introduction
Throughout history, China has a historical civilization of five thousand years. Among them, the feudal social system occupies half of Chinese civilization. From the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Three Kingdoms of Qin and Han, to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. All the dynasties and dynasties have their own characteristics, and the only constant is the national political system, which is a feudal autocratic system. The feudal autocracy played a non-negligible role in long-term social stability and national unity. But at the same time, there are drawbacks, the authoritarian system has caused the gap between the rich and the poor to increase, Du Fu's "From Beijing to Fengxian County Yonghuai 500 Words": "Zhumen wine smells of meat, the road has frozen bones" is its true portrayal.
On February 12, the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Puyi abdicated. The feudal autocracy that lasted for more than two thousand years came to an end. Because the Qing Dynasty is the most recent dynasty in people's memory, there are many historical texts left behind, so people are more familiar with Manchu Qing culture. In recent years, there have been many Qing Palace dramas on the screen, and the most impressive thing is the unique braids of the Qing people. Because the front half of male hair is shaved clean and followed by long braids, this hairstyle is also jokingly called "yin and yang head". But in fact, was the Qing Dynasty hairstyle really "yin and yang head"? After reading the historical materials, netizens have said: It turns out that we have been deceived by film and television dramas for so many years.
▲ Qing Dynasty braided head stills
01
The ancients said: "Gentlemen have skin, and their parents dare not damage it." Therefore, since ancient times, there has been a habit of long hair, and when a man is twenty years old, he will coil the hair he has left since childhood into a bun, and then wear a hat, so it is called a "weak crown". From the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the Han people began to have long hair. The Manchus were also influenced by this habit, but in order to adapt to the nomadic life of the steppe, they changed the long hair that affected the action to the shape of a money rattail.
It is said that the money rattail was first used by the Jurchen tribe, because they had long been nomadic in the northeast region, and their hair was too long to be affected by the wind. Therefore, this money rattail is the most practical for the Manchus. Later, the Manchus entered the customs, and in order to emphasize the right to rule, they ordered everyone in the country to change their hairstyle to money rattails.
▲ Money rattail stills
02
At first, the Han people refused to shave their hair, and the habits that had been followed for thousands of years could be changed once. Therefore, the people complained bitterly, and they all dragged their heads and did not want to shave their heads. When the Qing government saw the situation, it immediately ordered that men throughout the country must shave their hair according to Manchu customs. And set a strict standard, leaving only a little hair on the top of the head hanging down, and the thickness of the braid should just pass through the square hole of the copper coin. If someone exceeds this standard, pull it to the head.
During the Shunzhi period, there was a man named Ding Quan, who was not an anti-Qing and restoration evildoer, nor did he deliberately resist the will. Because when Ding Quan shaved his head, the shaving master was careless and left two inches more hair on the top of his head, and as a result, Ding Quan was inspected and seized when he went to the street and was imprisoned. However, Ding Quan was not convinced and wanted to appeal for himself, and the local officials also believed that Ding Quan's crime would not cause death, so he reported it upwards, and finally the paper letter went straight to the Forbidden City. Shunzhi ignored the complaint after seeing it, and only wrote four words, "Handle according to the law." Poor Ding Quan was young and was beheaded in the street because of the negligence of the shaving master. After that, the news spread, and no one dared to resist the will and disrespect, and they obediently shaved their hair.
▲ Shunzhi stills
03
The long and thick braids we see on the screen now are the result of the evolution of the braided heads of the Manchus, in fact, this is also the process of gradual sinicization. In the early days of the Qing Dynasty, in order to consolidate its rule, the government had to order strict rectification. After the decree was implemented for a period of time, the Han gradually acquiesced to shaving their heads and changing their braids. The Qing government saw that people's hearts were unified, and immediately relaxed the standards, and it no longer mattered what kind of braid it looked like.
Therefore, the folk also gradually improved the style of the braid head, the hair volume of the brain gate increased from a copper coin to the size of the palm, and then to the entire back of the head, and the braid thickness was also gradually increased from the rat tail to the oxtail.
▲The evolution of braided head in the Qing Dynasty
This uninvolved hair-raising movement, from the emperor down to the people, was invariably followed. Gradually formed the "yin and yang head" that people see on the screen. In fact, this change is also an inevitable trend, first of all, the image of the money rattail is too ugly. This is the Manchu people in order not to be disturbed by the wind and sand, and after the unification of the world, the world rises to peace, and the beauty is even more important. The second reason is that manchu and Han cultures are integrated, and after the Qing Dynasty achieved great unification, the rulers gradually realized the importance of Han culture, so this is also a movement to seek common ground while reserving differences.
▲Old photos of Qing Dynasty people's haircuts
epilogue
The change in hairstyle represents not only the change of dynasties, but also the progress of culture. "Xunzi Waigong" has a saying: "Water can carry boats, and it can also overturn boats." "From the Qing Dynasty government to force the braids to be changed, and then to the uniform change of hairstyles throughout the country." We can draw a conclusion: the development of world civilization must always go with the tide, otherwise it is perverse and not tolerated by society.
Resources:
"Five Hundred Words from Beijing to Fengxian County"
"Xunzi Waigong"