Customs of Qing dynasty

The Qing Dynasty is a multi-ethnic era. In this era, there are more than 50 nationalities living. Manchu is the ruling nation, known as the Manchu Empire. Its social life customs will inevitably have a profound impact on the ethnic groups it rules. However, the social life customs of the ruled nationalities, especially the Han nationality with developed economy and culture, also have a certain influence on Manchu. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty was an important period for the change of social life customs in China. It is of historical significance to study this point. This paper only expounds some changes in the living customs of Han and Manchu after the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains.

The first is forced haircut. The rulers of the Qing Dynasty changed some living customs of the Han people by coercive means. Han people used to tie their hair, that is, pull it up and cover it with a crown or towel, or wrap it with a towel after combing it neatly. Therefore, it has become a feature of the Han people. Braiding hair was originally a living habit of men in Liao and Jin Dynasties. They combed their hair and braided it into a long braid that hung behind their heads. Manchu was originally a Jurchen nationality, belonging to the Donghu ethnic group, and its social life customs were deeply influenced by the Liao and Jin dynasties, so Manchu was also used to shaving their heads and braiding. Shaving means shaving the hair above the forehead, braiding the hair left behind, hanging it behind your back, or wearing it on your head. Shaving your head and braiding your hair are the characteristics of Manchu men. In the late Ming Dynasty, Jianzhou Jurchen was powerful, unified all the departments of Jurchen and seized the vast area of Liaohe River basin occupied by the Ming Dynasty. Manchu nobles forced Han men in their area to shave their heads and braid their hair to show their obedience. Those who refuse to shave their heads will be punished.

In April of the first year of Shunzhi, the Qing army was shut down. On May 1 day, the Qing army occupied Tongzhou, and Regent Dourgen ordered Tongzhou officers and men to shave their hair. In the same month, the Qing army captured Beijing, and Dourgen once again issued a haircut order, so that "those who shave their hair smoothly, the local officials will be promoted to one level each, and the military and civilians will not be moved." "Anyone who defected to the government, the army and the people shaved their hair and dressed according to the North Korean system." "There are people who say they are obedient but don't shave their heads", "Obviously they are resisting and determined to commit crimes and send troops to suppress them". Then it was strictly ordered that "all hair should be shaved off" and "if there are still violations, it will be suppressed." This shaving order is characterized by equal emphasis on kindness and prestige. If you shave, you will be caressed. If you don't shave, you will be suppressed. Shaving changed the national customs of the Han people, conquered the Han people spiritually, and was strongly resisted by the people in the north. "People in Sanhe County are in chaos." The contradiction between the rulers of the Qing Dynasty and the Han people became acute. At that time, due to the uncertainty of the overall situation of the country, in order to suppress the Li Zicheng uprising, Dourgen had to temporarily change the policy of compulsory haircut to ease the contradiction with the Han people in the north. On May 23rd, the first year of Shunzhi (1644), he issued an order to suspend the haircut: "From now on, people all over the world can still tie their hair at will", and the haircut actually stopped.

Second, change clothes. This is another measure taken by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty to change the living customs of the Han people. Almost at the same time as shaving and braiding. Han people's clothing is basically a big sleeve with a coat off. The Qing court ordered it to be changed to Hanfu, and Manchu clothing featuring arrow clothing and small sleeve was popularized. There were strict rules on clothing in Qing Dynasty. During the Kangxi period, civilians, attendants and book collectors were only allowed to use silk, spun cotton, fine cocoon, bamboo taro, woven cloth, wolf fox and sheepskin. And foxes are not allowed to make fur hats and gold is not allowed to be ornaments. Slaves, excellent people and soap are only allowed to use textile cotton. Satin yarn and all kinds of fine leather clothes are not allowed. Therefore, in the Qing dynasty, the quality of clothes and costumes varied with the level of official positions and industries, so as to show a person's identity and status. If you break the rules, you will be punished.

In the Qing Dynasty, ordinary scholars and businessmen wore robes and jackets and melon seeds hats, while the robes and jackets of businessmen could only be sewn with silk according to regulations, indicating that they were first-class bitches. Farmers generally wear cotton-padded jackets, long-term workers and slaves wear vests, sandals or Ma Xie in summer, while others wear straw hats or hats barefoot. Ordinary Manchu women wear robes, which can cover their feet and are extremely wide. The cuffs are flat and big, without horseshoe sleeves. Sleeves, skirts and skirts are edged with various colors, with a low collar and then gradually increased. On the eve of the Revolution of 1911, the robe became a small waistline. Robes are also the main clothing of Han women.

