What did the makeup of the Chu people look like more than 2,000 years ago? "Zhu Yan" is one of the symbols of women's beauty
Extreme News Reporter Xia Yu
"The wind of love for beauty is shared by everyone in Chu."
On May 27th, the Hubei Academy of Social Sciences' "Jingchu Culture into the Community into the School" publicity activity was unveiled at the 6th Guizishan International Cultural Festival of Central China Normal University. At the scene, Han Yang, who graduated from the Hubei Academy of Social Sciences with a master's degree in pre-Qin and Chu culture, and is currently working in the Memorial Hall of the former site of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Wuhan, engaged in cultural relics conservation research, delivered an outdoor lecture entitled "Chu People Makeup", which attracted the attention of many college students and international friends. After the speech, the polar news reporter contacted Han Yang and invited her to lead the readers of "Wenbo Art Exhibition" to "enter" the mysterious beauty world of Chu more than 2,000 years ago.
The Chu people have the habit of grooming their makeup
Among the many princely states in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the history of the State of Chu is extremely long, if you count from the establishment of the state in the early Zhou Dynasty to the death of Qin in 223 BC, it took more than 800 years. "At its peak, the territory of the Chu state included the Hanshui (Han River), Huaishui (Huaihe) basin and half of China to the south, and was the largest vassal state at that time. Social stability, rich products, good social environment and material conditions have also promoted the great development of Chu people's makeup culture. Han Yang introduced that the Chu people have the habit of grooming their makeup. Song Yu, a famous poet of the Warring States and a doctor of the Chu State, once described the dressing of the goddess in the dream of the king of Chu in "Goddess Fu": "Shake the ornament, sing the jade luan; 奁 (pinyin: lián) clothes, face. ”
Baoshan No. 2 Chu tomb unearthed painted lacquer
The beautiful makeup of the goddess made the king of Chu obsessed, and when we used archaeological excavation data and pre-Qin documents, and from the pre-Qin Chu tomb and the Mawangdui Han tomb in Changsha with a strong Chu style, it is not difficult to find that they have exquisite and complex makeup procedures.
Han Yang emphasized that present-day Changsha belonged to Qianzhong County of the State of Chu in ancient times, following the customs of the pre-Qin State of Chu. As an important town in the southern Xinjiang of the State of Chu, Qianzhong County has better preserved Chu culture and Chu customs from the fall of the State of Chu to the reign of the State of Qin, and the ruling class in the early Han Dynasty is mostly local people in the south, so the early Western Han tomb - Changsha Mawangdui Han Tomb has also preserved a lot of Chu cultural factors. The wooden figurines unearthed from the No. 1 Han tomb of Mawangdui in Changsha, with eyebrows in the sideburns, skillfully painted moth eyebrows, white powder on the face, and painted vermilion on the lips.
The polar news reporter learned through the official website of the Hunan Provincial Museum that there are many textures of funeral figurines, such as terracotta figurines, clay figurines, stone figurines, jade figurines, etc., and wooden figurines are the most popular in the Chu region. A large number of wooden figurines are buried in the Mawangdui Han tomb, and in Tomb No. 1, in the north box, which symbolizes the residence of the tomb owner, a number of wooden figurines dressed in clothes, painted wooden figurines and wooden figurines of song and dance music were unearthed. Opposite these figurines, lacquer tables, lacquer screens, embroidered pillows, sachets, and lacquer for dressing are placed.
The No. 1 Han tomb of the dressed song and dance figurines Mawangdui was unearthed
Shizhu is a common makeup in Chu people's makeup
Han Yang introduced that the facial makeup of the Chu people mainly includes five steps: applying fat, rubbing powder, applying zhu, dotting lips, and tracing eyebrows.
The Chu people would use basic skin care products before applying makeup, which was called "fat" at the time. After applying fat to the face to moisturize the skin, apply powder to the face.
In this regard, it is recorded in the "Chu Ci Great Move", "pink and white, black and black, Shi Fangze only", pointing out that the Chu people are whitewashed. "The ancients used white as beauty, and using white powder to coat the skin could make the skin white and soft. The small box containing white powder in the Chu tomb in Changsha and the powder puff unearthed from the Chu tomb No. 2 in Baoshan in Jingzhou both confirm the Chu people's custom of rubbing powder. ”
TV series "The Legend of Miyue" (stills) set in the culture of the Chu State
Han Yang said that according to ancient records, the powder rubbed by the Chu people should be rice flour. "Shi Ming, Shi Jewelry" mentions: "Powder, divide, and rice make dispersion also." "Shuowen Jieji Mibu" contains "Powder, Fu noodles also, from the meter to divide the sound." "To put it very clearly, the powder is made of rice, and it is used to cover the face. Perhaps in the long-term production and life practice, people at that time discovered the adhesion and whitening effect of rice flour, and used rice flour as the main raw material to make white powder for dressing. ”
As for "Shi Zhu", applying red to the face is a common makeup in Chu people's makeup to create a good complexion. ""Chu Ci Da Zhao" describes the beauty as 'beautiful and elegant, and Zhu Yan only', which shows that 'Zhu Yan' is one of the symbols of women's beauty in the Chu Kingdom. And many of the wooden figurines of Chu tombs in archaeological excavations have red colors on their faces. ”
TV series "Si Meiren" set in the culture of the Chu State (stills)
Decorated with makeup, a bloody face, in addition to Shi Zhu, of course, lip makeup is indispensable.
The four painted wooden figurines of women in clothes unearthed from Chu Tomb No. 1 in Mashan in Jiangling, Hubei Province, are all square and round faces, beautiful faces, delicate demeanor, and painted lips. "Meilian Juan is enormous, Zhu Lianjuan's Ruodan." Song Yu also left a beautiful lip rosy lip in "Goddess Fu", and the silhouette of bright dansand.
A lacquered wood dressing box excavated from Chu Tomb No. 1 in Jiuliandun
The popular eyebrow shapes of the Chu people include moth eyebrows and cyan straight eyebrows
Ancient China heavy eyebrow makeup and light eye makeup, Chu people also love eyebrow makeup, and can not do without the two steps of eyebrow trimming and thrush. Han Yang introduced that the tools used by the Chu people to trim eyebrows mainly include tweezers, scrapers, silk thread, etc., which were found in Chu tombs. Through these exquisite beauty tools, we can imagine the beauty of the Chu people in the mirror.
The tomb of Changdechu with five mountain patterns was unearthed
And when the natural eyebrows are adjusted to satisfaction, the Chu people will use stone dai to draw thrush. The popular eyebrow shapes of the Chu people include moth eyebrows and cyan straight eyebrows, which are recorded in the "Chu Ci Da Zhao". "Smile, moth, eyebrow man", moth, silkworm and thin. The shape of the "moth eyebrow" itself is an imitation of the silkworm moth tentacles, so the moth eyebrows are curved and long thin curved eyebrows, the wooden figurines unearthed from the Chu tomb in Xinyang, Henan, and the wooden figurines unearthed in the Chu tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province, their eyebrows are a pair of curved moth eyebrows. "Cyan straight eyebrows, beautiful eyes", is a straight eyebrow shape. "The eyebrows of different shapes match the shape of the face, adding to the charm of beauty." Han Yang said.
TV series "Si Meiren" set in the culture of the Chu State (stills)
(Image source: Hubei Provincial Museum, Hunan Museum, network, related TV series official public materials)
(Source: Polar Eye News)