After the sun sets, the narrow alleys are filled with darkness, and the roads are no longer inhabited. A young man in a blue coat came from the fog, and saw him straddle the squeaky nest diagonally with a rope, holding a gong and lantern in his left hand and a wooden stick in his right hand, and walking while knocking on the stick. "It's dry, be careful of the candles". At this time, it was already the second watch, and the town was very quiet, except for the sound of the little boys echoing in the streets and alleys, which sounded like a "creepy" feeling. And scenes like this are often seen in film and television dramas, but why did the ancients play shifts? Isn't it good to sleep quietly? What kind of consequences will it cause if you don't play shifts? What kind of work do watchmen belong to, and who will pay them?
The demand and development of the ancient time signal
In ancient times, time was crucial to people's daily routines. During the day, one can tell the time by looking at the position of the sun, but at night it is difficult to determine. Although there are already timekeeping tools such as drip leaks and incense burning, they are expensive and ordinary people cannot afford to buy them. Therefore, the ancients urgently needed a simple and practical way to tell the time.
The earliest way to tell the time can be traced back to the "chicken people" in the pre-Qin period. At that time, people relied on listening to the rooster's crowing to tell the time, and those who were good at distinguishing the rooster's crowing were called "rooster people" and served as the time teller in the imperial court. Later, with the improvement of the time system, there were also "changfu" who were specifically responsible for night time signaling.
The watchmen counted the time by observing the burning time of the dripping or burning incense, and then patrolled the city, striking gongs and banging at regular intervals. They not only have to tell the time, but also remind the people to close doors and windows, pay attention to fire prevention, and also take on the duty of patrolling and preventing theft. A groom works more than 10 hours a day, all year round, rain or shine.
The system of husband change had already appeared in the pre-Qin period, and it was more perfect in the Han Dynasty. "Hanshu Hundred Officials and Ministers" recorded: "The palm is straight at night, divided into five watches, each change is one person, and the master is called the canon." It can be seen that the Han Dynasty has formed a five-watch system and has a special management agency.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the husband system reached its heyday. The Tang Dynasty has a tower in Chang'an City, which is specially used to signal the time of the husband, and there are also bells and drums on the tower, and the sound of beating bells and drums can be transmitted throughout the city. Chang'an City is divided into two roads, east and west, each road has a chief manager, under the jurisdiction of dozens of husbands, respectively responsible for the patrol of different streets and alleys.
In the Song Dynasty, the system of husband was further standardized. The government of the Song Dynasty had clear regulations on the establishment, salary, and working hours of the husband. "History of the Song Dynasty and Career Officials" recorded: "The Beijing division set up five squares, divided into five watches, each change of one person, the master said the dian. It can be seen that the system of husband change in the Song Dynasty was basically the same as that in the Tang Dynasty.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the husband system gradually declined. On the one hand, the advent of modern tools such as clocks and watches has greatly reduced the role of the watchman in telling the time; on the other hand, the improvement of the public order situation has also reduced the need for the guard to patrol and prevent theft. In some towns, however, the system of giving remained until the beginning of the 20th century.
As one of the earliest systems of time reporting and public security maintenance in ancient China, the husband system has witnessed the development of Chinese civilization for thousands of years. Its appearance not only satisfies people's needs for time, but also makes an important contribution to the protection of night safety, and is an important part of ancient social life.
The hardships of the husband's work
The job of a husband may seem simple, but in fact it is extremely hard. They work more than 10 hours a day, all year round, rain or shine.
On cold winter nights, the givers had to patrol the snow and ice in thin blue cloth robes. Sometimes the snow was falling and their vision was obscured, and they could only grope their way along the contours of the streets. Sometimes the wind was raging and the cold was oppressive, and their lanterns were blown out, and they could only advance cautiously in the dark.
In the scorching heat of midsummer, the husbands were sweating profusely, and their clothes were already soaked. They had to walk more than ten miles on a hot night, with dry mouths and chapped lips. Occasionally passing by the pond, they will take the opportunity to quench their thirst with a few sips of pond water.
Rainy days are the most troublesome time for the husbands. They had to put on hats, wear coats, and walk through the muddy streets.
The rain soaked their garments and made them shiver in the cold, rainy night. Sometimes the rain was pouring down, and they had to take shelter in a roadside hut and wait for the rain to subside before moving on.
In addition to bad weather, the men had to be on the lookout for thieves and hooligans. When they encounter suspicious people at night, they will shout a warning as a warning.
If they encounter robbers, they have to bang the gong desperately for help.
Sometimes the husbands were beaten and bleeding.
Even so, the husbands continued to work diligently. They patrol in the dark, reminding people to close their doors and windows and pay attention to fire prevention.
Once a fire is discovered, they must immediately ring the gong to call the police and organize the people to extinguish the fire together.
Sometimes, when encountering dangerous situations such as road depressions and waterlogging, they will also issue warnings in time.
The working environment of the husband is extremely harsh and the work intensity is very high. They walk dozens of miles every day, all year round. Even on cold winter nights or sweltering summer heat, they keep working. They are constantly under threat from thieves and hooligans, and their lives cannot be guaranteed. However, it is their hard work that ensures the safety and security of the city at night.
Husbandry was one of the most arduous occupations in ancient times. With their sweat and blood, they guarded the night of the city and maintained the peace of the people. Although their work seems simple, they carry heavy responsibilities and hardships behind them. It is necessary for us to remember these unknown laborers, who have written chapter after chapter of history with their dedication.
Classification and management of husbands
The system of changing husbands played an important role in ancient societies, so the governments of various dynasties attached great importance to the management of the husbands. Depending on the identity and nature of the job, there are several types of husbands.
The most important category is the official and the husband who is directly managed by the government. They are subordinate to the local government, are officially compiled and paid, and are mainly responsible for night patrols and time reporting in the city.