Manchu women often wear a short or waist-length vest (vest, vest) over their robes. The sole is particularly high, usually as high as one to two inches, and then as high as four or five inches. The upper part of the sole is wide and round, shaped like a flowerpot, commonly known as the bottom of a flowerpot. Shoes have wooden soles, and the middle part of the soles is cut into horseshoes, which is called "horseshoe soles". Most of these high-top shoes are worn by young and middle-aged women, while older women wear flat shoes made of flat wood.

The gowns of the Qing emperors included court clothes, gowns, gowns (auspicious clothes) and end caps. The emperor wears royal robes at ceremonies, court meetings and pilgrimages to foreign countries. The robe is decorated with golden dragon pattern, colorful cloud pattern and twelve chapters. Chapter 12 refers to 13. The moon, stars, mountains, dragons, China insects, catfish, Zong Yi, seaweed, fire and pink rice are respectively decorated on the left and right shoulders, clothes and dresses. It is the symbol of supreme authority, and it is exclusively used by the emperor.

Dragon robes, also known as auspicious clothes, are robes worn by emperors in general ceremonial occasions. The coat is bright yellow, and the sleeves are made of turquoise, round neck, right split, arrow sleeves, shoulders, front and back, and golden dragons are embroidered at the split. It's exquisite, with five in front and five in the back, which happens to be the Ninth Five-Year Plan. There are twelve chapters before and after the text, and the hem is decorated with eight treasures and flat water lines, that is, the horizontal water lines present Shi Bao, such as harmony, drum plate, Longmen, jade, fish, pine and other things, indicating that the four seas are clear and flat, and mountains and rivers are endless.

The robe is stone blue and wears outside the robe. In the Qing dynasty, the crown words were official, discipline, regularity, prosperity and harmony. For example, the winter clothing crown of the Qing emperor is round, with the brim folded, made of smoked mink or black fox skin and decorated with Zhu Wei. There are three layers on the top, each named Pearl, all decorated with four golden dragons, and one named Big Pearl. The official hat is decorated with crown beads of different colors to distinguish different grades. It is called the crown hat, also known as crown beads: one red coral, two red corals, three bright sapphires, four dark sapphires, five bright white crystals, six secret recipes, and seven, eight and nine items are golden flowers or gold-plated silver (both pure gold and gold-plated). There is a peacock feather behind the official hat in Qing Dynasty, which is called Hualing. Hualing is divided into three eyes, two eyes and one eye. Eyes refer to the circular patterns similar to eyes on peacock feathers, and a circle is a glance. The number of feather eyes reflects the difference of grades. The Qing Dynasty stipulated that among members of the royal family, the rank of title was lower than that of prince, county king, Baylor's Beizi and Gulen, and they could wear three-eyes. In the Qing imperial clan and the vassal department, people who were named as the Lord of the town or the Lord of the auxiliary country, as well as Heshuo's forehead, can wear double-eyed Henaan; Five or more items can be taken care of by ministers, pioneers and guards serving in the palace, and they can wear monocular feather. The emperor awarded Dai Hualing, the minister, meritorious service. This is a high compliment. Later, another kind of "blue feather" appeared, which was made of blue-dyed stork hair and had no eyes. It was worn by officials below the third class.

The marriage of Han people in Qing dynasty was still the same as in the past, with parents arranging everything and matchmakers' words. At the same time, concubines are still common. My concubine is called concubine, or aunt, or little woman. Concubine has a low position in the family, and should serve her in-laws, husbands and wives like servants. My parents, brothers and sisters generally can't communicate with my husband's family, that is to say, they don't recognize kinship. Can't go to the temple, can't sacrifice after death, can't be buried with her husband. My life is miserable.

