Excerpts from China's traditional color illustrations

China red is also called Zheng Hong, which was also called "crimson" in ancient times. In Xu Shen's Shuo Wen Jie Zi, there is a China proverb: "Crimson, big red." It means "bright red". In ancient times, it was recorded that red materials were made like this: "Red cakes were fried blindly with dark plum water and clarified several times with alkaline water. Or use rice bran ash instead of alkali, the effect is the same. Clear many times, the color is rare ... "Red is the most saturated color, and China people think it is auspicious and festive. Men dressed in red in Zhou Dynasty, Book of Songs and Quiet Wind? "July" contains: "I am Zhu Kongyang, dressed for the son. "The Qing Dynasty's" Qinghui Hall "stipulated that the emperor must wear a red robe when offering sacrifices in the Temple of Heaven. In Cao Xueqin's Dream of Red Mansions, Jia Baoyu can't wear red from the red velvet ball on the crown to the red arrow sleeve, and then to the thick red boots. In the ancient wedding custom in China, both the royal family and the common people pay attention to wearing red robes, which has been passed down to this day. People can't live without red on holidays: Spring Festival couplets posted at the door, lanterns hung, blessings and window grilles posted, red envelopes filled with lucky money, and red dots between children's eyebrows.