Shave hair and braid

 

Shave hair and braid

 

The horse dealer Fang Shidi chatted with Agu Demba and the coachman A Zhuo about the events in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Fang Shi talked a lot about Wu Sangui's rebellion against the Ming Dynasty, because his grandfather and father, including himself, had successively He served as Wu Sangui's horse officer, and many of the things he talked about were his personal experiences. But there was one thing he couldn't understand: the Ming Dynasty at that time was hopeless. The court was corrupt, treacherous ministers were in power, and the emperor was fatuous. The Qing Dynasty defeated the Ming Dynasty, so it is understandable that corruption and incompetence, treating people's livelihood as trivial, will inevitably lead to destruction. But why did the Han people who had always cursed traitors suddenly shaved their heads and changed their clothes and became willing slaves of the Qing Dynasty? Fang Shidi sighed and said to Agudengba: Dear Mr. Agudengba, I know you are a wise man, and all I tell are stories, but I have no clue how to find the true meaning of life in these stories. Agudenba said: You raised a very important question. The general public always believes in folk tales and myths. Even the so-called saints or cultural figures only process these folk tales and myths, and they cannot tell us the true meaning of life. Meaning and free choice. Agudenba said: The ancient Han people attached great importance to hairstyle and clothing. The so-called "The Classic of Filial Piety" says: "The hair and skin of the body are received from parents and do not dare to be damaged. This is the beginning of filial piety." That is to say, after the Han people reach adulthood, they are not allowed to shave their hair except for necessary trimming. Both men and women tie their hair into a bun on the top of their head. The traditional clothing forms of the Han nationality include cross collars, right lapels, buckles, double lapels, laces and other features. The traditional clothing of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Ryukyu and Mongolia also have some of these features. Is what the "Book of Filial Piety" says right or wrong? No one refuted it, but it became a folk tradition for all Han people. The ancient Han people attached great importance to hair, and hair was almost regarded as equal to life. According to these traditional concepts, the body and hair are given by parents. Therefore, the ancients believed that hair is a part of life and the essence of the body. Therefore, cutting off one's hair is equivalent to sacrificing one's life and is considered unfilial to one's parents. Cutting hair was considered a desecration of life, so the ancients paid great attention to protecting their hair and rarely cut it easily. What's even more strange is that in ancient society, short hair and bald heads were regarded as symbols of lowliness and barbarism. The importance of hair led to shaving it becoming a severe punishment in ancient times. Shaving one's head was far more harmful than physical torture to people at that time. Not only ordinary people believe that cutting hair is a sacrilege of life, but also those powerful and famous people believe that losing hair means losing a part of life. Cao Cao once had his hair shaved off as punishment for violating military regulations, which shows the cruelty of the punishment. Miraculously, hair has also become a symbol of emotions between men and women. If a woman cuts off a lock of hair and gives it to her sweetheart, it means she has committed her whole life. The crowning ceremony for both men and women is related to hair. It can be seen that in the minds of ancient Chinese people, hair is almost equal to life and flesh and blood. Therefore, shaving one's head does great harm to a person. Being hairless represents a serious sin and will be shunned by others. This sense of humiliation is incomparable to ordinary corporal punishment. In addition, the ancients would also cut their hair to express their disillusionment with the world of mortals and their despair in life. Hair played an important role in the culture and punishment of ancient societies, and its status is unimaginable by today's people. Agudengba said to the other party promptly: Why did men's hairstyles become so ugly during the Qing Dynasty? Will the Han people obediently shave their hair and leave it in braids? This is closely related to the political and social environment of the Qing Dynasty. The customs of the Manchus who emerged in Northeast China are very different from those of the Han people. The traditional hairstyle of Manchu men is to shave their hair and leave it in braids. Their hair is braided into a long braid and hangs down. The Manchu costumes are mainly flag-dressed mandarins, which are characterized by the word "factory". Features such as cross collar, double placket, and buckles. Clothing features such as red tops and arrow sleeves are closely related to the Jurchens' reference to Mongolian clothing in the late Ming Dynasty. In the early days of Huang Taiji's accession to the throne, he once forced all Han people in the Liaodong area to follow the order of shaving their hair and changing clothes. As a result, as soon as the policy came out, many Han people rioted, attacked the government, and killed officials. Huang Taiji did not expect that the Han people would resist so tenaciously. Of course, , His policy of shaving hair and changing clothes during this period was only tentative. After all, the Qing Dynasty was not yet stable at the time. There was Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty in the pass, and there was Lin Dan Khan of Mongolia next to him, so he did not dare to overly anger the Han people. Therefore, after encountering resistance from the Han people, , he withdrew this policy and allowed the Han people's clothing and hairstyles in Liaodong to remain unchanged. However, after Huang Taiji officially changed the name of the country to the Qing Dynasty, Lin Dan Khan was destroyed by him, and the Ming Dynasty was also defeated by him many times. The Liaodong region was basically under the stable control of the Qing Dynasty. In the third year of Chongde (1638), Huang Taiji began to force all Han people in Liaodong to follow the Manchurian order of shaving their hair and changing clothes. Huang Taiji issued an edict stating: "Anyone who wears clothes from another country and makes women tie their hair and feet are in this dynasty but their hearts are in other countries. From now on, the offenders will be aggravated with serious crimes." In 1644 (the seventeenth year of Chongzhen), King Chuang Li Zicheng led the Dashun troops to capture Beijing, and Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself. The Qing Dynasty entered the customs with the help of the Ming Dynasty general Wu Sangui, and immediately implemented a shaving order in the occupied areas, forcing Han men to change their hairstyles to Manchu hairstyles and wear Manchu costumes. Because hair style held great significance in ancient Chinese culture, it caused fierce resistance among many Han people. Agudengba sadly sang the song "Shave Your Hair and Leave Your Hair in Braids": The glory of the Chinese nation, Always showing off Han culture, Chinese characters, Chinese language, Chinese clothing, Those who betray Chinese customs are traitors. The Qing Dynasty ruled for 296 years. Han people shave their hair and leave it in long braids. Strange hairstyle is a sign, The Han people became Manchu slaves. Body and hair are given by parents, Hair equals life, It is unfilial to cut off your hair. Desecrating life and begging for survival. Short bald hair is despicable, Shaving your hair is a punishment; Shaving your hair hurts like angina, Far more than physical torture. Cao Cao once violated military regulations and Cutting off one's hair as a punishment becomes a good talk, The woman cuts a lock of hair, Give this life to your sweetheart. It’s hard to imagine the Qing Dynasty, The Han people do not care about the seriousness of their sins; If you shave your hair and leave it in braids, you will be spit on. There is no shame in humiliating yourself to save your life. Everyone cursed Wu Sangui, The only thing I don’t know is self-reflection, Introduce Soviet Russia and give away territory, Who is to blame for losing power and humiliating the country? Kneel down and sing songs of Kang, Yong and Qian, I am willing to be a red-topped slave of a foreign race, The Yangtze River and the Yellow River will not flow backward; This period of history is a swan song.