When appreciating film and television works with the background of the Song Dynasty such as "Dragon Babu" and "The Chronicles of the Song Dynasty", we often notice that the hats of the ministers in the play have unique decorations, that is, a pair of long and thin ornaments.
This form is completely different from the court clothes before and after, what is the reason behind it? Why does even the emperor have to wear it? So, what is the origin of long wings?
The straight-legged head on the official hat of the Song Dynasty, also known as the long wings, had a preliminary form as early as the Five Dynasties, but it was Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, who really pushed this official hat to the peak.
This long wing, like other ancient inventions, fully embodies the spirit of pragmatism of ancient people.
According to historical records, the early dynasty time of the Song Dynasty was between three and five o'clock in the morning, and hundreds of civil and military officials shouted in unison, neatly arranged on both sides. However, even the high-spirited Zhao Kuangyin had one annoyance, that is, the ministers were talking too loudly.
In the court, it is inevitable to discuss various national affairs, as an important pillar of the country, although the voice of ministers whispering under the emperor's throne is not loud, but the voice of a group of people whispering is difficult to ignore.
This kind of behavior is a great disrespect to the emperor, and if you encounter a brutal emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang and Shi Hu, the ministers are afraid that they will have to pay the price with their lives.
Zhao Kuangyin was relatively tolerant among the feudal emperors, and the main policy of the Song Dynasty was to "emphasize literature over military force", and the position of civil officials was stable and unshakable. Therefore, he can't take a strong line, what to do?
At this time, he remembered the design of the winged official hat. As a result, Zhao Kuangyin improved the official hats of the five generations, and through the design of long wings, the possibility of communication between ministers was physically isolated.
In this way, although the ministers wanted to talk to each other, because they could not reach it, the noise in the court was finally effectively controlled.
Zhao Kuangyin's antipathy to the exchange of ministers was not due to the preservation of royal dignity, but also because of his suspicions about the injustice of winning the country. As the leader who relied on the Chen Qiao Mutiny to seize Chai Rong's son Jiangshan, in ancient times, this way of ascending to the throne was easily criticized by the literati.
Although Zhao Kuangyin relied on his powerful ability, shrewd means and ingenious balancing strategy to stabilize the society of the Great Song Dynasty, his heart was full of doubts and sensitivity.
Whenever Zhao Kuangyin saw the ministers whispering, he would think, "Are these ministers talking about me?" Are there any loyal people among the ministers? Is there anyone planning an open revolt? ”
Suspicious, although Zhao Kuangyin was very angry, he couldn't execute all his courtiers at will, so he chose not to see and not be upset. As we said before, Zhao Kuangyin's long-winged hat was to keep the court quiet.
So, why does Zhao Kuangyin wear it himself? The answer is simple, because as the king of a country, he can serve as an example by wearing a winged hat.
If Zhao Kuangyin didn't wear that special long-winged hat, although the ministers wouldn't say it directly, they might be a little dissatisfied in their hearts. However, Zhao Kuangyin's long-winged hat is indeed different from that of ordinary ministers.
According to records, the long-winged cap used by the emperor had particularly long legs, about one foot two, while the courtier's was in the form of a square-topped rigid wrap, and the long-winged feet were relatively short. Therefore, it is easy to tell who has a higher status just by looking at who wears a long-winged hat with longer legs.
There are many elements of the official uniform of the Song Dynasty, and among them, the official hat is only one of them. In addition, another interesting feature of the Song Dynasty's official robes is the worship of purple, which is often regarded as a symbol of the highest honor.
There are three main reasons why the people of the Song Dynasty admired purple. First, since the Tang Dynasty, "purple" has been regarded as an elegant color, and the color of the official uniform of the Song Dynasty inherited the Tang system.
Second, Taoist culture prevailed in the Song Dynasty, and the status of purple microstar in Taoism was very important, symbolizing power, which indirectly affected the Song Dynasty people's love for purple.
During the Song Dynasty, due to the underdeveloped clothing industry, the refining of purple was relatively complicated. At that time, animals were mainly dyed purple and were called "purple shells". This dye relies on the adrenal glands of purple shellfish to extract the purple pigment, which is brilliant and very advanced.
However, the harvesting and production process is difficult, and the annual production is very limited.
All things are precious to be rare, and the Son of Heaven and his ministers prefer rare treasures, which is a symbol of dignity. During the Song Dynasty, the green official uniform was seen as a lowly color, symbolizing low status.
For the high-ranking and powerful ministers in the court, this kind of official position is like a sesame mung bean, insignificant. But for the common people, it can produce a strong deterrent.
There are two reasons for this, one is that green is not a pure color, but an unsightly intercolor, and the traditional perception of this color is very vulgar in aesthetics. The second is that the productivity in ancient times was enough for people to easily make green clothes, so it was easy for ordinary people to wear green, which led to the contempt of the princes and ministers.
The function of official hats and official uniforms is to show dignity.
In feudal society, people's status was divided into different levels, and the emperor with the highest status enjoyed supreme rights, followed by ** and generals at all levels. In order to show one's special status, dressing up became an important way.
According to the "Zhou Li", the ancient aristocracy had developed a detailed dress code, and each rank had its own specific concept of dress, with clear layers and strict hierarchies, and the ultimate victims were the poor people living at the bottom.
The Book of Rites records: "The crown of the Son of Heaven is twelve Shi, the princes are all five and nine ranks, and the doctors wear corresponding ornaments according to their ranks, and the patterns are subject to the level of the title, and so on." ”
In the Song Dynasty, the biggest change in official clothing was the rise of the status of the dragon pattern. Many people may think of the dragon as a noble pattern, but in fact, before the Song Dynasty, the dragon was only one of the twelve chapter patterns, second only to the sun, moon, stars and mountains, and was not exclusive to the emperor.
Before the Song Dynasty, the dragon pattern was not exclusive to the emperor, and could also be used by ordinary ministers. But by the Song Dynasty, the dragon pattern had become the exclusive symbol of the emperor, and ordinary ministers could no longer use it.
This slender official hat was once a representation of imperial power and dignity in feudal society. With the development and progress of society, the relationship between people is becoming more and more equal, and this strange and funny-looking black hat has lost its original meaning.