During the reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus entered the Central Plains and implemented a policy of "shaving their hair and making it easy to wear", requiring the Han people to shave off the top of their heads and keep a long braid. This move, which aimed to combat the cultural identity of the Han Chinese, sparked huge controversy and backlash at the time. To this day, this special hair custom of the Qing Dynasty is still widely concerned and discussed. A British beauty personally experienced and recorded the terrifying scene of her encounter with "dreadlocks", which is empathetic and chilling. So, how dirty were braids in the Qing Dynasty? What kind of impression did it make? This is an issue that deserves further exploration.
1. A brief history of Manchu hair shaving and the origin of "dirty braids".
The ancestors of the Manchus originated from the Jurchen people in the northeast and lived in bitter cold lands. In order to keep out the cold, they wear felt hats all year round, but when exercising vigorously, the sweat on the top of their heads will inevitably soak their hair and hat brims, which brings a lot of inconvenience to cleaning. So, the Manchus came up with a simple and crude solution, which was to shave their hair, leaving only a small bunch of hair at the back of their head, resembling a rat's tail, known as the "money rat's tail".
This hairstyle was continued and developed after the Manchu conquest of the Central Plains. In 1644, the Manchus conquered Beijing and established the Qing dynasty. In order to eliminate the cultural identity of the Han people, Huang Taiji issued an unprecedented order of "shaving hair and making it easy to wear", requiring the majority of Han people to shave the top of their heads and keep long braids.
Initially, this policy provoked a strong backlash among the Han Chinese. It not only destroys the traditional etiquette of the Han people, but also shakes the cultural foundation of the people. At that time, many former ministers and intellectuals wrote articles to criticize and advocate resistance, calling on people to adhere to the "Festival of Shooting". However, under the iron-fisted rule of the new dynasty, the voice of resistance was eventually completely suppressed.
In order to alleviate the conflict, the Qing rulers then implemented some gentle policies, introducing the slogan "shaving hair is easy to wear", and only the hair on the top of the head can be trimmed into long braids. At the same time, relevant hairstyle specifications have also been introduced, such as how to weave neat and beautiful long braids.
However, from the very beginning, due to the restrictions of the times and the links of life, ordinary people could not keep their long braids clean and hygienic well. In the days when there were no hair dryers, it took a lot of time and effort to completely dry a braid that was more than a meter long. The powerful had servants to take care of them, but for most of the poor, washing their hair might be just an annual luxury.
2. The social reality refracted by "dirty braids".
During the Qing Dynasty, it was difficult for ordinary people to maintain food and clothing, and they had no time to care about the cleanliness and hygiene of their hair. This is evident from the prevalence of "dreadlocks".
First of all, most of the people at that time lived in poor living conditions, living in cramped and dirty streets. Lack of basic sanitation means they do not have access to clean water for bathing. Even if a little water can be found in a nearby ravine, it is often polluted to a foul smell. In such a harsh environment, washing and tidying up is obviously a luxury.
Secondly, it is even more difficult to wash your hair. In ancient times, there were no modern hair dryers, and it took half a day to dry a one-meter-long braid after washing your hair, and it took several days to dry it. How can the poor people have the extra time and energy to take care of it like this? Even if you occasionally wash your hair, you only use cheap and inexpensive plant ash honey locusts, and the cleaning effect is naturally not good.
As a result, many people have not washed their hair for a year, and their thick long braids are wrapped in layers of dirt and emit a foul smell. There are many records of this in historical documents: "Hu vulgar all shaved their hair, leaving only a little at the back of their heads, braided the upper and lower braids to hang down, the hair is many and dense, long without washing, and it is too bad." This is exactly the portrayal of the "dirty braids" of the Qing Dynasty.
In addition to being dirty and unclean, "dreadlocks" also imply poverty and ignorance of life. First, because washing and combing requires a lot of manpower and material resources, the poor cannot afford it; Second, due to the lack of education, most people lack awareness of personal hygiene, and it is inevitable that they will neglect to clean.
What's more, even some literati were not spared. They either stick to the old ways or become accustomed to it, and they also mess up their long hair. History records that many old ministers mourned the Qing family, refused to cut their hair, and carried "dirty braids" for a long time. Those who are incomprehensible even regard it as a manifestation of the "Festival of Shooting".
In general, "dirty braids" vividly reflect the poor and backward living conditions of the people during the Qing Dynasty and the outdated concept and consciousness. It is not only a concrete embodiment of the culture of slavery, but also reflects the backward appearance of social development at that time, which can be called a distinctive cultural symbol.
3. The cultural impact and controversy of "dreadlocks".
The implementation of the policy of "shaving hair and making it easy to wear" is not only a change in the shape of the hair, but also a movement of cultural purging and ideological transformation. "Dirty braids" became a symbol of the new dynasty's suppression of the traditional culture of the Han people, which caused great controversy and backlash at the time.
First of all, this practice of forcibly shaving hair is undoubtedly a blow to the traditional Han hairstyle culture. Since ancient times, the Chinese have advocated the concept of "body hair and skin, parents who receive it", and hair is regarded as a gift from ancestors. Even in ordinary people's homes, whenever they cut their hair and cut their hair, they must pay attention to sacrificial rituals such as ancestor worship. However, after the Manchus became the masters, they forced the Han people to shave off their hair buns, which was inevitably regarded as a barbaric act of blaspheming the ancestral teachings.
