Jia Fu is a family of people, their clothing, food, housing and travel all highlight the luxury of the nobility, less reading the Red Chamber, the jewelry worn by the characters is not forgotten, in my opinion, those jewelry is unusual, but it carries many stories. After many years, let me pick out a few pieces and write them into a small article for you to laugh at.
I. Baoyu's "Jade" and Baochao's "Gold"
Speaking of jewelry in "Dream of the Red Chamber", the first thing we think of is probably the "jade" of Baoyu and the "gold" of Baochao.
Baoyu's jade has a strong mythological color, the text calls it Baoyu's mouth when he was born, this jade is the size of a bird's egg, brilliant as Mingxia, lustrous as crisp, and more miraculously, the front and back are engraved with handwriting, which is really a piece of "baoyu". China's jade culture has a long history, has always been the Chinese people to respect jade, there is a "heaven and earth incarnation" saying, Jia Baoyu was born with a piece of immaculate jade, which is undoubtedly the author's extraordinary origin and foundation given to him, implying the preference and praise for this character.
Up and down the Jia Family regarded this piece of jade as Xiangrui, and even more regarded it as the "life root" of baoyu. Jade, and strong and expensive, Baoyu has a rare and valuable and intolerable character of that era, he does not value this piece of "precious jade" on his body, just as he despises fame and fortune and career economy. On the contrary, he longed for freedom and equality, he regarded women as a symbol of cleanliness and beauty, and in love, he pursued the "wooden and stone alliance" with his heart, but such ideas did not work at that time, and the marriage generally recognized by feudal parents was the "golden and jade good relationship" of the door.
Xue Baochao is the "gold" that has been appreciated and recognized by parents. If baoyu's jade has too strong mythological color and symbolic significance, then baochao's "gold" is much more direct and secular. Baochao's "gold" refers to a collar she wears. This jewelry is a necklace with a gold lock tied to a collar, and then decorated with jewelry, hanging from a jewel, similar to the necklace we wear in modern times. It's just that our necklaces are generally lighter, not long, and hang directly on the neck, while the collar of Baochao is very heavy, hard, and worn on the outside of the clothes. The gold lock of Baochao is a jewelry engraved with gold nuggets and hung on the collar.
In fact, the golden lock is our traditional Chinese jewelry, until now, the elders also have the custom of buying golden lock pieces for newborns, often containing the beautiful meaning of "long life and 100 years". Baochao was born in one of the four major families of the Xue family, the Xue family is an imperial merchant, there is a "pearl like earth gold like iron" nickname, Baochao's golden lock is naturally extremely valuable. It is "heavy", "jewelry is crystalline, gold is brilliant", but if it is only so, it is nothing, such a gold collar, which noble lady and lady do not have a few?
The third time in "Dream of the Red Chamber", as soon as Feng Jiefu appeared, the author described her costumes, including the sentence "Wearing a red gold plate and a circle on the necklace". The reason why Baochao's golden lock is different is that "someone gave two auspicious words, hammered on", this "auspicious words" is exactly the leper monk gave the eight words of "do not leave, Fang Ling Yongji", which corresponds to Bao Yu's "Mo Lost and Unforgettable, Immortal Life Hengchang". In addition, Aunt Xue also announced to the outside world that the monk said that her daughter's lock was specially matched with jade. The saying of "golden jade and good fortune" has become very popular.
Compared with the "jade" of Baoyu, although the golden lock of Baochao also has some origins, it is a hand-carved ornament in the end, without the ethereal spirit of baoyu's jade. Just like Baochao himself, although he is a perfect lady created by hand according to the standards of feudal society, he cannot get Baoyu's love after all. What is even more tragic is that although she is married to Baoyu, she cannot live forever. Baoyu finally broke through the red dust, gave up on the cliff, and left home. Baochao is like being abandoned in this way, and its fate of loneliness and old age is frustrating.
Although the golden jade is precious, the precious jade and the treasure treasure are also a pair of golden children and jade girls, but they have not achieved a "golden jade good relationship" that people talk about in the end, but instead staged a human tragedy of "sad gold and mourning jade".
