Qing concubine schedule The diet is simple and the life is hard
Chu Palace's waist, soft but carrying the precipitation of the years, the spring breeze blows, but in exchange for the sadness of the fragrance and jade. This is not only a portrayal of Zhen Huan's tragic fate, but also reveals the endless bitterness and sorrow of the harem women. "
In the current popular Qing court dramas, every concubine in the harem is struggling to survive in the whirlpool of power, strategy and scheming. Their days are full of tension and deceit, always expecting the favor of the emperor, or racking their brains to calculate others.
So, what is the difference between the real harem concubines of the Qing Dynasty in history and the ones described in the play? As a modern person, what kind of curiosity and reverie do you have about the court life that really exists in the long river of history?
This article will start from the daily life and daily diet of the concubines, show the living conditions of the concubines in the Qing Dynasty, and reproduce the most real court life. The harem is strictly hierarchical, and morning and evening greetings are a common pattern of daily life.
However, perhaps influenced by the Qing Dynasty palace fighting dramas, people may think that the concubines in the harem of the Qing Dynasty are like the scheming in the TV series, and there will even be chaos such as pampering the concubines and challenging authority.
The real hierarchy of the harem in the Qing Dynasty was strict, the queen's status was lofty and inviolable, and although the concubines worked hard, they followed the rules, and the atmosphere of the entire harem was harmonious. Every day, the emperor has to go to court, so the concubines need to get up at five o'clock, go to the queen and the queen mother's palace to ask for peace, and also ask for peace in the evening, which is called "morning and dusk province", is the embodiment of the system of respecting and humility, and no reason is not allowed to ask for leave.
In ancient times, the harem had strict rules, and the concubines needed to go early to ask for peace every day according to the etiquette law, although the days were boring, but they had to abide by the rules. It is difficult for modern people to imagine how depressing such a life would be.
However, even so, the concubines still need to maintain the habit of waking up early, because this is how they live. In "The Legend of Zhen Huan", there is a scene about the conflict between Concubine Jing and Zhen Huan because of the problem of Princess Haoyue.
This scene vividly demonstrates the rules of the harem and the complex interpersonal relationships, giving people a deeper understanding of the life of the ancient harem.
Concubine Jing shared her story in a long conversation with Zhen Huan: "There are three hundred and twenty-six bricks and stones in my palace, and each one has been touched by me countless times. "Although the concubines in my palace often enjoy the emperor's favor, unfavored concubines like me can only spend long nights in the deep palace, caring for themselves.
In fact, in the real harem life, when the emperor goes down to court, the ladies of each palace can go back to the palace at 7 o'clock for breakfast, and this time is a precious moment for them to pass the time freely.
The daily life of the ancient concubines was full of culture. In their busy court life, they chose artistic activities such as embroidery, piano stroke, reading, writing, and playing chess to pass the time.
This lifestyle is also well represented in the TV series. In addition, they will also go to worship the Buddha and visit the Imperial Garden, enjoying a peaceful and comfortable life.
Although people in ancient times went to bed early, usually at 8 p.m., but at about 6 p.m., when the emperor turned over the cards, the concubines could not sleep. Because they are all waiting in the dormitory, hoping to be chosen by the emperor.
This nervous and expectant mood is an important part of the concubines' lives.
In the ancient palace, the concubines who were turned over by the emperor would get extra treatment, and they would be taken by the eunuchs to the Palace of Nourishing Heart to bathe and change clothes, and enjoy luxurious treatment. However, for those concubines who have not been flipped up, they can only spend every day in a monotonous and boring life, except for sleeping, getting up to say goodbye, and there are few entertainment activities, so they can only find some ways to pass the time.
Although they live in affluence, with long shallot-like nails and long armor inlaid with gold cutouts, this is only a symbol of their noble status, and it cannot hide the boredom and tedium of their lives.
The former nobility has finally faded into the past, but the armor, which symbolizes nobility, has become a museum exhibit for people to see. The Qing Dynasty is the world of the Manchus, and when it comes to the diet of the Qing Dynasty, the first thing that comes to people's minds may be the Manchu and Han full banquets.
The Manchu and Han banquets are divided according to the ministers' ethnicity, the Manchus go to the full seats, the Han people go to the Han seats, and the Manchus and Hans eat together, and the atmosphere is harmonious.
At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu people mainly lived a nomadic life, and their diet was dominated by wild animals and dairy products, and the cooking methods were simple, mainly smoked and boiled. In the cold winter, hot pot is a kind of food that they often eat to keep them warm.
As Beijing became the capital and the country became wealthier, a variety of delicacies arose in the Forbidden City. For example, "Phoenix Spreading Wings", "Hanging Duck" and "Buddha Jumping over the Wall" were all court delicacies at that time and have been passed down to this day.
As the supreme ruler of the country, the emperor enjoyed unparalleled luxury food, and there was an old saying that "you never get tired of eating, and you never get tired of eating". The cost of the daily imperial meal is extremely large, and it can be said that it is extremely luxurious.
The dietary pattern of the Qing Dynasty imperial palace: two meals per day, breakfast at about seven or eight o'clock, and lunch at two o'clock. There is no dinner, but pastries are shared in the evening. In the afternoon, the concubines would make pastries and snacks for the queen to taste tea and listen to music.
The queen's daily meal includes 16 catties of meat, 20 catties of vegetables, a poultry, as well as green onions, sauces, tea leaves and various pastries and desserts, which can be described as luxurious and rich.
Under the queen, there are seven levels of status, which are imperial concubine, noble concubine, concubine, concubine, nobleman, always present and promised. Their treatment gradually decreases with the level of grade, and they often only eat one pound of vegetables and meat per day, of which only 5 chickens can be eaten per month.
Although the concubines were named the emperor's little wives, the lower the rank in the harem, the more miserable their lives became. Even a well-loved concubine may be treated badly if she has a low rank.
is like Hailan in "The Legend of Ruyi", as an unfavored permanent, not only is her food and clothing compressed, but she is often excluded by high-ranking concubines.
In the palace, the daily life of the concubines was not only about eating, but also about the hierarchy of tableware. The queen and queen mother can use the yellow-glazed dark cloud dragon pattern bowl and the golden spoon and golden chopstick, which are bright yellow inside and out, while the concubines and concubines below the queen can only use different grades of "position bowls".
The patterns of these bowls include the yellow ground green cloud dragon style, the blue ground yellow dragon for concubines to use, and the green purple cloud dragon and the colorful red cloud dragon for the use of the permanent and nobles.
This hierarchical system made the life of the low-ranking concubines extremely difficult, their monthly silver was very small, and their food was also at the bottom of the rank, and they also needed to be dotted everywhere in the palace.
Therefore, the life of the low-ranking concubines was very hard.
The Qing palace ladies who were bound by feudal etiquette and religion, although they enjoyed a noble status, their lives were not as beautiful as they appeared. Behind the seemingly infinite brilliance, there is a lonely life tightly locked by the nine-fold palace, until the years pass and the years grow old.