The establishment and salary of the official and the husband shall be uniformly regulated by the government. Taking the Tang Dynasty as an example, Chang'an City was divided into two roads, east and west, and each road was equipped with a chief steward and dozens of govers, who were responsible for patrolling and reporting time in different streets and alleys.
In the Song Dynasty, the government had clear regulations on the establishment, salary, and working hours of the husband. "History of the Song Dynasty and Career Officials" recorded: "The Beijing division set up five squares, divided into five watches, each change of one person, the master said the dian. ＂
In addition to the official husband, some wealthy families will also privately hire a husband to be responsible for the night safety of the home. This type of private groomer is paid by the employer and works relatively lightly, simply patrolling the employer's home.
Different from official and private watchmen, there are also some spontaneous watchmen from the people. They work in other jobs during the day and only come out at night to work shifts, mainly to earn some extra money. Such givers do not have a fixed salary and can only make a living by beating gongs and begging for money along the street.
Whether it is an official, private, or private watchman, they all have supreme power at night. Once a fire or thieves are discovered, the husband can ring a gong and shout, calling on the people to come together to put out the fire or arrest the gangsters.
If the husband himself is in danger, he can also call for help by knocking on the hammer.
In order to strengthen the management of the husband, some local governments have also set up special posts for the head of the husband. The chief changer is responsible for coordinating and scheduling the work of the various changers, handling disputes between them, and supervising and inspecting their work.
In addition to staffing, the government also has strict regulations on the equipment of the groomers. In general, the graft must carry tools such as bangs, gongs, lanterns, and sticks.
In some places, the husband also wears an official badge to show his identity.
In general, the system of changing husband was an important part of the maintenance of social security and the reporting of time in ancient society. Both the government and the private sector attach great importance to the management of the husband to ensure that they can perform their duties well. Through a management model with a clear division of labor and clear rights and responsibilities, the system of husband change lasted for hundreds of years in ancient China.
The decline of the husband system
With the changes of the times, the role of the husband system in ancient society gradually weakened, and eventually declined. There are several main reasons for this process:
First of all, the advent of modern time telling tools has had a direct impact on the function of the husband. Since the Song Dynasty, China's watchmaking technology has continued to develop, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, clocks and watches were already quite sophisticated.
Wealthy families generally used clocks to determine the time, and the need for a husband to tell the time was greatly reduced.
By the middle of the 19th century, European pocket watches were introduced to China and became fashionable.
Not only the aristocracy, but also the common people were able to buy pocket watches at a low price. This further weakens the role of the husband in telling the time.
Secondly, the improvement of social security has also reduced the need for patrols and anti-theft. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the stability of society and the improvement of civilization, the number of thieves committing crimes gradually decreased.
In the late Qing Dynasty, some cities even began to set up modern police officers to be responsible for maintaining law and order.
The duty of the husband to patrol and prevent theft was gradually replaced.
In addition, people's lifestyles and schedules have also changed. In ancient times, people have always maintained a life and rest of "working at sunrise and resting at sunset", but in modern times, with the development of industry and commerce, there are more and more nocturnal activities.
The significance of the husband telling the time is greatly reduced.
In addition, some local governments have also taken the initiative to abolish the establishment of more husbands in order to save costs. For example, during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, some cities in the south of the Yangtze River canceled the change of husbands, and the patrol officers were also responsible for reporting time and patrolling.
The decline of the husband system has been a long process. It initially reached its peak during the Tang and Song dynasties, and began to decline by the Ming and Qing dynasties. In modern times, the system of husband change completely lost its meaning and was abolished in most areas at the beginning of the 20th century.
However, even though the system of marriage is a thing of the past, its role in ancient societies cannot be overlooked. With their hard work, the guards maintained the night security of the city and ensured the peaceful life of the people. They were the lowest workers in ancient society, but they made an important contribution to the continuation of civilization. It is necessary for us to remember this history and cherish the comfortable living environment of the present.
The inheritance value of the husband's culture
Although the system of grooming has gradually disappeared with the changes of the times, its role in ancient society is worth remembering.
First of all, the system bears witness to the underlying story of China's historical development. In some canonical historical texts, we rarely see records of the lives of ordinary people. However, as the lowest level of laborers, their working and living conditions reflect all aspects of ancient society.
For example, the harsh working environment and the huge intensity of the work reflect the hardships of life in ancient times. They had to navigate the streets in the sweltering heat and cold, facing the threat of thieves and hooligans, and still working diligently.
It is with their silent dedication that they can ensure the safety and security of the city at night.
In addition, the system of husband change also reflects the wisdom and courage of the ancients. Under the condition of extremely backward scientific and technological conditions, the ancients created this simple and effective system of time reporting and law and order maintenance.
Despite their humble status, the guards were brave and fearless, daring to patrol alone at night, crying out for help and calling on the public to deal with the fire or thieves if they spotted it.
In addition, the existence of the husband system also reminds us to value the contribution of grassroots workers. Although they are only a low-level job, they make an important contribution to the functioning of society.
Without the hard work of the husband, ancient society would not have been able to function normally. It can be said that the husbands have written chapters of history with their own sweat and blood.
Even today, the spirit of remembrance is worth learning and inheriting. For example, insisting on duty, having the courage to take responsibility, and being willing to dedicate are all traditional virtues that we should promote.
We should remember these unknown laborers and cherish the comfortable life they have earned through their hard work.
As an important part of ancient society, the system of grooming is extremely rich in cultural connotations.
It not only witnesses the vicissitudes of history, but also reflects the wisdom and courage of the ancients, and reminds us to pay attention to the contributions of grassroots workers. Therefore, it is necessary for us to remember this history and pass on the spirit of remembrance from generation to generation.