"When did the Qing Dynasty allow subjects to cut their braids? This seemingly simple question actually contains a magnificent history. Braids are not only a hairstyle, but also a status symbol and a political identity. It was once an authoritative symbol of the Manchu regime, and questioning it meant rebellion; It was also regarded as a traditional custom of the Han people, and cutting it off was tantamount to turning a back on the ancestral teachings. In the long years, the braid has witnessed the tortuous process of China's backwardness to reawakening. What was the force that finally brought the Qing dynasty to succumb to the tide of the times and allow its subjects to cut off this "hairrope of power"? Let's find out.
The Manchus came to power, and braided hair became a political symbol
In 1644, the Manchu Qing Dynasty captured Beijing and established a unified Qing dynasty. In order to consolidate their rule, the Manchus promulgated a policy of "shaving their hair and entering politics", forcing Han Chinese to shave their hair and keep their hair in braids. This policy brought a huge psychological and customary impact to the Han people in the Central Plains.
At that time, most Han Chinese regarded hair as the root of life, which had a high status symbolic significance. Once the hair is cut, it is equivalent to a "dead man". In order to demonstrate its legitimate dominance, the Manchu regime deliberately promulgated a shaved head to enter politics, with the aim of striking at the cultural self-confidence of the Han people and assimilating Han Chinese thinking.
In this regard, many remnants loyal to the Ming Dynasty refused to obey, and they proudly kept their whole hair with green silk, which was called "hair without head". In response, the Manchus promulgated a brutal policy of "keeping the head without hair, and leaving the hair without the head", with the intention of completely purging dissidents. In Beijing and other war zones, no Han Chinese who refused to shave their hair were spared, either beheaded or conscripted for military service.
The peasant rebel army in Huguang and other places was known for not shaving their hair. They shouted the slogan "Keep your hair without your head, keep your head without your hair" to fight against the brutality of the Manchu hair system. The Fajia Army intended to call on a large number of peasants to participate in the struggle against the Qing Dynasty, and to a certain extent played a role in promoting the armed struggle.
In the face of Han resistance, the Manchus mobilized a large number of troops and severely suppressed anyone who disobeyed. In the Jixian area southeast of Beijing, tens of thousands of Han Chinese who refused to shave their hair were slaughtered, and the corpses were scattered all over the field. Similar massacres were frequently staged in various places, shocking China and the rest of the world.
The occurrence of this tragedy doomed the braided hair to become an authoritative symbol and ruling tool of the Manchu regime. Since then, braided hair has completely replaced the original Han hairstyle and has become an indispensable status symbol for the subjects of the Qing Dynasty. Violators will not only be severely punished, but may even be regarded as "great rebellion".
Despite this, the resistance of the Han Chinese never stopped. For a long time, Han Chinese and other ethnic minorities have always regarded braided hair as a sign of shame and resented it. Whenever the rule is no longer strong, many people secretly cut off their braids to show off their identity. From this point of view, the braided hair not only represents the authoritarian hegemony of the Manchu rule, but also reflects the indomitable struggle of the Chinese for national dignity and freedom and liberation.
Foreigners look at Chinese culture
After the 16th century, with the increasing frequency of exchanges between the East and the West, more and more Westerners visited China, showing a strong interest in China's ancient cultural customs, and at the same time making various judgments with keen insight.
In their opinion, Chinese men's braided hair and women's foot binding are undoubtedly two of the most incredible things. The British have complained about this, and they think that braided hair and foot binding are "ridiculous" and "peculiar", and they simply provide excellent comical material for those cartoonists.
In 1875, when the Japanese minister Mori Youli and his wife visited Li Hongzhang, they had a debate with Li Hongzhang on the issue of clothing and hairstyle. Mori believed that loose hanfu and long braids were inconvenient for a hard-working and wealthy modern society, so Japan deliberately imitated Western dress after the Meiji Restoration. In contrast, Li Hongzhang rests on his laurels, believing that his clothes and hairstyles carry the ancestral teachings of the Chinese nation and should be immortal.
Not long before, the Qing Dynasty sent a group of young children to study in the United States, but after returning to China, they found that these young children not only cut off their braids, but even embraced Christianity, which was denounced as "deviant". In order to fear changes, the imperial court hurriedly recalled them and carried out long-term ideological education.
All this reflects the deep-seated fear and rejection of foreign cultures among the upper echelons of the Qing Dynasty who lived in a self-enclosed environment for a long time. In their view, braided hair is not only a symbol of personal status, but also a manifestation of national unity and the legitimacy of the regime. Any attempt to touch it would be tantamount to an open challenge to the dynasty.
