Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Photography and portraiture - Beijing Qing Dynasty clothing photography
Beijing Qing Dynasty clothing photography
Why are all the photos left by Yu Ji ugly? The first is the issue of aesthetics. Our aesthetics are different in every era. You know, in medieval Europe, the standard of beauty was to look like a man, preferably with a beard. The first beauty at that time was a princess with a beard that looked like a man. Importantly, many people proposed to the princess, and some rejected men jumped into the river. The aesthetic of the Tang Dynasty was that fat was the beauty, and Yang Yuhuan, one of the four beauties in China, was also produced in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the Qing dynasty may be different in aesthetics. We look ugly now, maybe it was the beauty at that time.
Secondly, the strength of camera equipment is behind the pot. At that time, the camera equipment was very simple, not only the photos were pure black and white, but also the quality of photos from continuous shooting was affected. Moreover, there was no so-called ps technology in those days, and makeup was not as superb as it is now. I am used to seeing the photos of beautiful women with high ps makeup now, but I really can't find beauty when I look at the photos at that time.
Thirdly, what we are seeing now is not only the average appearance of concubines in the Qing Dynasty, but also the average image of maids, which is related to the selection and management system of maids in the Qing Dynasty. Although the ladies-in-waiting are well dressed, the accommodation conditions are generally poor. Most of the ladies-in-waiting live in annex houses, which are low and shabby. Compared with the royal family, the food of ladies-in-waiting is also very low, and they often eat some corrupt food, which is not conducive to the appearance of ladies-in-waiting.
Why are all the concubines in the harem of the Qing Dynasty ugly? The reason why the concubines in the imperial harem in Qing Dynasty were ugly was mainly because of the special system of choosing concubines at that time. The Qing Dynasty was a dynasty ruled by ethnic minorities and implemented the Eight Banners system. Later, with the continuous development of the Qing Dynasty, a series of adjustments were made. The hierarchy of the Qing dynasty was also very strict. People are divided into eight flags and three flags of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Their status and status are different, and they enjoy different rights and treatment. Moreover, in order to consolidate the imperial rule, the Qing dynasty also restricted the Han people in all aspects. For example, when the emperor chose concubines, the girls he chose were all from the Eight Banners, especially the concubines with higher status in the harem.
Basically, she is also a woman of the Eight Banners. Han women are not qualified to be concubines, and even if the emperor likes them, they will not be very tall. Compared with the Han nationality, the status of children of the eight nationalities in the Qing Dynasty is very noble. In ancient times, marriage was about matching families, and the emperor got married for political reasons. Therefore, the choice of concubines comes from the fact that these Eight Banners nobles balance the forces of all parties in the imperial court, and their purpose is also very heavy. Compared with these, it doesn't matter whether you are good-looking or ugly.
Moreover, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the purity of their lineages, and in order to maintain the dignity of Manchu lineages, they were unwilling to marry the Han nationality, believing that this was an insult to their lineages. Marriage between the Eight Banners in Qing Dynasty was basically intermarriage, especially as an emperor, choosing concubines among the Eight Banners reduced the selectivity a lot. Dwarfs are tall. Even if they grow taller, they are dwarfs. These eight banners girls are not very beautiful, even if they are carefully selected, they will not choose any goddess-level figures.
There is also a saying among nobles that there should be no too beautiful women around. The so-called beauty is a disaster, and beautiful looks are addictive and don't want to make progress. There are also many examples in history. Therefore, they think that beauty is an obstacle to the development of the royal family, and they can only be concubines and cannot enter the palace.
Conclusion Therefore, beauty is not very important in the royal family. The queen also doesn't allow too beautiful women to appear in the harem, lest the emperor get tired of playing with things.
The last few words will be over. Concubines were favored in Qing dynasty, and the life of harem women was also very difficult. The emperor's harem is definitely a battlefield where women can't see the smoke. In that hierarchical environment, it is even more complicated than the officialdom in the court. There are countless tragedies in the harem in history, so I feel that the harem in the palace should be the most unclean place.
