People who like to study ancient history and cultural relics should know that after the death of the emperors, the vast majority of them will use the "nine tricks plug" to seal the nine tricks, which makes people curious, what is the purpose of doing so?
Nine tricks
First of all, let's briefly understand the nine tricks. As far as the current archaeological records are concerned,
Most of the nine tricks used by ancient emperors were made of jade.
Affected by certain factors, the quality of the Jade Nine Plug is also slightly different.
Many jade nine tricks have different degrees of flocculent spots, black spots, silk and Qin colors. Respectively
Irregular prismatic jade plugs are used in the nostrils, ears, anus, and vagina; jade cicadas in the mouth, and a pair of eye caps.
thereinto
One end of the jade plug is large, the other end is slightly smaller, and the surface is mostly melasma, and some have become chicken bone white.
whereas
The eye cap is mainly date-shaped, with a slightly raised surface
The sharper ends are drilled with holes, and the side that fits the eyelids is smooth and smooth.
The jade cicada has undergone a meticulous polishing, the jade is white and delicate, and the overall line is simple and smooth
Therefore, many people also jokingly call it "the most designed and good-looking thing in the nine tricks".
Use the Nine Tricks plug for the purpose
Regarding these nine tricks, there is actually such a saying. Legend has it that in the past, when the ancients were buried, they would soak the body with mercury cinnabar, in which mercury would condense when it met jade.
In order to avoid the situation where mercury burrowed into the corpse during the soaking, people sealed the nine tricks of the corpse with the nine tricks.
And in addition to this statement,
The ancients also believed that the use of jade corpses to keep the corpses from rotting.
Another key purpose is that the ancient emperors were very pursuing longevity, and although they could not find the so-called method of immortality, they would
Use the Jade Nine Tricks to create opportunities for "regeneration".
The emperors believed that the Jade Nine Tricks could keep their bodies from decaying, so that when the soul returned, there would be a place to go. And even if the soul does not return, it can also ensure that it can be reincarnated smoothly, so it can be regarded as a long life.
Take the jade into the burial
Here's a little more, and with the passage of time, the craftsmanship of the ancients became more and more sophisticated. Therefore, on the basis of the Jade Nine Tricks,
The emperors also added jade grips and jade robes.
The jade grip refers to the jade held by the emperors, while the jade garment refers to the "clothes" that wrap the whole body using thousands of small pieces of jade.
This series
Jade mortuary tools are expensive and cannot be used by non-princes
。 It is also worth mentioning that those who are middle-class or have relatively high status:
Although they did not use a complete set of jade mortuary tools at the time of burial like the emperor, they would also place one or two pieces of jade in their tombs. And from the perspective of time,
The Chinese tradition of burial with jade has continued for a long time.
At least in the middle and late Neolithic age, 6,000-5,000 years ago, the ancients began to use jade funerary products.
It's just that the jade shape of this period is simple and simple, and it is not as exquisite as it has been after that.