televisions, they could also have their own wonderful nightlife.