During the Ming and Qing dynasties, what was the reason for the disappearance of the wat board
Have you ever seen a scene where an emperor ascends the throne in a costume drama? Have you ever noticed that you are holding a long, narrow board in both hands? This board is called"Wat board"。
This stationery, which originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, was an indispensable tool for courtiers in ancient China. ** It is common to write down the contents of the report to the Emperor, and sometimes the Emperor's instructions are written down on it to avoid forgetting.
However, why have we never seen this in Qing court dramas?"Wat board"This? How curious is the secret?
After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the wat board system that had been used for more than 2,000 years was officially abolished, and ministers no longer needed to carry wat boards. Why, then, did the Qing abolish such a time-honored and practical system?
Next, let's explore the formation and evolution of wat boards. Since ancient times, people have been looking for effective writing carriers. From the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty, to the bronze and oracle bones of the Western Zhou Dynasty, to the bamboo slips of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the writing medium has been constantly evolving.
The emergence of wat board happens to be closely related to the popularity of bamboo slips. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people used to record words on bamboo or wood chips. These pieces of bamboo and wood became a must-have item for the ministers of the court, who carried them with them, and over time, people called these pieces of bamboo and wood "wat".
This is where the wat board comes from. However, after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, with the progress of society, people's demand for writing carriers was also changing. The advent of paper has made writing easier and faster.
Therefore, the Qing Dynasty decided to abolish the wat board system, which had been used for more than 2,000 years, and instead used paper as a writing medium. This is also the main reason why the Qing Dynasty abolished the wat board system. In general, the formation and evolution of the wat board reflects the continuous exploration and improvement of the writing medium in ancient Chinese society.
The abolition of the wat board system in the Qing Dynasty reflected the inevitable trend of social progress.
In ancient times, when the ** dynasty was up, they held a kind of narrow piece of wood or bamboo, which was called"Wat board"。According to the Book of Rites, the wat board is about 51 years longIt is 22 centimeters wide and about 5 centimeters wide, which is equivalent to half a meter long and 5 centimeters wide today.
This size is designed to be easily portable and can be pinned to the waist at any time. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the habit of ministers carrying wat boards to the court was gradually formed. At the same time, since there were no buttons in men's clothing at that time, and a belt was tied around the belt, the wat board was more convenient to carry.
Aristocratic men could directly insert the wat board into their belts and carry it with them. This is the origin of the ancient ** hand-held wat board.
In the Book of Rites, there is such a record: "The person who is in charge of the wat will pin the wat board to his belt in case of trouble." This phrase indicates that those who need to use a wat board can temporarily pin it to their belt when they encounter temporary matters, so that they can free up their hands to solve things.
Over time, this habit gradually became the exclusive prerogative of noble men and members of the bureaucracy. According to the Book of Rites, aristocratic men had to get up every morning in good clothes and not forget to wear a wat board, which was an essential etiquette for visiting friends and serving the king.
Since the belts used by nobles and bureaucrats were usually "gentry" woven from silk, which was very delicate, the term "gentry" came into being during the Warring States period to refer to those bureaucrats and nobles who wore ornate belts with wat boards inserted in their belts.
1.During the Warring States Period, most of the scholars and gentry in the Zou Lu area of Shandong Province were familiar with Confucian knowledge such as poetry, calligraphy, etiquette and music, and this phenomenon was already very common at that time. For example, there is a relevant record in the "Zhuangzi": "In terms of poetry, calligraphy, rituals, and music, most of the scholars and gentry in the Zou and Lu regions of Shandong can understand and master it." ”
2.Although during the Eastern Han Dynasty, with the improvement of papermaking technology, paper gradually became the main writing tool of scholars, scholars and nobles were still accustomed to using wat boards.
This tradition has not only not disappeared because of the popularity of paper, but has become a symbol of rank and status of middle and high-level officials.
There is a saying in the Book of Rites: "The Son of Heaven is a jade wat, the princes are like a wat, the doctor is a fish beard and a bamboo, and a scholar is bamboo." Depending on the status level, the wat board used is also made of different materials.
This phenomenon shows that the wat board is not only a practical thing, but also a symbol of social status. By the Tang Dynasty, the social function of wat was further institutionalized. According to the record of "Tang Hui Yao Yufu Zhi", the five grades above ** need to hold an ivory wat and the bamboo and wood slips below the five grades.
At the same time, the Tang people also stipulated the uniform shape of the wat board.
In the Tang and Song dynasties, the color of their court clothes was used to distinguish between the noble and the low, purple represented the third rank and above, vermilion represented the fifth grade, green represented the seventh grade, and cyan represented the ninth grade.