Second, the golden phoenix of the pearls of spring
Baochao's gold locks are made of gold nuggets, so Baochao says "heavy, what's interesting", and when we go to the gold store to buy gold jewelry now, it is often based on grams, the heavier the more expensive. In recent years, I have found that many jewelry are charged in addition to the weight of the gram, but also add "labor fees". The more beautiful the appearance and the more complex the gold jewelry, the higher the labor cost. There are even some gold jewelry that are not sold according to the weight of the gram, but are sold in the form of "one price", the workmanship of these jewelry is fine, the aesthetic value and the craft value are higher, so that the "one price" contains higher labor costs, and the gold weight is not large.
There is a type of jewelry in "Dream of the Red Chamber" that has extremely high craftsmanship skills, such as reticles. In the seventy-third time, Yingchun's grandmother stole Yingchun's "Golden Phoenix of Pearls" as a gamble, and this golden phoenix was made by such a process. Lace is an ancient craft, which was already very developed in the Ming Dynasty of the mainland, and craftsmen pulled gold into filaments and then woven gold wire into jewelry. The reticle golden phoenix is a phoenix-shaped plutonium made of gold wire, and the "pearl" is decorated with pearls on the gold wire phoenix. Such a plutonium, although it does not consume a lot of gold, but its craft value exceeds the raw materials, coupled with the blessing of pearls, it has become a valuable jewelry.
This golden phoenix is not unique to Yingchun, but a thousand gold hands in Jia Province. Moreover, this is not an everyday accessory, but a must for formal occasions such as festivals and parties. As the unmarried young lady of Jia Fu, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun first appeared when Dai Yu entered Jia Fu, they wore the same clothes, presumably some valuable jewelry was also the same style - this is probably the standard of the Gongfu Qianjin.
It is said that such jewelry should not be taken as gambling funds by the Yingchun Grandmother privately, after all, this is not an inconspicuous small object, and if it is not worn on important occasions, it will attract the attention of parents. Lady Xing warned Yingchun: "Moreover, only he will go to the head, and I am afraid that he will borrow some hairpin ring clothes and shoes from you as a capital, and you may not be able to help him with some money." Madame Xing was indeed shrewd, but she still only guessed half right, And Yingchun's grandmother took Yingchun's things, but she did not even have a "loan" procedure, and directly took them privately. Not only did I take it, but I also took such expensive jewelry! This is just that, his daughter-in-law, that is, Yingchun's grandmother-in-law, also forced Yingchun to "please" the grandmother, without the slightest feeling of timidity and shame.
On the other hand, Yingchun lost the golden phoenix, and was coerced again, and for a while he could not control it. A golden noodle reflects the cowardice and indisputability of Yingchun's personality, and also exposes the slippery and difficult entanglement of Jia Fu Diao Nu. Yingchun's close-fitting squires embroidered oranges and Siqiqi were angry, and quarreled with Yingchun's grandmother,000, and were bumped by the sisters who came to visit Yingchun. The rudeness of the grandmother-in-law detonated Tanchun, who came out for Yingchun and called Ping'er to calm the matter.
Yingchun stayed out of the matter from beginning to end, and even watched "Taishang Induction" when she was messing around, no wonder the author called her "Miss Coward", and the people under Jia Fu called her "Ermutou" behind her back. Yingchun's forbearance and cowardice are vividly expressed on a phoenix, and this just lays the groundwork for the tragic fate of "going to Huangliang for a year" after her marriage.
Third, Ping'er's shrimp whisker bracelet
Jewelry with the same craftsmanship as Yingchun's pearl-saving golden phoenix has appeared more than once in "Dream of the Red Chamber". The seventy-second time it is written that Wang Xifeng coped with the eunuchs who fought the autumn wind in the palace, and ordered Ping'er to bet his two gold collars for silver. One of the gold collars was the one that held the beads, "the beads are the size of lotus seeds", and the circle was written through the eyes of the little eunuch "inseparable from the things in the palace". Wang Xifeng was born in the Jinling Royal Family, a famous and prestigious family, and she often believed that she was born of a noble and rich family and crushed her husband Jia Lian: "Sweep the cracks of my Royal Family, enough for your Jia Family to live a lifetime." She was dressed in a gorgeous and luxurious dress, this gold silk beaded collar and another point of emerald inlaid gems, took it out and bet four hundred taels of silver, which showed that it was worth a lot.
