The use of buttons by humans has a history of more than 6,000 years. The original button materials were mainly stone, wood, and shell, and later developed into buttons and coiled buttons made of cloth. The earliest buttons in mainland China are found in the Western Zhou Dynasty copper yin buttons. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a number of buttons were also unearthed, such as the Warring States cultural relics excavated from Shizhai Mountain in Jinning, Yunnan, which used round, oval, animal head shapes and irregular shapes made of blue, apple green and light gray turquoise.
Buttons are a daily necessity that everyone can't live without, it is small in size, but it has a great effect. Buttons were originally used to connect the plackets of clothes, and gradually developed into personalized ornaments with art decoration in addition to maintaining their original function. Good buttons can more perfectly play a role in finishing the costume, and play a suggestive role in the status and financial resources of the owner.
The decorative and identity display of buttons has been fully reflected in ancient times. In order to show their wealth, some dignitaries like to wear them with precious gold and silver, pearls, precious stones, diamonds, rhino horns, antelope horns, ivory and other precious materials to wear.
Among the buttons of various materials, silver buttons have the most expressive patterns, and its types, shapes and patterns are the most abundant, which is breathtaking. Silver buttons add another category to silver culture - button culture. Nowadays, silver buttons are rarely seen in Han costumes, but they are still common in the costumes of Tibetans, Mongolians and some ethnic minorities in the south.
Silver buttons are used in different outfits. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, 5, 7, and 9 were commonly used, and there were more than 11, 13 or more. There are also differences in volume, small such as soybeans, large like glass pinballs, light a few grams, heavy dozens of grams, or even more.
The traditional silver button pattern is very rich, and the meaning is also different, such as the silver fish buckle symbolizes more than one year, the silver life peach button symbolizes longevity, the silver dollar treasure button symbolizes wealth, the anemone lotus button symbolizes incorruptibility, and the silver Buddha hand button symbolizes good life. The wearer will choose buttons with different patterns and meanings according to different beliefs and pursuits, such as seeking joy, seeking blessings, seeking wealth, seeking peace, seeking auspiciousness, seeking children, seeking officials, seeking lu, etc. Although the theme of buttons is extensive, the content is mostly auspicious and peaceful. It can be said that the small button condenses the ancient people's expectations and love for a better life.
In addition, the button has other meanings that express the complex. According to a legend from Japan, because the position of the second button is the closest place to the heart and can represent the heart of the person, this button is the best and most heart-knotted gift for the person who likes it most. In this regard, the second button on the clothes has played out many touching stories of love or hate in the world.
Next, let's appreciate the silver buttons of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.
(1) Qing Dynasty silver bat buttons
The bat pattern is an auspicious motif widely used in traditional ornamentation, and is regarded as a symbol of happiness because of the harmonic sounds of "bat" and "fu". Bats flying in the "jinfu", which means that the blessing descends from the sky; a bat flies in front of the eyes, which means "blessing in front of the eyes"; bats and horses together, meaning "blessed immediately"; red bat patterns, meaning "Hong Fu Qi Tian"; bats and Shoushan stones, plus ruyi or lingzhi, mean "peace and ruyi"; five bats around a shou character, meaning "five blessings and longevity"; five bats surround the peach, meaning "many blessings and many lives".
(2) Silver Tiger buttons in the early years of the Republic of China
Although the shape of the tiger on these silver buttons is a little rough, the majesty and bravery of the tiger are undoubtedly revealed. In traditional Chinese culture, the tiger is a symbol of auspicious bravery, which can "town the house, drive fire, prevent theft, and shock evil". Tigers often say together with dragons, and in Zhou Yi, there is a saying that "clouds from dragons, winds from tigers", dragons fly in the sky, tigers travel on the ground, and dragons and tigers are symbols of majesty and authority.
(3) Qing Dynasty silver swastika buttons
The swastika, or swastika, is one of the traditional Chinese auspicious motifs and is also a spell, amulet or religious symbol, often considered a symbol of the sun and fire. The swastika, which means "auspicious collection" in Sanskrit, has the meaning of auspiciousness, universal blessing and longevity, symbolizing solidity, eternity, warding off evil spirits and auspicious wishes, and is an auspicious symbol that indicates eternity. The four ends of the "swastika" extend outwards and can evolve into a variety of brocades, which are often used to imply the meaning of long and continuous longevity, also known as "longevity brocade".
(4) Qing Dynasty silver melon (die) buttons
These silver buttons, with a melon on the upper part and a butterfly on the lower part, combine, that is, the traditional auspicious term - melon is gentle. 瓞, for small melons, means like many large and small melon fruits of the vine, only skewers, stretching endlessly. This symbolizes the prosperity of children and grandchildren and the prosperity of careers in Chinese folk culture.
(5) Long-patterned buttons on the silver plate of the Republic of China
The Buddha Gate has eight treasures, namely eight treasures, such as the Dharma Snail, the Wheel of Law, the Treasure Umbrella, the White Lid, the Lotus, the Treasure Vase, the Goldfish and the Plate Length, also known as the "Eight AuspiciousNess". The length of the disc is the eighth of the eight treasures, commonly known as "eight auspicious", symbolizing the continuous and long-lasting. Therefore, in the folk, the pan long pattern is a beautiful wish for family prosperity, the continuation of descendants, and the prosperity and auspiciousness passed down from generation to generation, and the Chinese knot we are familiar with is the evolution of the pan long pattern.
(6) Silver plum pattern buttons of the Republic of China
Plum blossom is one of the "three friends of the cold years". Because the plum can grow new branches in the old stem and can withstand the cold flowering, the ancients used it to symbolize immortality. Plum blossoms are five petals, so the folk also use it to represent the five blessings, namely fu, lu, shou, joy, and wealth. Therefore, since the Ming and Qing dynasties, the plum blossom pattern is one of the most popular traditional auspicious patterns.
(7) Republic of China silver inlaid coral buttons
The Mongols have a special preference for red corals, so their ornaments are mostly inlaid with red corals. This set of silver buttons was found in inner Mongolia and is inlaid with red coral, which is bright red and very eye-catching.
(8) Republic of China silver melon seeds, shou peach buttons
Others include silver melon seeds and silver peach-shaped buttons. Melon seeds are pronounced "grasping the child", grasping "silver", which has the meaning of praying for wealth. According to ancient Taoist myths and legends on the mainland, the Antarctic immortals who dominate people's life expectancy often hold fresh peaches in their hands, so "peach" is also called "shou peach", which means longevity and happiness.