Therefore, in addition to the material of the wat board needs to meet the grade of **, its color should also match the color of the ** clothing. In this way, the wat board of the Tang and Song dynasties gradually became an important symbol to distinguish the noble and the low, not only in the last dynasty, but even in all important occasions (such as banquets, celebrations, sacrifices, etc.) need to be carried, so that the official can arrange the position of the **.
By the Ming Dynasty, the practical function of the wat board was completely abandoned, leaving only the function of symbolizing social status, and perhaps only the use of it to cover the face was left, so as not to look directly at the emperor and offend the power of heaven during the previous dynasty.
The Qing Dynasty's system of shaving and supplementing hair was a historic change aimed at removing the influence of the Ming Dynasty and strengthening the rule of the Qing Dynasty. In order to achieve this goal, the Qing Dynasty forced the shaving of hair and the system of easy clothing, requiring all the people and bureaucrats under the rule to shave their hair, and their clothes and crowns and hats followed the system of the Manchus.
Although this policy was strongly opposed by the Han Chinese in the initial stage, the Qing dynasty still adhered to and strengthened this policy as the Qing army conquered all parts of China.
In the process, the Qing issued a series of strict bans, and even imposed heavy penalties on those who did not comply with the bans. Although this coercive measure caused discontent, the Qing dynasty succeeded in promoting social change and achieving stable rule in this way.
The Qing Dynasty forced Manchu hair ornaments and costumes through administrative coercion and legal means, and banned the Ming Dynasty's praise clothes and belts, Han family clothes and belts, and replaced them with srattail braids and supplements in the Qing Dynasty.
This change reflected the Qing rulers' belief that "if the clothes and customs are the same, the country will be the same", and in this way, they promoted "de-Ming Dynastyization" in the cultural field. In addition, the Qing Dynasty's supplementary clothing system and the disappearance of the wat board are also related to technical reasons, because the design of the supplementary clothing in the Qing Dynasty official system was different from that of the Han dynasty, leaving no room for the wat board.
In the Ming Dynasty, the first often wore robe-style clothing, with a large placket on the right side, a belt around the waist, and a wat board could be inserted. The costumes of the Qing Dynasty are very different from those of the Ming Dynasty, and they are divided into two types: court clothes and supplementary clothes.
The court dress is the most solemn clothing worn by the civil and military officials of the Qing Dynasty at the court ceremony, following the rules, the top and bottom are connected, the two sleeves are horseshoe sleeves, and there is no possibility of a belt and a wat board.
In contrast, the supplement is the most popular clothing worn in the Qing Dynasty, which has been applied on many occasions, and is also a common costume in modern Qing Dynasty film and television dramas, which is favored because of its clear appearance and easy to identify characteristics.
The Qing Dynasty supplement is unique and incorporates elements of Manchu traditional clothing, which is completely different from the style of the Ming Dynasty.
The official uniform of the Ming Dynasty was a large robe with narrow cuffs. The official uniform of the Qing Dynasty was a long gown, with a front placket, a button in the middle that could be buttoned, and the cuffs were reduced to the front of the elbow. Different from the Ming Dynasty, the rank of the Qing Dynasty can be distinguished by the decoration of the dress and the wearing of the flower feather, instead of using the wat board.
This change is related to the living environment of the Manchu people, who come from the northeast and deal with wild animals all year round. Whether it is a supplement or a flower feather, it is a rare bird to reflect the identity, and the civil and military ** from one to nine products are represented by cranes, sparrows, unicorns, and seahorses.
The ornament worn by the scholars of the Qing Dynasty - Hua Ling is a noble decoration made of peacock feathers, because it is often connected with the top, also known as the top wearing Hua Ling. The flower feather is divided into three levels: single, double, and three-eyed, of which the three-eyed flower feather is the most precious, and is generally awarded to princes and nobles or courtiers who have made significant contributions.
Flower feathers below the sixth rank are made from the feathers of the bird dyed blue, and are called "dyed blue feathers" and have no eye-like decorations. Based on its own safari experience, the Qing Dynasty abandoned the original writing instrument, the wat board, and replaced it with a decorative system that used animal ornaments and feathers to show status.
From this point, it can be seen that the Qing Dynasty incorporated its own cultural elements and aesthetics when designing this kind of decoration.
Since then, the relationship between wat board and status has become more and more intimate, and the corresponding type of wat board is used by all classes. Although the slip gradually faded from the stage of history due to the popularization of paper, the wat board did not disappear with it, but became more closely associated with the status hierarchy.
In the large-scale government activities of the Tang and Song dynasties, it was specially stipulated that different types of wat boards were used at all levels, and this function of highlighting the differences in social hierarchies continued until the end of the Ming Dynasty.
In the Qing Dynasty, because the shaving and easy-to-wear policy after entering the customs was aimed at eliminating the influence of Han culture in the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty's official uniform system was different from that of the Ming Dynasty, there was no need to tie the belt, so there was no need to use a wat board.
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