This conservative mentality continued until the end of the 19th century. In 1898, Kang Youwei, the leader of the Restoration, wrote "Broken Hair and Easy Clothes to Change Yuan Fold", which analyzed the five major disadvantages of braided hair and suggested that the Qing court abolish this bad habit. He wrote: "Everything that is worn and worn is indiscriminate and filthy, and it is shameful for Westerners. But unfortunately, Emperor Guangxu finally rejected Kang Youwei's suggestion.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, more and more Chinese people accepted the impact and influence of Western culture, and gradually realized the backward face of Chinese traditional customs. Especially the younger generation, they generally want to break the old box and throw away the shackles that shackle development. And braided hair became the first target for them to eradicate.
It is the so-called teacher of the past and the mirror of the future. Although the judgment of Chinese culture in Western society is not intrigued, it also reflects the contradiction and dilemma of the Chinese nation between tradition and modernity, and makes important ideological preparations for the arrival of the haircut trend in the future.
The revolutionary party cut the braid as a sign of resistance
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the call for cutting braids was rising among the Chinese people. It was the oppressed vanguards and revolutionaries who were the first to respond to this call and cut off their braids.
In 1905, Sun Yat-sen and others founded the Revitalization Society in Tokyo, Japan, calling for the overthrow of the Manchu regime and the establishment of the Republic of China. As revolutionary pioneers, Sun Yat-sen and others cut off their braids to show their determination to free themselves from Manchu rule. Braiding was not only a change in hairstyle, but also endowed with political overtones, becoming a symbol of resistance to the Manchus and the struggle for democracy and freedom.
In 1909, Russia's expansion in the northeast caused the anger of the Chinese. In protest against the Russian invasion, a large number of students cut off their braids and joined the anti-Russian salvation movement. It was at that time that the famous patriot Huang Yanpei cut off his braids and became the vanguard of the revolution.
In the following years, advanced elements and students in various localities successively cut off their braided hair and launched a vigorous braid-cutting campaign. At the end of 1911, Russian businessmen were killed in Sichuan, and Russia took the opportunity to expand its influence in China. In the face of numerous external troubles, Sichuan students scrambled to cut off their braided hair and vowed to wage a resolute struggle against the foreign powers.
In February 1912, the remnants of the Guizhou army assembled in Zunyi, an important town in Guizhou, to prepare to continue the rebellion against the Beiyang warlords. Under the advocacy of the revolutionary Xiang Luqu, these soldiers shaved their braided hair, marking a complete break from the old system and opening up a new situation.
In 1915, the Beiyang warlord Yuan Shikai was proclaimed emperor, which was strongly resisted by the people of the whole country. The protest movement spread throughout the country, and cutting braids became a common action of all anti-Yuan elements. It was in this year that the famous lyricist Huang Zunxian finally made up his mind to cut off his braids at the age of 64 and become a member of the revolutionary camp.
These are just some of the famous examples of the dreadlocks cut by revolutionaries. In fact, from the time Sun Yat-sen cut off his braided hair in Tokyo in 1905, the braid-cutting movement spread like a torrent throughout the country and became a surging patriotic trend. Braided hair is no longer a status symbol, but a synonym for the autocratic rule of the old era, and cutting it means completely abandoning the old system and freeing yourself from the shackles of thought.
This braid-cutting movement, which lasted for more than a decade, fully demonstrated the firm determination of the Chinese people to resist oppression and pursue democracy and freedom. The seemingly small act of cutting the hair of the revolutionaries triggered the tremendous power of the awakening of the whole nation and laid the ideological foundation for the complete victory of the Xinhai Revolution. The so-called little pigtails carry a thousand-year-old dream. Cutting off braided hair is not only a change in hairstyle, but also a herald of China's entry into a new era of modern civilization.
Internal struggle in the Qing court
Within the Qing Dynasty, the issue of cutting braids also provoked heated discussions and struggles. On the one hand, there are diehards who adhere to the old system and stick to tradition, and on the other hand, there are the enlightened camps who advocate change and approve of braiding. The process of wrestling between the two sides reflects the struggle between the progress of the times and the conservative forces.
The main force of the diehards is the pro-noble party and royalist members, such as Zai Gong, Ji Yun and others. They believed that cutting braids was tantamount to completely abandoning the Manchurian ancestral system and tantamount to overthrowing the Manchu dynasty with their own hands. Once all the subjects had their braids cut, where did the Manchurian nobility stand? What's more, the Han people have a capricious habit, and if they are allowed to cut their braids, it will definitely cause greater turmoil in the dynasty.