Feng Jie's golden silk jewelry not only mentioned this one, but the fifty-second time she borrowed Ping'er's mouth to say another piece: How much can this bracelet weigh? It was originally the second grandmother's, which was called "shrimp whisker bracelet"; but this bead was heavy.
It turned out that in the forty-ninth time, the bracelet that Ping'er lost when eating barbecue with Xiangyun and others was called "shrimp whisker bracelet". The old owner of this shrimp whisker bracelet was originally Wang Xifeng. The shrimp whisker bracelet is not very large in weight, and it is also made of the threading process and is inlaid with pearls. Originally, the bracelet worn by Wang Xifeng would not be too cold, and with Ping'er's "heavy" word, it all showed that this shrimp whisker bracelet was worth some silver.
Feng Jie gave such jewelry to Ping'er, which not only shows ping'er's important position as Fengjie's left arm, but also hints at the intimate relationship between the two. Many people only saw That Sister Feng was jealous, and jia Lian was not allowed to approach Ping'er on weekdays, and even once beat Ping'er, they decided that Sister Feng was ruthless to Ping'er, but ignored Ping'er's service to Sister Feng since childhood, as an indelible year of affection between Sister Feng and Sister Feng.
The loss of this bracelet was a very small thing, but the thief was eventually found to be a pendant in Baoyu's room, and he was embarrassed after all. Because Baoyu is the focal point of Jia Fu, the bad beard in his room will inevitably trigger many chain reactions: Baoyu is humiliated, Jia Mu and Madame Wang are angry, and Aunt Zhao and others take advantage of their wishes... The sympathetic Ping'er understands Baoyu and plans to turn big things into small things. So privately found the big man in Yihong Courtyard, Musk Yue, and told her to change the way she was sent away, and not to tell others that they were decent to each other. Ping'er came from a kind heart, Baoyu also missed her thoughtfulness, but Qingwen was a piece of "burst carbon", hearing about this, despite her illness, she beat and scolded Xiang'er, and immediately drove Xiang'er out, causing Xiang'er's mother to resentful.
An old piece of jewelry by Feng Jie caused a storm, and the temperament and character of various characters were clearly seen. We can't help but sigh at the complexity and strangeness of human nature: Sister Feng is indeed talented in ruling the family, and she found the lost property without moving; how did Xiang'er, a little girl who even praised Baoyu as "clever", do stealing? And Qingwen disregards Ping'er's good intentions and drives away Xiang'er at the moment, but she does not know that the simple and rough behavior of her actions has always laid a time bomb for her future fate...
Fourth, Qingwen's silver bracelet
Qingwen chased away Xiang'er, and Xiang'er's mother had accumulated too much resentment in her heart. Looking at Qingwen's daily treatment of people and things, there should be no few daughters-in-law and mother-in-law who dare to be angry with Qingwen like Lady Xiang'er. The direct reason for Qingwen's being beaten was that Wang Shanbao's family entered a rumor in front of Lady Wang and took the opportunity to overthrow her.
Qingwen is the most beautiful lady in the Grand View Garden, and she talks smoothly, and the female red is especially good. However, "the deftness of the affair caused resentment", and she was eventually expelled from the Grand View Garden by Madame Wang, ending in the tragedy of "Shou Yu Duo was born of slander". Qingwen and Baoyu are not selfless, she is innocent and strong. Before she died, Baoyu went to visit her, and Qingwen, who was standing in the shape of a bone, was already terminally ill at that time, "Baoyu took his hand, only to feel that his bones were as thin as wood, and he was wearing four silver bracelets on his wrists." Bao Yu couldn't bear it, so he took off the silver bracelet for her and put it under the pillow.
It is said that women in the Qing Dynasty wore bracelets, and it was popular to wear two pairs, that is, four. Qingwen is a delicate and agile woman, likes to decorate and dress, and is a favored big man in Yihong Courtyard, who only serves closely on weekdays, and does not have to do some rough and tiring work, and the four bracelets are proof.
