Historical photographer

Thanks to the development of science and technology and the emergence of photography technology, people today can more truly see the true face of the court in the late Qing Dynasty. For example, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu could not compare with a simple portrait before. If we had a camera, it would be clear whether Zhu Yuanzhang was handsome or ugly.

Who took pictures of Empress Dowager Cixi, concubines, ladies-in-waiting and eunuchs in the late Qing Dynasty? If you are an ordinary person or a foreign photographer, it is impossible to go in and out of the palace casually and take so many private photos; So who is this photographer?

This person is the second son of Yu Geng, the minister of the Qing court in Japan and France, and Yu Xun, the younger brother of Yu; Because his father, Yu Geng, often served as an ambassador in advanced foreign countries, Yu Geng also took Yu Xunling with him, so Yu Xunling accepted western things from an early age, and Yu Xunling was very interested in photography.

After returning to China, he was elected as the official photographer of Cixi in the palace with his good academic background and elegant and handsome temperament, and many photos handed down from ancient times came from him. He can also be called the first photographer in the Qing Dynasty.

According to the article 1982 published by Qin Shouou in the Forbidden City magazine, it is a coincidence that Xun Ling became the official photographer of Cixi. From 65438 to 0895, his father Yu Geng was sent to Japan and European countries to study in Paris, France, accompanied by his two sisters De Ling and Rong Ling.

1903, the three men returned to China with their father, and De Ling and Rong Ling were made female court officials by Cixi. At that time, although the Qing dynasty was in a precarious state, it still attached great importance to various feudal systems and the so-called "laws" of ancestral homes and refused to break them easily. It is impossible for ordinary people to go in and out of the palace, let alone take pictures of the emperor and queen.

Xun Ling was born in a feudal bureaucratic family, his father Yu Geng was a senior official, and his mother and two sisters often entered the palace. The situation is naturally different. But at first, he never had the courage to take pictures of Cixi, who was honored as "Lafayette", and he repeatedly avoided it.

Later, Rong Ling came up with an idea, asking him to take a batch of photos of his two sisters and other relatives in the palace first, and give them to Cixi to see and try her reaction. Unexpectedly, Cixi was very happy after seeing it, and issued the imperial edict in advance. Even if Xunling is not satisfied with the photos she took, she can't be guilty. Let Xunling take many photos of the royal family members such as Cixi and Guangxu in the Qing Palace.

At that time, Yu Xunling was less than 30 years old when he took pictures of Cixi, but his eyesight was poor, and his appearance and temperament definitely belonged to the handsome man in the court at that time. For Cixi, who is picky about her appearance, choosing him as a photographer around her does not rule out the reason why she appreciates the temperament of Xunling.

Most notably, Xun Ling's series of photos of "Western Elysium" for Cixi opened the early "artistic photography (or cosplay)" in China. In these photos, Cixi herself dressed as "Master of Guanyin in Putuo Mountain", and eunuchs Li and Cui Yugui dressed as protectors around Guanyin.

In this regard, the British Royal Archives recorded: "July 16 was photographed in the sea. Take gondola instead of Lotus. Sigege, dressed as a lucky face and wearing lotus clothes, reached under the house. Lien Win plays Wei Tuo, thinking of bringing Wei Tuo's helmet and equipment. Three girls and five girls dressed as boating fairies, wearing fishermen's hats and simple white snake costumes, thinking of bringing costumes, red and green. The boat needs two paddles, and the garden is ready. There are also more than a dozen bamboo poles with bamboo leaves, ready for ss. " This kind of account is quite like the early planning of modern film and television directors, detailed and comprehensive.

Schoenberg's sister Delin later married an American, lived abroad and wrote many books about life in the Forbidden City, which was a sensation at that time. Xunling's photos taken for Cixi were quoted by a large number of books, which made Xunling famous and was recognized as the royal photographer of Cixi. These photos have become precious historical archives, allowing the world to finally see the royal faces and their lives that have ruled them for more than 2,000 years.

But there are few photos about Yu Xunling himself. After all, at that time, China could play photography, and few people could afford it. Nowadays, people who play photography have a saying that "photography destroys three generations and photography is poor for a lifetime". What's more, photography, which was just emerging at that time, was extremely expensive in terms of equipment and learning expenses.