Text | Lin groaned softly
Edit | Lin groaned softly
In modern society, there are more and more types of windows, such as shutters, sliding windows, screen windows, wooden windows, etc., which can meet different styles of decoration, and the quality is also very good, which is much stronger than ancient windows.
Many people have the impression that the ancient windows are too fragile, especially the pasted paper windows, which are broken with a light stab, and cannot play any role in sheltering from the wind and rain, and the privacy is also very poor, why did the ancients use paper to paste the windows? In fact, the ancient paper windows are not as fragile as imagined.
In fact, the window used to have another name, called "牖", the original ancients built the house more focused on warmth, did not take into account other factors, so the original house only had doors, no windows.
Later, it was discovered that the light during the day was limited, and the room was not much brighter when the door was only opened, so it was decided to cut a skylight on the roof to make the room brighter, and also to increase air circulation and keep the house clean.
But on rainy days, skylights are obviously very troublesome, rainwater drips into the house and makes it wet, there is no way to live in it, and then people opened a window in the wall to let in light and shelter from the rain, and this construction method is still used today.
Before the Han Dynasty, the windows were very small, and the design was very simple, many houses in the Han Dynasty were sitting in the north and facing south, so the lighting was also particularly limited, only the basic ventilation and light transmission function.
During the Han Dynasty, windows also gradually developed, and mullioned windows neatly arranged by wooden strips appeared, which greatly enhanced the lighting of the interior, and the style became more beautiful.
Later, people paid more attention to the construction of houses, and the style of windows was designed to be more and more beautiful, and skilled craftsmen would also carve beautiful and intricate patterns on the windows, making the whole house look much more novel and chic.
After the Sui and Tang dynasties, there were more and more types of windows, such as push windows, lattice doors and windows, etc., which was also a great progress in the development of windows, and people had higher requirements for the appearance of buildings.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the carving process of the windows became more and more mature, and the style of the windows was also dazzling, especially the folk windows, the patterns were complex and exquisite, each with its own good-looking, but the types of patterns carved by the windows of the royal family were relatively small, but the paint color was more particular.
However, the windows should not only be good-looking, but also practical, even if they are good-looking, it is useless to not be able to shelter from the wind and rain.
Before the Han Dynasty, people used linen cloth to play the role of glass, and some wealthy people would also use silk cloth to paste windows, but although these two fabrics can resist wind and rain to a certain extent, the light transmittance is particularly poor.
Later, papermaking was invented, and some literati and writers did not want to waste paper after writing articles, so they would paste the used paper on the window, although it also had a certain wind-shielding effect, but a thin layer of paper was easy to break.
Later, the practice of papier-mâché windows gradually became popular, and people improved the paper to produce chaff paper and rattan paper, which were undoubtedly thicker than ordinary paper.
The craftsmen also added some rags, bark and other materials to it, which made it stronger to the touch, and the toughness was very good, and the effect of pasting on the window to shield from the wind was still very good, but they had no way to resist the rain.
The improved paper still could not withstand the rain, and when it rained, they would get soaked and easily punctured.
So people continue to study, on the basis of this thick paper, improve a kind of oil tough paper, this paper after soaking tung oil, will become more waterproof, some people use not tung oil but yellow wax, some people use soybean oil to soak paper, but no matter which method can effectively improve the toughness and waterproofness of the paper.
In addition, this special window paper does not reflect light, which can enhance the brightness, and when the light comes, it can well let the light penetrate into the house, making the room brighter.
Someone has tried the firmness of this kind of window paper, and found that it is difficult to pierce with a wooden stick, and it is even more difficult to pierce with a finger, and in order to prevent someone from really peeping, the ancients would set up several screens in the house to shield it, so that outsiders could not see the situation inside the house at all, and could only see the appearance of the screen, which also avoided the risk of being peeping.
But this kind of window paper does not mean that it can be strong forever, after all, it is made of paper, after a long time of wind and sun, it will still become fragile, and its life span is limited, so it must be changed every once in a while, in addition, the ancients will also use other methods to strengthen the effect of the house against wind and rain.
For example, the ancients would use reed mats to make rain curtains, which were installed on windows when it rained to effectively resist the invasion of wind and rain.
The eaves of ancient times were generally designed to be very wide, not only more beautiful in appearance, but also able to withstand some of the wind and rain to a certain extent when it rained, and most of the windows in ancient times were sunken inward, even if the rain was oblique, it was not easy to blow on the windows.
Ancient window lattices sometimes made complicated lattice patterns, which could not only strengthen the firmness of the windows, but also effectively disperse the wind and reduce the damage of window paper.
Nowadays, there are many places that continue the custom of sticker windows, every New Year, everyone will remove the old window paper, and then make a new one, and finally paste it with paste, which also means that people have good expectations for the New Year.
In fact, in ancient times, in addition to pasting windows, paper can also be made into paper clothes, paper quilts and other items, which are not used to burn for deceased relatives, but for their own use.
In ancient times, when cotton was not yet popular, when the harsh winter came, people would use paper clothes and paper quilts to resist the cold weather, but this method was obviously of little use, and it should be cold or cold, which may just give people a little psychological comfort.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, paper armor was also popular for a while, this fragile armor was even used in the army, the effect seems to be very good, people fused paper and kapok and other materials together, and the armor made of it can also have good defense, which is lighter than iron armor.
The wisdom of the ancients is indeed not to be underestimated, even if the conditions are limited, they still rely on exquisite craftsmanship and intelligent minds to improve their quality of life, and have brought a profound influence on future generations.
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