On the sixty-second occasion, when the sisters celebrated Baoyu's birthday, they wrote that they had a liquor order to "fight a battle", "Ping'er and the raider also made a pair." Clanging, only the bracelet on the wrist can be heard." Ping'er and Raider are all high-status maidens, and they also have more than one bracelet on their wrists. Maybe the little girl who stole a shrimp whisker bracelet from Ping'er was also fascinated by the beautiful feelings of those big girls wearing bracelets? However, the four silver bracelets that Baoyu had taken off from Qingwen's hand were tearful, and they had long ceased to echo the crisp echo of the red incense garden for Baoyu's birthday.
Qingwen's death was a precursor to the fate of Daguanyuan's daughter's exile, and her four silver bracelets were not a portrayal of her clean soul?
5. Fangguan's earrings
Fang Guan was also expelled from Yihong Courtyard by Lady Wang along with Qingwen.
Fangguan is one of the twelve small plays that Jia Fu bought from Suzhou. She was outstanding in appearance, clever and clever, and good at singing, so when the drama class was disbanded, Jia's mother pointed out Fangguan to Baoyu. Because of Baoyu's favor, Fangguan soon enjoyed a period of unbridled joy in the Grand View Garden, she was no longer bullied and scolded by Gan Niang, but became Baoyu's daily "playmate", even if the self-chiming bell of Yihong Courtyard was broken, she would not be blamed.
Baoyu is a flower protector, and she has always had only a caring heart for delicate girls, and Fangguan is so outstanding that she can't help but dislike Baoyu. At Baoyu's birthday feast, the author describes her dress, especially her earrings:
"There is only a small jade plug the size of a grain of rice in the root of the right ear, and a hard red inlaid gold pendant the size of a single white fruit on the left ear: the more it looks like a full moon, the whiter it is, the more it looks like autumn water."
This sentence portrays the beauty of Fangguan very vividly, Fangguan is from a singing background, has a professional sensitivity and natural interest in aesthetics, and the earrings she wears are asymmetrical, just like our modern AB model, very personal.
Let's look at these two earrings. According to Mr. Deng Yunxiang's research, this "jade plug" and "gold pendant" are both inlaid. The jade stopper is bezel-set, and its holder and hook are gold. "Hard red" refers to coral or ruby, that is, the fragmented gemstone is made into a specific shape and set with gold.
In ancient China, the symmetrical beauty was emphasized, and the earrings of the partial Fangguan were asymmetrical, which coincided with her alternative personality. If Miss Shi Xiangyun and Baoyu are the best partners and can "calculate" a piece of fresh venison, then Fangguan should be the best playmate for Baoyu in the lady. Bao Yu dressed her up as a "little Tubo" and shaved her hair, she was not annoyed, renamed her "Yelü Hun", she also gladly accepted, no wonder the people at the night feast saw them fist-pumping, laughing that they were like "twin brothers".
Fang Guan is young, and has a little boy's arrogance, and Bao Yu hit it off, naughty jokes, this is a unique scenery of Yihong Courtyard, but she is not compatible with a dry mother-in-law, and she is young and does not know how to guard, like Qingwen was secretly calculated, was reprimanded by Madame Wang as a "fox spirit", plucked out of the Grand View Garden, and rewarded her with her own autonomy.
However, their relationship with the dry ladies was not good, but they had many grudges, and Madame Wang made the decision to marry them to the dry women, which was equivalent to pushing them into the fire pit, so several people were not willing to be at the mercy of the dry women, and chose to become nuns. However, Mizuki-an and Jizo-an are not pure places, and Zhitong, Yuanxin, and others just want to take the opportunity to kidnap two people who are doing work.
The three of them thought that they could get detachment when they became a monk, but they didn't know that when they arrived at the nunnery, they were afraid that they would not be able to finish their coolies. Although they are low-status dramatists, they also live a life of pampering and pampering in Jia Province, and how can the suffering of the nunnery be overcome?
The nuns of Shuiyue'an called it a "prison pit" and wanted to get out, but Fangguan and others tried in vain to convert to Buddhism in such a place... I don't know if FangGuan, who sat in front of the green lantern ancient Buddha, would still have a prosperous dream, in which she wore a small paddy field jacket of jade red and green velvet tricolor satin bucket, and wore asymmetrical earrings...
Author: Du Ruo, this article is to read less of the original works of the Red Chamber.