The marriage custom of Manchu people had strong national characteristics before the custom. The Eight Banners govern marriage, and the same surname is allowed to get married, regardless of seniority. Manchu weddings are also relatively simple. When engaged, the man gave the woman a saddle arrow. When the woman sent the bride away, the man went out to meet her, then held a banquet and gave her gold, silver, silk and satin. Later, with the close economic and cultural exchanges between Manchu and Han nationalities, the marriage customs of Manchu have undergone great changes under the influence of Han nationality, and some backward marriage customs have been gradually abolished, such as prohibiting marriage regardless of seniority, being strict about seniority and paying attention to ethics. After the Qing Dynasty ruled the Central Plains, it gradually formed a set of complicated and meticulous marriage etiquette to meet the needs of feudal political and economic development. Generally speaking, there are the following processes: "seeing each other-cutting in line (meaning engagement, that is, making a small decision)-ceremony (making a big decision)-wedding-returning to the door". Look at each other, that is, the housewife goes to the woman's house, asks her age and looks; Insert, that is, after sitting up and looking at each other, the male elders go to the female home to insert jewelry and pearls for the couple, indicating their engagement; Giving a gift means that the woman gives a dowry and the man pays it back. The wedding was grand and the bridal chamber was exquisitely decorated. The bed must be made by an elderly woman (with parents and children) of a general practitioner, and fruits such as dates, chestnuts and peanuts are placed around the quilt, indicating "early birth". At the wedding, the groom greets the bride. The bride usually gets on the sedan chair at night and blows it all the way to the groom's house to celebrate the wedding ceremony and hold a banquet. Bride and groom's bridal chamber. After the bride sits on the bed, the groom unveils the red cloth covering the bride's head, which is called "unveiling the veil". Immediately, the newlyweds drink "cheers" and eat children's cakes and longevity noodles. At this point, the wedding is complete. On the morning of the third day after marriage, the groom went to visit his parents-in-law, and the bride went to visit her parents. The wedding ceremony also retained some Manchu national characteristics, such as shooting arrows in the sedan chair, that is, the sedan chair arrived at the groom's house, and the groom held a bow and arrow in his hand and shot three arrows at the closed sedan chair (actually at the bottom of the sedan chair). It is said that it is to drive away the ghost following the sedan chair.

