INTRODUCTION: As one of the earliest means of transportation in human history, horse-drawn carriages have played an important role in various civilizations and witnessed the unique features of various cultures.
The shape, decoration, use, and development of the carriage are full of rich information and deserve our in-depth study.
This article will compare the differences between China and the West, and explore the historical, cultural, and social factors behind it, as well as the influence of these factors on the carriage, from the details of the horse-drawn carriage, the way the horse's tail is handled.
At the same time, this article will also reveal some fictions and misunderstandings about the history of horse-drawn carriages in the West, as well as their motivations and purposes, so as to provide a more comprehensive and objective perspective to help us understand and evaluate the carriage as an important product of human civilization.
The horsetail, a part of the horse's body, has multiple functions and meanings. First of all, from a physiological point of view, the horsetail plays a multi-protective role.
It protects the horse's hindquarters and organs, prevents the cold and keeps it warm, while also driving away pesky mosquitoes and flies, providing a quiet feeding and resting environment for the horse.
In addition, the horse's tail also has a balancing effect, like the rudder of a boat and an airplane, and when the horse is running fast, the high tail helps the horse to maintain a balanced center of gravity, increase speed and control the direction of travel.
And from the perspective of health monitoring, horsetail is also an important reference. When people lift a horsetail, its resistance is called tail force. It has been measured that the maximum tail force can reach 20 kg, with an average of 106 kg.
The size of the tail force can not only reflect the mental state and physical strength of the horse, but also serve as an indicator to judge the breed and quality of the horse.
Horse tail, an important handicraft material, is not only used in the bow line of violins and the horse-head violin, a traditional Mongolian instrument, but also plays an important role in embroidery, weaving and decoration.
At the same time, the horse's tail is also a part of the horse decoration, which has the charm of attracting the opposite sex, as if there is a magical power to attract bees and butterflies. From a cultural point of view, the horse's tail is rich in meaning, carrying various symbols and allegories.
In Chinese culture, the horse's tail is often used as a metaphor for people's ability and status, such as "the tail is too big to fall", "the tail follows", "the tail is born to hug the pillar" and other idioms, all of which express people's prestige, power or loyalty through the horsetail.
The horse's tail is also used as a metaphor for people's morals and behaviors, such as "the tail is not honest", "the tail is cocked high", "the tail is running between the legs" and other idioms, all of which use the horse's tail as a carrier to vividly depict people's cunning, pride or timidity.
In addition, the horse's tail is also used as a metaphor for the importance and value of things, such as "epilogue", "tail", "tail teeth" and other words, also using the horse's tail as a carrier to highlight the last or best part of things.
The horsetail symbolizes glory and magic in Western culture, and is an important element in religion and folklore. In the religion, Jesus entered Jerusalem on Easter on a donkey with a cross-shaped mark, which is considered a blessing from God.
In European folklore, the horse's tail is regarded as a symbol of magic and can be used to make various magical items, such as flying broomsticks, lucky charms, etc.
In artwork, the horse's tail is used to express the horse's emotions and character, for example, the high-pitched horse's tail symbolizes happiness and confidence, the low-hanging horse's tail represents sadness and frustration, and the swaying horse's tail represents restlessness and nervousness.
Differences in the treatment of horsetail: China and the West have their own characteristics. The way horsetail is handled varies between Eastern and Western cultures due to its function and meaning.
From a historical point of view, there are mainly the following ways to deal with horsetails in China: First, it is cut short, which is the most common way, which not only facilitates the cleaning and management of horses, but also prevents the horsetail from being entangled or damaged by wheels or other objects.
There are various ways to cut it short, including flat heads, round heads, pointed heads, etc., and some people leave some hair at the end of the ponytail to add a decorative effect.
The time to cut it short also varies from person to person, some people cut it short on a regular basis, some people cut it short depending on the season or occasion, and still others keep the ponytail short length.
In both the East and the West, there is the practice of cutting the horsetail short, but it is more common in the West.
In some competitions or performances, horsetails are cut very short, and some even have tail vertebrae removed, making them unable to be held high, a practice that has caused widespread controversy among animal protectors and horse enthusiasts.
In contrast, braided ponytails pay more attention to the beauty and decoration of the horse, as well as to express respect and love for the horse.
There are various ways to braid it, including single braids, double braids, three-strand braids, fishbone braids, etc., and you can even add some ornaments to the braids, such as ribbons, beads, flowers, etc., to form an artistic effect.
The time it takes to braid also varies from person to person, with some people braiding on special occasions or holidays, and others braiding frequently.
The way the horse's tail is handled is a vivid reflection of the cultural differences between China and the West, and behind it is the difference in the importance and depth of knowledge about horse safety.
In ancient China, the horse's tail was tied to ensure the safety of the horse, to avoid the tail from becoming entangled with other things, and to prevent the horse from being injured.
In the West, horse's tail tends to flutter freely, either because they use horses less, or because they don't have a clear understanding and norms for how they handle them.
However, some fictions and misunderstandings in the West have obscured these differences and distorted the true appearance of the carriage.
The horse-drawn carriage was not originally created in the West, but was invented independently on a global scale around the second millennium BC. China's horse-drawn carriage has a particularly long and rich history, reaching a high level of development as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Horse-drawn carriages in the West did not begin to develop until the Greco-Roman period. This is a new understanding of the origin of the carriage, breaking with the previous view that the carriage was a Western originality.
Again, the Chinese horse-drawn carriage had reached its peak during the Sui and Tang dynasties, with the emergence of a series of elaborate and unique carriages, such as dragon carriages, phoenix carriages, waterwheels, trains, etc., while Western carriages only began to innovate during the Renaissance and were mainly used for commerce and travel.
In conclusion, the horse-drawn carriage is an ancient and interesting means of transportation, which carries the history and culture of mankind, and also demonstrates the wisdom and innovative spirit of mankind.
The details of a carriage, the way the horse's tail is handled, are enough to reflect the different characteristics and styles of China and the West, and can also reveal the historical and cultural differences between China and the West.
By comparing the differences in the way Chinese and Western horses are handled, we can see that there are significant differences in the attitudes and concepts of horses between China and the West, which also reflect the differences in Chinese and Western cultures and histories.
However, some fictions and misunderstandings about the history of the carriage in the West have obscured these differences and distorted the true image of the carriage.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program This practice may be to confuse or distort the Chinese carriage, or to exaggerate the role and significance of the carriage in order to show the superiority and civilization of the West, or for some purpose and benefit.