What do you keep in your wallet (traditional)

The predecessor of wallet is called "Lotus Bag". Load, load; Bag, bag also. The so-called "bag" is a small bag used to hold odds and ends of fine things. Because ancient clothes had no pockets, some items that had to be carried with them (such as towels, stamps and coins) could only be stored in such bags. The earliest lotus bags can be used with both hands and shoulders, so they are also called "holding bags" or "pulling bags". Later, I gradually felt that my shoulder was inconvenient, so I hung it on my waist, forming a custom called "side bag". Lotus bags are usually made of leather, so they are also called "bags". For example, a piece unearthed from Subhas's tomb in Shanshan, Xinjiang, is made of sheepskin, rectangular, 6.7 cm long and 3.7 cm wide, with a lace at the mouth for hanging. The earliest existing capsules are relics of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

After the Han Dynasty, following its custom, the book Bei Tang Shuchao quoted the biography of Cao Zang 136: "(Cao) is easy to operate, wearing a small bag to pack towels and fine things." "The Book of Jin Deng Youchuan" also records that Deng Youmeng saw a woman walking at the water's edge, and the beast cut off its capsule from behind. It can be seen that in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, both men and women carried bags with them. The bag is decorated with animal head patterns, also called "animal head bag". This kind of capsule image decorated with animal head pattern can also be seen on the stone relief of a Han tomb in Yinan, Shandong Province: the eastern part of the north wall of the middle room is divided into upper and lower compartments, both of which are engraved with character stories. The two people in the small box are wearing cloth hats, tied behind their heads with straps, with sleeves rolled up and straps around their waists. One of them added a belt on the left, and a tiger's head bag hung down from the right waist belt. The bag is relatively large, exquisite in workmanship and embroidered with lace. The same purse is painted on the case of the west section of the north wall of the middle room. The difference is that the characters are wearing in different directions, and a tiger-headed purse is hung on the left waist belt.

In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the satchel system was formally established. The bags people wear are not all made of leather, but also made of silk, but the name of the bag is still used. "Six Rites of Sui Shu": "Sacks (Northern Dynasties), more than two kinds of gold wisps, three kinds of gold and silver wisps, four kinds of silver wisps, five kinds, six kinds of colorful wisps, seven kinds, eight kinds, nine kinds of colorful wisps and animal claws. If there is no official seal, it is not worthy to wear bags and claws. " To the Sui Dynasty, it was specially applied to the wheat clothing below Emperor Liang to bid farewell to the beast head sac of the concubines. "Sui Shu Etiquette Seven": "Liang Di, the bow of clothes, the buckle of silver, is like his job. Pei, Qingshou, eighty songs, one foot six feet long, with claws. I am a contemporary woman. Lin Bao, eight characters, cloth exhibition clothes, copper ring buckle, the text does its duty. She is wearing water and jade, alas ... animal claw bag. " Animal claw bag, one of the bags, is a small bag woven with animal claw patterns, which was often worn around the waist by officials in the Northern Dynasties to seal the ribbon.

In the Tang Dynasty, the official seal, fish symbol (turtle symbol) bag and the bag containing exquisite things were used separately. According to the record in the Forbidden City, "In the first year of last year, more than nine kinds of bags were sharpened by swords, made into the shape of fish, and taken as the symbol of strength." Sharpen bags and fish-shaped bags are called "fish bags" and "seven wastes" in the old and new Tang books. These seven things are sabre, knife, whetstone, action truth, punch, syringe, flint bag and so on. Seven Things to Waste Time should be the former name of Seven Things Pocket (Chapter 78 of Qi Lu Deng). Women in the Tang Dynasty especially like to wear purses. Most of this wallet is round with different patterns on it. Most of the women wearing satchels are dressed in Hu clothes and belts around their waists, dressed as western women. However, lotus bags are usually hung on the waist, such as the stone carving of Wei tomb line in Wangcun, the maid in Tang Li Chongrun's tomb and tomb murals.

In the Tang Dynasty, many ethnic minorities had the custom of wearing lotus bags. For example, in the funerals of princes of various countries in Cave 158 of Dunhuang Mural, it can be clearly seen that there are two minority figures with lotus bags hanging around their waists, and the lotus bags made are very distinctive. For example, in the first row, a man kneeling on one leg is cutting his nose. His left waist is hung with a heart-shaped wallet, which looks like a cloud. In the second row, there is a waist-shaped purse hanging on the left waist of the man with his hands on his chest, and the color is the blue edge of Baidi Lake. These two wallets both look exquisite and have exquisite workmanship. The lotus bag worn by Tibetan emissaries in Yan Zou Ma Tu in Tang Dynasty also reflected the customs at that time.