In oracle bones and even bronzes, we can see many elements about "horses". The mainland is one of the earliest countries in the world to raise horses, and "horse culture" is also an indispensable part of Chinese civilization.
In primitive societies, humans lacked horse training techniques, so the relationship between people and horses at that time was only between eating and being eaten. With the development of civilization and the entry of China into an agrarian society, the edible function of horses gradually declined. Beginning with the Xia Dynasty, Chinese tamed horses and made this animal a servant in the service of mankind. Since then, horse breeding has become an indispensable part of ancient animal husbandry.
By the Zhou Dynasty, the horse training technology of the Chinese had been relatively perfect after hundreds of years of development, and the imperial court not only set up stables, but also arranged officials responsible for horse breeding. From grazing and breeding to tuning and breeding, a complete horse breeding system came into being. In the later years, there were many famous works on identifying and breeding horses in the history of the mainland, such as the Book of Horses, the Soma Sutra, and so on.
So, what role did horses play in ancient times?
In the eyes of the ancients, horses are like today's cars, which can be used as a means of transportation, transportation and information transmission. With the advent of horse-drawn carriages, the transportation function of horses has been greatly improved. In the mountains of southwest China, transportation is quite inconvenient, and it is obvious that the transportation of goods by human power is not worth the loss. As a result, "horse gangs" have emerged in the southwest, and the people of the horse gangs have traveled in pairs, driving dozens or hundreds of horses on the rugged mountain roads and carrying out commercial activities.
On the ancient battlefield, the arms could be roughly divided into three categories: infantry, cavalry, and cavalry. Obviously, the cavalry and cavalry could not be separated from horses. Therefore, Ma Yuan, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, would say that sentence: "Horses, the foundation of armor and soldiers, and the great use of the country." And the idiom we are familiar with, "Ma Ge Shroud", also comes from the quote of this famous general. In the historical data, we often see the words "soldiers and horses" and "people and horses", which is enough to see the importance of horses in ancient wars.
In the era of cold weapons, the number of horses on both sides of the war often became an important factor in determining the success or failure of the war. Why was the State of Qin able to stand out during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and complete the change of dynasty? It is because the Qin people have thousands of rides and thousands of horses. To this day, we can still see a large number of cavalry figurines, chariots and so on in the terracotta pit.
Just as the so-called good horse is a hero, almost all the famous generals of all dynasties have their own mounts. For example, Xiang Yu, the king of Western Chu, has a famous colt "Donkey", don't look at this horse as a "five-year-old mouth", but it has witnessed Xiang Yu's career as a horseman. How much does Xiang Yu like his BMW? He usually instructed the soldiers to let the "donkey" eat the best forage, and regarded the horse as a friend he had learned.
Even when he was embattled, Xiang Yu did not forget to entrust this horse to the hands of Wujiang Pavilion before his death, and asked him to be kind to his friends. Lü Bu, the first general of the Three Kingdoms period, was mounted on the world's first BMW Red Rabbit. One is the invincible "head-to-head king", and the other is the fastest "Maxima", which can be described as a man and a horse.
Since Chinese, the custom of horse sacrifice has always existed.
Every spring, the ancients would sacrifice "Matsu", the so-called "Matsu" is the celestial star in the sky, it is said that the sacrifice of this star can ensure the prosperity of the horses. Every summer, the ancients also had the custom of worshipping "first shepherd", and it is impossible to know who this "first shepherd" is, but it is clear that "first shepherd" is the earliest wrangler on the mainland. The sacrifice of "first shepherd" is to thank the kindness of this sage.
In the autumn, the ancients would worship the "Horse Society". What is a "horse club"? In fact, it is the small god who is in charge of the stables, which is an acre and a third of the land, and worshipping this god can ensure the peace of the horse for all seasons. In winter, the ancients would worship the "horse step", which is the god in heaven who controls the disease of the horse, and worshiping this god can keep the horse free of disease and disaster.
I believe that friends will definitely hear the saying "Ma Wangye's three eyes", and even today, there are many people in many areas who believe in Ma Wangye, and every year the Mawang Temple is full of incense, and there are many believers.
Who is this "Horse Prince"?
According to legend, Ma Wangye was the Prince of The Xiongnu, Jin Ri, who created many legends during his lifetime. After Emperor Wu of Han defeated the Xiongnu, Jin Ri submitted to the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty appointed Jin Ri as the horse supervisor, that is, the minister in charge of horse breeding, hence the name "Ma Wangye". Kim Il was tall and mighty, steadfast and trustworthy, and was widely loved at the time. After Kim Il's death, horse-related industries revered him as "King Ma Ming" and prayed to this god for well-being. Whether it is a farmer, a carriage and horse shop or a horse gang, as long as it is a horse-related occupation, the statue of Ma Wangye must be placed in the home.
The horse is the most symmetrical and beautiful of the animals, so it will win the hearts of human beings and become a loyal friend of human beings. For thousands of years, horses have gradually become a part of folk culture and have continued in the spiritual life of Chinese sons and daughters.
Resources:
【Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Book of Wei", "History"】