Secondly, this policy has touched people's sensitive nerves of national cultural identity. Although there have been many dynasties throughout history, there should be an indispensable sense of belonging to the cultural heritage of their ancestors. However, the Qing government's move was clearly aimed at sweeping away the national consciousness of the Han people and eliminating cultural self-confidence.
Therefore, the old ministers who had been in the ups and downs of the sea and the scholars and writers with outstanding insight have issued calls for condemnation through various channels, calling on people to adhere to the "festival of shooting", even if they are killed, they will not cut their hair. For example, Wang Zheng and others wrote stern articles criticizing shaving and vigorously advocating resistance.
At the same time, opposition has spread among the people. According to history, many of the common people were also "severely punished" because they did not want to shave their hair. After the fall of Beijing in 1644, the government and the opposition were shaken, and some ministers shouted to Huang Taiji, "The Han people shave their hair, and the people hate the people." It can be seen how much criticism and opposition this move received at the time.
It is true that under the rule of violence, the voices of resistance will eventually be stifled. But at least it can be shown that in the minds of people at that time, "dirty braids" were not just a hairstyle problem, it represented a crisis of national cultural identity.
It is precisely because of the rich connotation of "dirty braids" itself that it has become one of the most eye-catching cultural symbols of the Qing Dynasty. From the very beginning, it had strong political overtones and became a sign of the rupture between the old and new dynasties. Until the late period, it was still hotly discussed, and the dispute over right and wrong was exactly what it was. It can be seen that it had an indelible and far-reaching impact on the cultural development of the entire Qing Dynasty.
Fourth, the dawn of a new era
In the 19th century, with the eastward expansion of the Western powers, it brought not only vigorous arms, but also an unstoppable new trend of thought. Under the impact of this powerful new cultural movement, "dirty braids" will eventually become a thing of the past.
The fuse of all changes must start with the Opium War. In 1840, the British bombarded open the gates of China, forcibly opening this mysterious ancient oriental country that was regarded as the "Celestial Empire". At the same time, new ideas and new cultures from the West have also spread eastward, bringing an unprecedented impact on Chinese society.
In the ideological change, the rise of the bourgeoisie has played an indispensable role. After the bloody baptism of the Opium War, the Chinese bourgeoisie gradually woke up from the traditional feudal ideology, realized the gap with the Western powers, and began to advocate learning from the advanced culture and science and technology of the West.
These enlightened intellectuals naturally also hated "dirty braids". In 1898, Kang Youwei and other reformers vigorously advocated the slogan of "braid-cutting innovation" in an attempt to mark the dawn of the New Culture Movement by cutting hair. Although it was eventually stillborn due to the obstruction of the conservative forces of the imperial court, the seeds of change were planted for the future.
In the 20th century, the storm of this new cultural movement finally broke out completely. In 1905, the Qing government promulgated the "Edict on the Reform of Mourning Clothes", which allowed scholars to cut off "dirty braids" for the first time. Since then, the hair-cutting movement has spread rapidly throughout the country, and scholars and businessmen have been the pioneers of hair-cutting innovation.
More importantly, the braid-cutting movement greatly promoted the patriotic upsurge of anti-Qing and Ming restoration. As a political tool of the Qing Dynasty to oppress the Han Chinese, "dirty braids" were regarded as a sign of national humiliation, so many people cut off their braids, often accompanied by complete emancipation of the mind.
In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution finally broke out, ending the 268-year rule of the Qing Dynasty. The "braiding knife" in Yue Piao's hand marks the arrival of the era of the Chinese nation's rejuvenation, independence and self-reliance. "Dirty braids" were finally completely swept into the garbage heap of history.
5. Summary and reflection
Looking back at the "dirty braids" phenomenon in the Qing Dynasty, the impression it left on people is really disturbing and disgraceful. A filthy, filthy braid is not only a vivid portrayal of poverty and backwardness at that time, but also a symbol of oppression and slavery.
Evolved from the Manchu customs, the long braid hairstyle was originally just a simple hairstyle created to protect against the cold. However, after entering the Central Plains, the Qing government elevated it to a political tool, intending to completely eliminate the Han people's sense of identity with national culture through the policy of "shaving their hair and making it easy to wear".
As a result, it was the appearance of the "dreadlock" as a symbol of shame. At that time, when environmental sanitation was extremely poor, ordinary people had no time to take care of personal hygiene, and hair naturally became the hardest hit area of dirt. As a result, all over the streets and alleys are "dirty braids" with a pin and a smell.
Not only that, but the official regulations on hairstyles have made "dreadlocks" one of the most prominent cultural symbols of the Qing dynasty. Until the late period, it was the focus of intense intellectual controversy and a crisis of cultural identity, and became the target of hatred of the new dynasty's autocratic rule.
However, history is always drifting away, and when "dreadlocks" become a thing of the past, it also means that a new era has arrived. With the rise of Western learning and the rise of the bourgeoisie, the braid-cutting movement became a pioneer in completely breaking free from the ideological shackles of the Qing Dynasty. The success of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 finally opened a new chapter in the independence of the Chinese nation.
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Overall, "dreadlocks" are by no means just a hair issue, it carries too many historical implications. It bears witness to the decay of the old society, reflects the poverty and oppression of the people, and heralds the dawn of a new culture. We should draw enough historical wisdom from it, cherish the cultural heritage of the present, and make unremitting efforts for the innovative development of tomorrow.