Manchu nobles pay attention to the right family and don't marry civilians. But you can marry the bureaucrats and nobles of Mongolia, Han nationality and North Korea. In addition, Manchu women have more freedom than Han women, and unmarried girls can go to temple fairs, theaters, shops and teahouses at will. All women don't bind their feet. Important festivals in Qing Dynasty include New Year, Lantern Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. The New Year Festival is the most grand and national festival with the most national characteristics in the Qing Dynasty. From the emperor to the people, thousands of families attach importance to this festival. Before the festival, we should sweep the floor, remove dust and dirt, clean the door, have a haircut and take a bath, and buy new year's goods. Steaming rice cakes, killing pigs and sheep, cooking, sewing new clothes, preparing sacrifices, changing door gods and posting Spring Festival couplets. Qing Palace also hangs Spring Festival couplets. Palace couplets are mostly posted on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month and dismantled on the third day of the first month. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are Chinese New Year's days. New Year's Eve is the last night of the year, that is, December 30th of the lunar calendar. New Year's Eve means getting rid of the old year and welcoming the new year tomorrow. On New Year's Eve, we should offer sacrifices to the gods and ancestors. "Every New Year's Eve, we make a long list of percentages in the atrium. Percentage is the panorama of the sacred heavens "; At the same time, portraits of ancestors were hung, tea fruits, powder cakes and incense candles were presented, and the whole family bowed down in turn. Sacrificing gods and ancestors is to express gratitude to the ancestors of gods and pray for good luck in the coming year. New Year's Eve is a night for family reunion, so we should have New Year's Eve dinner. This New Year's Eve dinner, with chicken, duck and fish, is very rich. "Yanjing Year" Day: "The New Year's Eve dinner is made of gold, silver and rice, topped with pine and cypress branches, decorated with money, dates, chestnuts, longan and fragrant branches, and can only be taken after five holidays." It is blessed to eat jiaozi in the north and pack a penny in jiaozi during the Chinese New Year holiday, which is still very popular in rural areas. Eating rice cakes in the south means rising year by year. In Jiangnan and other places, there is a custom of observing the age. On New Year's Eve, red candles are lit indoors, which is called Guannian. In the bright candlelight, people stay up all night, reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future. Firecrackers also rang all night. During the Chinese New Year holiday, "lucky money" is popular all over the Qing Dynasty, which means you have money all the year round. There are two kinds of lucky money: one is "wearing money with colored ropes, weaving it into a dragon shape and putting it at the foot of the bed, which is called lucky money"; Two "respecting children is lucky money" The latter has been passed down to this day. On New Year's Eve in Beijing, when Yanjing was 18, there was a vivid description: "The capital said New Year's Eve is thirty nights. Early in the morning, the emperor went to the temple to be congratulated: ordinary people knocked on this tube, which is called the year of worshipping officials. The home of the world, to the ancestral temple, hangs idols. After dusk, the whole family sat down for the New Year. Wine pulp is on the market, brightly lit, and women and children play dice and compete for leaves. On the occasion of Haizi, the darker the sky, the more firecrackers, the more incense, and the lower bound of God. I have arrived in Korea, the rising sun is the window, firecrackers are in my ears, and my family is knocking at the door to congratulate me. In a blink of an eye, it will be the New Year. " New Year's Day is the first day of the first month and the first day of the year. Ordinary people should wear new clothes, and almost every household should hang "Fu Tao" (that is, the painted "door god"), set off firecrackers, burn incense to worship the heavens and the earth, pay homage to their ancestors, and wish each other "Congratulations on making a fortune" hand in hand to celebrate the New Year. On the first morning of the New Year's Day, the Qing emperor went to Fengxian Hall and Shouhuang Hall to burn incense in front of the royal guests to worship their ancestors. After returning to the palace, I will have breakfast, eat boiled cakes and reunion cakes. The cooked cakes are jiaozi, and one of them is wrapped with a silver shovel and put on the bowl surface. If you get it right away, it will be auspicious. "The grand occasion of the New Year's Day in Jingshi, when Jingdi was 18 years old, has been described in detail: New Year's Eve, the night is the first night, and the treasure torch outside the door wins glory, and jade competes for jade. Shoulder cluster, chariots and horses stumble. Hundreds of officials flocked to North Korea to celebrate New Year's Day. I heard firecrackers, such as thunder and thunder, all over the government and people, and didn't stop all night. There is even the rattle in the temple, the sound of selling melon seeds to relieve boredom, the sound of buying glutinous rice liquor and making ice cups, the sound of buying osmanthus flower oil to shake Jiao Niang, and the sound of selling jambalaya fine powder, which is comparable to the sound of firecrackers. The house of the gentry, new clothes, mourning belts, offering sacrifices to the gods and ancestors; After burning silks, the whole family worshiped, offered pepper plates, poured cypress wine, steamed cakes and drank powdered soup.

Other important festivals in Qing Dynasty, such as Lantern Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, generally follow the customs of Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, but there are some changes. Lantern Festival, the Qing Dynasty stipulated that the 13th to 17th day of the first month was the Lantern Festival, "only the 15th day was called the Lantern Festival", which was five El shorter than that of the Ming Dynasty. Lantern lanterns and ice lanterns are the most characteristic of the times. Ice lanterns spread from the northeast to the central plains. All kinds of ice lanterns constitute a colorful world of ice lanterns, which makes people linger. Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional festival in China, which is in April of the solar calendar and the first half of March of the summer calendar, around May 1 day.

Almost every household in Tomb-Sweeping Day has to save graves to worship their ancestors for an outing. There is a custom of inserting willows in Hangzhou and other places in the south of the Yangtze River, and willow branches are inserted on the door to determine the rainfall in B year; Both men and women wear crowns or wicker rings woven with wicker branches. As the saying goes, "Qingming does not wear willow, and beauty becomes the head." Dragon Boat Festival is on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, also known as "Duanyang" and "noon". The customs of the Qing dynasty have not changed much compared with the previous generation. On this day, every household picks long Pu and Bai Ai and hangs them on both sides of the gate, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine. Dragon boat races in the south were grand in the Qing Dynasty. Mid-Autumn Festival, also called "August Festival" or "August and a half" in Qing Dynasty, is similar to the previous generation. "Yanjing Year" records: "Every Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes and fruits are presented at Zhumen and Mansions. On the full moon in May, Chen Guaguo was in court for the month, offering sacrifices to edamame and cockscomb flowers. It's just the right time, the clouds are scattered and the children are noisy. This is really called a festival. Only when the moon is offered will men not bow down. Shi Jing old proverb: Men don't Yue Bai, women don't sacrifice stoves. "