1. He Qingling's "aristocratic dream" is beginning to emerge
Back in 2011, on an ordinary day, He Qingling was living in a modest auto repair factory in Jilin Province. As an unpretentious young man from the north, his life is monotonous and boring, no different from what the workers around him have experienced.
Regarding the occasional banter and ridicule of the workers, He Qingling often just dealt with the past lightly. However, that seed was like a feather, quietly falling into the depths of his heart, unable to dissipate for a long time.
The family environment that has been plagued by poverty since he was a child and his own mediocre abilities make him yearn to change his destiny in some way.
There has always been a theory in the Hirts that they were actually descendants of Manchu nobles from Beijing, but they chose to flee to the northeast when the Qing dynasty fell.
Although He Qingling didn't pay much attention to this rumor, a casual word from a worker was like a lightning bolt, instantly lighting up the dream in his heart.
So, He Qingling mustered up the courage to ask the elders in the family for a long-sealed family tree, and used his spare time after work to flip through the pages one by one. He hoped to find a prominent aristocratic figure in this genealogy that recorded the names of his ancestors, so as to prove that he indeed had the noble blood of "imperial relatives".
2. The absurd journey of exploring the "noble bloodline".
He Qingling's process of flipping through the family tree was long and boring, but he never gave up. In the midst of a long sea of unfamiliar names, he eagerly hopes to find a familiar aristocratic figure.
Just when he was about to lose confidence, a name suddenly jumped into his eyes - Empress Dowager Cixi. He Qingling couldn't help but feel a shock in his heart, the He family originated from this empress who was once in power.
He immediately checked carefully, and sure enough, he found that in his family genealogy, the name of the Empress Dowager Cixi was clearly visible.
According to genealogical records, since the Empress Dowager Cixi, He Qingling happens to be her eighth generation descendant. This means that he is fully qualified to call himself "Eighth Elder Brother"! A noble blood instantly stirred in He Qingling's body.
With this major discovery, He Qingling's mood was excited. He began to assert his "Manchu aristocracy" in a more confident manner, showing unprecedented arrogance towards the people around him.
Friends and relatives saw his mysterious expression, which bordered on madness, and tried to persuade him in reproachful tones, saying that he had gone mad or had been stimulated by some kind of irritation. However, in the face of the tide of opposition from others, He Qingling was overjoyed, and even carried away, believing that with his noble and prominent background, he was enough to rely on this so-called "descendant of the royal family" aura and rank among the top of everyone! .
In order to prove that relatives and friends have misunderstood his true identity, He Qingling began a series of "absurd behaviors" that made people laugh. He secretly made up his mind and vowed to use practical actions to show the world his true "aristocratic temperament".
3. Makeover to "revive" the Manchu aristocracy
After being convinced that he was the "Eighth Elder Brother", He Qingling unswervingly decided to reshape the Manchu aristocratic demeanor of his ancestors. He first decided to change the appearance and characteristics of his common people, and strive to restore the charm of his ancestors' "Eight Banners".
So, referring to the aristocratic attire in the TV series, He Qingling trimmed his originally messy hair neatly, and only carefully retained a thick long braid at the back of his head.
The daily clothing match has also changed from a simple T-shirt and sweatpants to an extraordinary robe and horse jacket.
In order to make this image transformation more "high-end and high-grade", He Qingling resolutely quit his auto repair job as an ordinary person, and instead devoted himself to studying Qing history and Qing etiquette at home.
In his books, he delved into the speech and behavior of the nobles, eager to reproduce the noble demeanor of his ancestors.
When he was successful in his studies, He Qingling held a folding fan or bird cage and wandered around the streets and alleys every day. He assumed a lazy and luxurious posture towards every passerby, sometimes raising his chin proudly and sometimes shaking his sleeves gently.
This comical appearance quickly made him an "Internet celebrity" in Jilin Province at the time, and many passers-by picked up cameras to record his bizarre behavior and ridicule onlookers.
