"The cloth has been cold like iron for many years, Jiao'er is wicked and cracked, the bedside room is leaking and there is no dry place, and the rain feet are like hemp and have not been cut off. ”
With the arrival of the winter solstice, winter is also truly coming.
Many people ask:
"It's so cold now, the big padded jacket has long been put on, what can it be cold like this day?"
"Everything that can heat up is ready for the cold winter. ”
And among these problems, one question is very conspicuous: why did the ancients not freeze when they did not have so many measures to keep warm?
The style of dressing of ancient people
The cold of winter is an inevitable challenge in people's lives.
In ancient times, people lived in harsh environments, especially in winter, so keeping warm became a big challenge.
In the days when there was no cotton, how did people keep out the cold?
In addition to using linen and animal skins to make clothing, the ancients had many other unique ways to protect themselves from the cold.
According to historical records, some wealthy people would use Namu battle suits to protect against the freezing cold.
A rare and beautiful precious material, taken from the high-grade bark of alpine trees, this Namu suit is not only durable, but also less susceptible to moisture, which can effectively protect against the cold.
Another type of warm clothing that is widely used by the wealthy is the ayara shirt.
Asara is a delicate and tough silk fabric with a strong thermal insulation effect.
You know, the Aya Luo shirt is designed with layers of velvet and feathers between each layer to provide an unrivalled protection from the cold.
These garments are often handmade by skilled artisans to keep them warm and cold, as well as to accentuate the nobility.
And for ordinary people, foot protection is also a top priority.
To solve this problem, people started using linen, animal fur, insoles, and lavender to make warm shoes.
These shoes typically have a thick sole, a multi-layer weave technique, and are filled with soft animal fur and velvet to provide extra insulation.
Placing lavender or other spices in shoes can effectively reduce foot odor and improve comfort.
Not only that, but ancient people would also apply sweat syrup to the face, which, although sticky, was effective in protecting the skin from cold damage.
Another way to add protection to your face is to wear masks, which are made of thick leather that completely envelops the head and neck, preventing cold air from penetrating.
While masks may not have been too comfortable for ancient people, they were willing to endure some inconveniences to keep out the cold.
It should be noted that there is indeed a large gap between the ability of ancient people to keep out the cold and modern ones.
In modern society, it is difficult to freeze to death, and in ancient times, people often suffered from freezing to death in the face of cold weather.
When winter comes, a cold wave will take away many lives, which is a common thing in ancient times.
Even so, most people in ancient times were able to survive the cold winter.
In the absence of cotton, they would utilize a variety of materials to make clothes.
Fortunately, most of the ancient people made a living from farming and did not go out often in winter.
As long as you can keep your home warm, you can withstand the cold weather.
Paper coatings: a modern application of ancient wisdom
In ancient times, the cold weather was not as warm and comfortable as it is now, and people had to find ways to deal with the cold.
In the days when there was no cotton, materials such as paper and linen became their tools to protect them from the cold.
As incredible as it may sound, clothes made of paper do serve to keep you warm.
In ancient times, paper was not only a medium for writing and recording for ordinary people, but also played a role in keeping warm.
Poor families could not meet the needs of poor families with cloth or fur alone, so they began experimenting with paper as an alternative material to make clothes.
As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, the paper industry flourished, and people began to use a kind of paper made of specially processed bark, coupled with the design of the interlayer, to further improve the warmth of the paper clothing.
After that, paper clothes were widely used and became popular in the streets and alleys under the name of "paper fur".
So some clever craftsmen have also summed up some tips for using paper clothes to solve some deficiencies.
Some wealthy families use silk as a paper lining to improve comfort, while others choose coarse linen for lining, which makes it more breathable and comfortable.
This combination not only solves the discomfort of wearing, but also improves the overall thermal insulation effect.
In order to increase the warmth of the paper clothes, people also added various fillers in the production process, the wealthy families used animal wool or duck down to fill the paper clothes, while the poor families collected catkins or reed catkins from nature to fill the clothes.
Of course, paper clothes and quilts are not suitable for all environments and people.
The climate in ancient China varied significantly, with different places and periods having different levels of coldness.
For warm areas, paper clothing can meet people's needs for cold protection, while for the cold northern regions, more effective means of cold protection are needed.
In addition to fur garments, fur garments are the most common.
Although the ancient people's means of keeping out the cold were limited and relatively rudimentary compared to modern times, it was that tenacious and innovative spirit that drove the efforts of the ancients to gradually improve their living conditions.
Nowadays, scientific and technological progress has made modern thermal insulation materials no longer rely on paper clothing, but the wisdom and innovative spirit of ancient paper clothing still have enlightenment and reference significance for modern society.
In addition to having their own ideas about clothes, the ancients also had many interesting ways to keep warm.
The wisdom and changes of ancient heating
Since ancient times, humans have learned to use fire for heating.
After the use of fire, people have been exploring different ways of heating.
These methods were created so that ancient people could survive the cold winters, and they could always feel the warmth of home despite the lack of cotton clothing.
Originally, people warmed themselves by campfires, which was the oldest and easiest way to keep warm.
But over time, a variety of more advanced means of heating have been developed.
In ancient times, people began to experiment with fire pits for heating by piling bricks or earth into fire pits and making a hole underneath them so that firewood could be added.
In winter, firewood is piled up next to the kang and fuel is constantly added to the kang so that the family can spend the whole winter on the kang.
As the times changed, wealthy families began to use more elaborate braziers.
They placed charcoal fires in indoor braziers, and servants kept them warm by adding firewood.
Not only that, but there is also a small hand stove into which people put charcoal fire from the brazier to keep warm at any time.
However, despite the fact that ancient people had many ways to heat their homes, coal was not widely used as a heating material for a long time.
This was not because coal did not exist, but because it produced toxic gases when burned, and untreated coal was considered dangerous at the time.
In some special areas, such as the Loess Plateau, the caves inhabited by the aborigines have excellent thermal insulation properties.
It can be said that the constant temperature characteristics of the caves, coupled with the use of ondols, have allowed the local residents to easily survive the harsh winter.
Not only that, but the ancients also invented a practical and heart-warming heating tool, which is called a fish lamp.
When people are outdoors or at night, they can keep fish lamps close to them to illuminate and keep out the cold.
Over time, people also invented the wall of fire, which is a special heating device that warms the whole room by transferring the heat from the stove into a hollow wall.
This type of heating is similar to modern radiators, but requires a lot of fuel.
The ancients also discovered ways to use fire to grill food, which not only helped to keep warm but also improved the taste and health of the food.
The application of fire has also promoted the birth of wine culture, and wine has become an important medium for people to warm up and socialize.
We can see that the wisdom of the ancient Chinese was outstanding in resisting the bitter cold.
Whether it's clothes made of paper, quilts, or a variety of other heating methods, they show their ingenuity in dealing with harsh climatic conditions.
These inventions not only played a key role at the time, but also provided valuable inspiration for future generations.