In contrast, the resolute princes and enlightened ministers advocated keeping up with the times. For example, Nian Qianyao once wrote a book, hoping to "reform and renew". He believes that only by abandoning bad habits can we keep up with the trend of world development. His Excellency Prince Yi Tong also made it clear that if the people were willing to cut off their braids, the government would not stop them.
The two views collided and clashed fiercely within the Qing court. Kang Youwei analyzed in the above book that the reason why the Manchus resisted cutting their braids so much was that they were afraid that "if they are exhausted, they will be the same as the Han people". This is a striking statement that speaks to the essence of the problem. In the view of people of insight, keeping braided hair means retaining autocracy, which imprisons the pace of the Chinese nation toward modernization.
Especially after the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, the call for cutting braids reached its climax in the government and the opposition. Lu Shao, a member of the Cabinet University, once said: "If the revolutionary party asks for braids, this is the easiest thing to achieve." "Even Prince Ying Gongzai believes that cutting braids is just a trivial matter, and it is not worth forcing the people.
To some extent, the dispute over cutting braids became the final battle between the royalists and the reformers within the Qing court. In the end, the diehards failed to stop the wheel of history, lost the torrent of the times, and laid the groundwork for the future edict of cutting braids.
It is worth mentioning that the internal friction caused by the problem of cutting braids also exacerbated the pace of disintegration of the Qing Dynasty. Both the royalists and the dreadlocks sought supporters in the court, leading to growing infighting. Zai once questioned Ji Yun and others: "Are you delaying the change of the law and wanting to destroy the dynasty?" And Ji Yun ridiculed each other: "If you don't reform the cheats, is it equivalent to doom?" Why do I have no intention of reviving the revolution? ＂
It is the so-called "four walls of the family". In the midst of the braid-cutting controversy, the Qing upper class had fallen into unprecedented division and chaos. The revolutionaries went on one wave after another, eventually drowning the decaying dynasty completely. From this point of view, the controversy over braids was not only a revolution in hairstyles, but also an important part of social change, which promoted the end of the feudal dynasty.
The final edict to cut the braids
Once upon a time, cutting braids was the greatest sin of disobedience in the world. However, as the times changed, the old habit of keeping braided hair was finally broken. In October 1911, the Wuchang Uprising fired the first shot of the Xinhai Revolution. In January of the following year, Sun Yat-sen was inaugurated as the provisional president of the Republic of China and issued the "Decree on Cutting Hair", calling on his subjects across the country to cut off their braids and draw a clear line with the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
In the face of this massive hair-cutting campaign, the Qing room was defeated one after another. In July 1912, an edict was issued allowing subjects to "do not ask questions without braids", which was a major breakthrough in the cause of braid-cutting. In August, he was re-elected as Prime Minister and announced that he had cut off his braids and became the leader of the braid-cutting movement.
But at this time, conservatives are still unwilling to admit defeat and try to block the progress of history. In September, Ji Yun, then prime minister, strongly advocated the re-promulgation of the "Edict of Retention of Hair", flatly denying the previous edict of cutting braids. The move immediately caused an uproar among the people, and an unprecedented scale of braid-cutting demonstrations broke out in various places.
Faced with strong pressure from public opinion, Ji Yun had to convene a cabinet meeting overnight to discuss how to resolve the current crisis. After a difficult trade-off, it was finally decided to reissue the edict on cutting braids. On October 3, Ding Richang, the head of the household department, read out the full text of the edict on behalf of the cabinet. Male subjects throughout the country were allowed to cut their hair with the rule of "combing their hair without braids."
This was undoubtedly the biggest concession made by the Qing court on the issue of cutting braids. Although there are still some conservative overtones, after all, it has broken the bad rule of "if you don't keep your hair, you will lose your body". Since then, the national braid-cutting movement has been in full swing and has become all the rage. According to incomplete statistics, in Beijing alone, two-thirds of men have cut their braided hair.
It is worth mentioning that the edict was not made by the will of the Qing dynasty itself, but was an expedient measure made under the strong pressure of public opinion. Shortly before that, the provinces had responded to the will of the people and allowed their subjects to cut their braids. Especially in Zhili, Anhui, Shanxi and other places, it was directly ordered that all men in the province cut off their braided hair, which directly led to braiding becoming a national sport.
In the face of this wave that swept Shenzhou, the Manchu Dynasty was powerless to stop it. In December 1912, when the clan council met for the last time, all but a few stubborn elements had their braids cut off. Since then, braiding has completely gained legitimacy in the country and has become a new fashion and custom.
It can be said that the braid-cutting movement marked the Chinese nation's complete bid farewell to the old system and entered a new era of modern democratic civilization. The "hair rope of power" that once showed the king's power disappeared forever in the long river of history.