In the face of the ridicule and ridicule of others, He Qingling was completely unaware and indulged in the "aristocratic illusion" created by himself. As time passed, onlookers became scarcer, and the townspeople became accustomed to his presence.
Ironically, some of the young women in the neighborhood avoided him, consciously or unconsciously, for fear that the "descendants of the royal family" would take an interest in them.
This kind of "eyes without beads" behavior made He Qingling furious.
Fourth, the variety show "Choosing a Concubine" caused public anger
He Qingling clearly expressed his solemn decision to show his unique "aristocratic identity" in front of the national audience, and then began to arrange his plan, and quietly reported the name of the popular variety show "If You Are Honest, Do Not Disturb".
The show's production team immediately took notice of the unusual contestant, and they were looking forward to bringing the new "influencer" to the stage as a way to add more highlights and attractions to the show.
As expected, as soon as He Qingling stepped on the stage, he immediately attracted everyone's attention. He called himself "Eighth Elder Brother" with an arrogant attitude, and scrutinized many female guests in the audience, as if he was choosing a concubine.
For those girls who looked slightly tired, he mercilessly ridiculed them for "poor complexion" and "lack of demeanor".
What's even more outrageous is that He Qingling unexpectedly asked the host and the audience to kneel down and salute him! This move instantly detonated the atmosphere of the audience, and the lights of the female guests gradually went out in anger.
All this finally made He Qingling realize that his words and deeds had been seriously out of control, but he did not apologize for this, but showed off his "prominent" background and mate selection criteria to everyone even more unscrupulously.
He Qingling's series of behaviors sparked a heated discussion in the audience, and the host had to invite him back to the backstage to end the farce. After the show aired, the invective on the Internet poured in like a tidal wave, and countless viewers denounced this "posturing" behavior as both ignorant and shameless.
Since then, the screen name "Eight Elder Brothers" has become a topic of conversation after tea and dinner, and has become a ridiculous joke.
Fifth, more "fake royalty" phenomena have been criticized
Although He Qingling was severely reprimanded and scolded, he himself quickly disappeared from public view and never appeared in public again. However, his "aristocratic dream" did not end because of this, but was "revived" in others.
One of them was Aisin Jueluo Zhoudi, who frantically called himself a "Manchu nobleman". This descendant of the "imperial surname" with an extraordinary origin claims to be Pu Yi's cousin, and his family background is also well documented.
Since his father's generation, the family has been rooted in Guangdong, and has accumulated a wealth of wealth through business. Since 2002, they have fully restored the dignity and demeanor of the Manchu elders: they wear their hair in a bun, wear exquisite horse coats, and their houses are full of all kinds of gorgeous furniture.
With the support of a solid economic foundation, Zhou Di's exaggerated ostentatious extravagance has become more and more indulgent. He not only harshly emphasized his "pure blood", but even deviated from the bottom line of morality and promoted intermarriage within the family, so that he gave birth to a child with congenital intellectual disabilities.
What is even more astonishing is that he openly asked the state to "return the Forbidden City" to satisfy the selfish desires of these "descendants of the royal family".
In addition, in recent years, many people who claim to be "descendants of the Manchu nobility" have jumped into the public eye, such as Lin Zhiqing, who defrauded a huge sum of 17 million yuan in 2021, and Beijing aunt who claimed to have a "positive yellow flag through the sky" on public transportation in 2023.
The performances of these "pseudo-royals" are becoming more and more intense, and I am afraid that even they themselves are deeply involved and cannot extricate themselves.
The most ironic thing is that in real life, there really is a small number of people who express their support and appreciation for this group of "Manchu relics". For example, Manchu actress Guan Xiaotong is often known as "Gege" because she was born in the Guerjia family.
At the 2024 Spring Festival Gala, she appeared in just a set of Hanfu from the Ming Dynasty, which caused widespread controversy, with some severely criticizing and others supporting maintenance.