The concubines of the Qing Dynasty were all chosen by thousands of people. Why are all the photos left behind ugly? I think there are several reasons:
One: the evolution of human beings has never stopped, including appearance and figure. We all know that human beings are constantly progressing and developing, with each generation getting better, while shine on you is better than Blue. Primitive people will look better than apes, and Qing people will look better than primitive people. It can also be inferred that modern people will definitely look much better than Qing people.
Even in our present eyes, children are much more beautiful than when we were young. It would be nice if the children of the Qing dynasty could survive, unlike now. Because our economy has improved, we pay more attention to the next generation. Since we are ready to have children, we have implemented prenatal and postpartum health care. For the sake of children's health and nutrition, do not hesitate to pay more attention to this. So today's children are healthy and beautiful, with good nutrition and good mental state. In addition, parents nowadays pay great attention to children's clothes, and it is difficult for children to be beautiful.
Second, it was influenced by the concubines selection system in Qing Dynasty. When Manchu ruled in Qing Dynasty, due to the restrictions on Han people, Manchu and Mongolian families did not intermarry with Han people. The imperial court chose all the school-age girls in the Eight Banners. But the plump girl is tall, with prominent cheekbones and ugly figure and appearance. In addition, people who grew up riding horses have experienced wind and sun, and their skin is dark. So it doesn't look beautiful now. Most of the beautiful women in history books are beautified.
Three: ancient and modern aesthetics are the same. Just like before, women were asked to pat their feet, thinking that the graceful walking of the three-inch golden lotus was beautiful. Now we look like pig's feet. It's scary. Just like the awl face that was popular a few years ago, now I think the round face looks good. Aesthetics is constantly changing, just like in our countryside, we used to choose a tall and strong, strong and hardworking daughter-in-law. Now I choose girls who are white, beautiful and well-proportioned, because few people have been farming.
The aesthetics of the Qing Dynasty does not match the present aesthetics, so most people think it is not good-looking.
Four: ancient skin care and makeup technology is backward. As far as the previous cosmetics are concerned, there are only lead, rouge, eyebrow makeup and lipstick. Moreover, the production is very simple. Mei Dai coked wicker into charcoal and painted it on Mei. Or use a piece of black ore, add water to grind it, and then draw Yumei in an understatement. And rouge gouache, red or white, is very single in style and color.
Modern lipstick alone has dozens of shades, not to mention dozens of cosmetics such as foundation, eye shadow and cream. Now putting on makeup is like changing a beautiful face. As long as the technology is good, sows can also become beautiful women. In addition, modern women pay attention to sun protection, making them more white and tender. Clothes and costumes will add to the icing on the cake. Of course, it is much better than the concubines of the Qing Dynasty.
Due to the backwardness of photographic equipment and technology at that time, there were only black and white photos, and the Qing people who were not beautiful would be even uglier. Unlike now, people have mobile phones and the color photography function is perfect. Nowadays, people can pose in all kinds of beautiful postures, and they can also be as beautiful as PS. Photography used to be ugly, but now it is beautifying people. Of course it's different.
Six: the prohibition of feudal thought made the beauty of ancient women unable to show. We can know from some works in the Republic of China that in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, women were not allowed to show their skin above their wrists, while men almost committed themselves to each other when they saw their arms. Women are not allowed to hold their heads high, or they will be suspected of seducing men. This is a sign of disobedience and is not ashamed of being a good family. Therefore, we can see that most of the photos handed down from the Qing Dynasty are hunched over and held out, which is not only unsightly, but also lacking in spirit.
Moreover, the ancients advocated that being a woman without talent is a virtue, humility and obedience is a virtue, and women are more bound. Many girls have not received the same education as men. Under the pressure of feudal society and male chauvinism, people appear dull and have no temperament.
Unlike women now, because of the development of society, it is no longer a patriarchal society. After equality between men and women, women are proud and erect. Moreover, women have received the same education as men, are rich in knowledge and read poetry books. The temperament and appearance of the whole person have been improved and they are more confident. They are as proud as peacocks and show their beauty to the world. Of course, they are better than women in the Qing Dynasty.
To sum up, because of the evolution of human beings, the selection system of concubines in the Qing Dynasty, the aesthetic differences between ancient and modern times, the single backwardness of ancient makeup and skin care technology, and the prohibition of feudal ideas, concubines in the Qing Dynasty were all ugly.
