Prices of goods in the Dream of the Red Mansions, the expensive is staggering, the cheap is bitter

Subtitle: How big is the gap between Liu Lou Lou and Jia Mu? After reading the dream of red chamber two expensive to outrageous consumer goods to know

"Dream of the Red Chamber" tells the life of the feudal society of the magnates, due to the distance from the city life is relatively far away, involved in the social and public sentiment of the time, far less detailed than the "Golden Lotus Plum". The lives of ordinary people are rarely seen, and the material richness of the gentry is even more shocking. The following briefly talk about the prices in the Dream of the Red Chamber, although it does not represent the social situation at that time, but also has the corresponding value.

A

"Dream of Red Mansions" appeared in the first silver. Zhen Shiyin gifted Jia Yucun fifty taels of silver, a few sets of clothes as a stalker to finance him to go to the capital to catch the examination, the ancient society is not convenient transportation, Jia Yucun this go, food, clothing, housing and transportation, especially in the capital stalled to the examination of the list, during the period there are more to Wen will know more contemporaries. This series of expenses, Zhen Shiyin fifty silver can handle, must also be calculated.

Liu Lou Lou into the Rongguofu Wang Xifeng gave her twenty silver, but is Wang Xifeng room a few maids do clothes money. Ridiculous LiuLouLou two into the RongGuoFu baseless again put forward twenty silver "crab account", obviously implying that also need twenty two. At that time seventy to eighty pounds of crabs, is the closest to the people's life in the marketplace, but also not LiuLouLou consumption, five cents silver a catty, seventy to eighty pounds, but half a couple of silver. How much? Liu Lou Lou said their family of five probably want twenty taels of silver a year. Simply to the current price of silver or rice family to apply two silver two hundred and fifty to three hundred is obviously not appropriate.

Now the crab a catty at least seventy-eighty, expensive to several hundred. Seventy or eighty pounds how to also want five or six thousand, also does not match the actual situation. So, Liu Lou Lou in the countryside a family of five a year living expenses without additional birth, old age, sickness and death expenses, more than 20,000 yuan or enough. One or two silver probably purchasing power in about one thousand dollars almost, but also now many scholars agree with the purchasing power of one or two silver. Calculated in this way, Zhen Shiyin is equal to give Jia Yucun fifty thousand dollars. Wang Xifeng first gave Liu Lou Lou two taels of silver a hanging money about twenty thousand. The second time one hundred and eighty-eight taels of silver would be about one hundred thousand dollars. Jia family young masters and young ladies two two silver two thousand dollars a month, Wang Xifeng monthly money five two five thousand dollars, Jia mother Wang Mrs. Li dandy will have 20,000 dollars. Really huge money. To Jia Lian lamented and then send a three or two million wealth in order to make the Jia family back to the rich and powerful, need to be staggered two or three billion, seems to be scary, but on the once vice state level of high-ranking officials of the family's huge power, is nothing.

Two

Lin Daiyu first entered the Rongguo House, said she was taking ginseng to nourish the glory pills, Jia mother said they are matching pills, told them to match more than one ingredient. Ginseng this magical medicine is not rare now, when it is ridiculously expensive.

Qin Keqing was sick and not good, need two dollars a day ginseng with medicine, Jia Zhen open mouth is to use "before that a catty of good ginseng", Jia Rui need "one ginseng soup" to save his life, Jia Dairu even have the financial resources to afford to eat. To know, Jia Dairu in the Jia family children, guarding the school can not be poor. And seventy-eight times, Mrs. Wang to two good ginseng with medicine, rummage through the Jia family also do not want to buy, can know the value of two ginseng. Can also know Jia Zhen open mouth said "a catty of good ginseng" value is amazing.

According to the "Qing Palace Yangzhou Royal Archives" (Volume III, page 226 to page 227) Quan De's folders to the Qianlong Emperor, Yangzhou at the time of the price of ginseng (excerpts).

In the Qianlong era, a catty of five ginseng, worth one thousand one hundred and twenty two, the Qing Dynasty, a catty of sixteen two, one or two folded silver about seventy two. That Jia family used good ginseng to how much money? I'm afraid not at least five thousand taels or more. Fifth-class ginseng, one or two seventy-two silver. Qin Keqing two money a day ginseng, the cheapest is also fifteen to twenty two silver, and even "on the good" need to be doubled, no wonder Jia Rui can not afford to eat. Wang Xifeng later can not afford to eat. This day thousands of dollars, ICU wards, but also so.

Three

Qin Keqing died, Jia Zhen looking for a coffin board is not, Xue Pan put forward their own wood store has a piece of his father transported over the year, the Prince of righteousness and loyalty of the old thousand years of the good wooden boards. Eventually, Qin Keqing used this pair of boards, and this pair of coffin boards are priceless, Xue Pan let Jia Zhen randomly pull the board of the footman a thousand taels of silver, naturally, it is impossible to give the footman, that is to say, the coffin board did not use people's for nothing, you have to give a little money to the auspicious.

Qin Keqing's coffin board is too expensive, like Jia mother, Jia Jing such status, even if it is not as good as, its value is also staggering, even after the death of You Ersi's coffin board, is also expensive and scary.

Jia Lian credited a pair of five hundred taels of coffin boards, which can be said to have a certain amount of true love for You Er Sister, which is still no money, or more expensive. Five hundred taels of silver, Liu Lou Lou's family of twenty to thirty years of food, can help four or five Liu Lou Lou's turn over to get liberated. The left is not a coffin, and in recent years, the price of cemeteries have a different flavor, five hundred and sixty thousand is by no means the average family to be used up.

Four

Silver as currency, and not what people can use, the bottom of the old people extremely difficult to use silver. Qingwen and others were paid one hang of money per month, and the little girl Chunyan and others were paid no more than five hundred dollars. The Jia family was so rich and powerful, and the wages of these people were surprisingly so low. Even if one thousand pieces of silver, one hang of money is equal to one or two pieces of silver, Chun Yan and other small girls four or five hundred dollars a month, at least four years to save out of Mrs. Wang's pocket money for a month of twenty two.

Jia Baoyu said five hundred money can buy a car back some exaggeration. Lip Yan Zhai also said gengchen side note: do not know the physical hardship, the son of the mouth also. However, although Jia Baoyu does not know the physical hardship, but at that time, the bottom of the low prices, especially handicraftsmen items cheap, these people at the bottom of the life is difficult, far less than the Jia family lackeys maid so comfortable. Five hundred money less than half a silver can also buy fifty or sixty pounds of crabs, buy a carload of small baskets, small handicrafts is not too much.

"Dream of the Red Chamber" on the description of the price of very little, the value of crabs, the value of ginseng, the value of the coffin is too far from the ordinary people, those small baskets, small handmade is something that belongs to them. The Dream of the Red Chamber is too far away from ordinary people, just as ordinary people don't know how much money is thrown away in a luxury feast. So when Liu Lou Lou poured out of her pockets that little melon and fruit, mouth also said, "This is the first with the picking down, and did not dare to sell it, left the tip of filial piety aunts and grandmothers of the girls to taste," compared with the Jia family's wealth is nothing, and how a bitter! And the gap between Liu Lou Lou and Jia Mu, as if it is a big carrot and ginseng, chaotic graveyard and priceless coffin boards between the insurmountable gap.

Article / Junjian Ya Kan Honglou

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This article is cited from:

Lip Yan Zhai re-assessment of the Stone Book of 80;

Stone Book of Zhou Ruchang proofreading point of view of the book of 80;

Dream of Red Mansions passes through the book of 120;

Qing - Sun Wen painted the full Dream of Red Mansions

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