Do you agree with me? Let's discuss it in the comments section.
Concubines are not necessarily beautiful. In ancient times, they were suitable for each other, and the concubines they were looking for were basically nobles of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty. Not all the children of the Eight Banners are eligible to be selected.
Are concubines in the Qing Dynasty really a thousand choices? Are they really ugly?
1. Aesthetics: Historically, it is not difficult to find that people's aesthetics have been changing, and strong women in early society are more popular; In Han dynasty, thinness was the beauty; In the Tang dynasty, fat was a beauty; Foot-binding three-inch golden lotus was popular in Song Dynasty. Secondly, the rapid development of modern plastic surgery has greatly improved people's beauty, so we can't look at the past according to the current standards.
2. Political game: I know something about political history. Although the harem is not allowed to run politics, the fact is that in many cases, the harem is actually the epitome of the whole court, and the palace fight is the product of the political game between all parties in the court; Concubines and the political forces behind them are bound together, so in order to balance the forces of all parties in the DPRK and China, the emperor gave birth to 3,000 beautiful women in the harem. Whoever wins favor means who has the upper hand in the political game, and the emperor also makes compromises accordingly. For example, Liu Bangshi's political power expanded unprecedentedly, and Liu's defeat in the Northern Expedition of Xiongnu led to his decline in prestige and control over the imperial court, which led to his resignation and became the de facto emperor in the following decades. The queens of later generations are all members of the Lushi family, and beauty and ugliness are no longer important.
3. Based on the above point of view, coupled with the photography technology introduced in the late Qing Dynasty, only the upper class can use it, photography is not popular, makeup technology is backward, many large families will not leave their photos outside, and the photos of the Qing court are scattered among the people because of the dumping of buildings; So there is no comparison, and it is unreasonable to just compare the past photos with the present ones.
Summary: concubines in the Qing Dynasty and past dynasties were not chosen by thousands (but a small number of them were definitely chosen by the emperor himself); There is no conclusion without the comparison between appreciating ugliness and appreciating ugliness, so it is unreasonable to compare the present aesthetics with the past.
It is the first choice for a big family to marry a wife, and the family background of men and women should not be too different. Marriage is also the most common and effective way to form an interest alliance. This was the case in ancient times, but it is still very common in modern times. Therefore, there are many women who want to marry a large family, but few women can easily marry a large family. In ancient times, because it was a patriarchal society, the bondage and oppression of women were cruel, so it was beneficial for the vast majority of women to cultivate morality, whether in large families or ordinary families. The so-called "perfect body, virtuous character" has always been calculated and selected within the scope of family and moral conditions, with a small circle and few qualified people. It's just that the Qing emperor set up a queen to confer concubines, and the family status determines the starting point of harem women. There are also a few people who fight back with the view of "mother depends on child", such as Ci 'an and Cixi, whose family background is the highest and Cixi's stomach is terrible, and gave birth to Emperor Tongzhi, the only heir of Emperor Xianfeng, although it is not bad to restore Cixi's appearance when she was young by modern scientific and technological means. It's normal to look at the old photos of Qing empresses, because the emperor's women are strict in words and deeds from head to toe, giving people the feeling of being stiff. The sexy charm of women is invisible in many public places, and they dare not show their charm. Otherwise, "immorality" is not a small crime. Moreover, the photos of the Qing Empresses and Empresses that can be seen now are basically the Empresses of Emperor Guangxu. Empress Guangxu is the maiden niece of Cixi and the cousin of Guangxu. It is a deep-rooted human nature that the old widow's mother-in-law is jealous of the young wives and concubines. Moreover, Cixi has the highest power to kill and seize power, and the empresses are even more embarrassed. Of course, women in the Qing dynasty in modern science and technology photos without beauty and PS are generally not good-looking.
First, there is a small possibility that it is a corpse when taking pictures. In some areas, there are some folklore, when it was popular to take pictures of the dead.
Second, due to the technical limitations at that time, the quality of the photos themselves was not good. In addition, the photos handed down have long lost their original appearance, so the photos we see now are ugly.
Third, the main reason may be that photography technology is underdeveloped. Exposure has made a qualitative change in photos and real people. At that time, the camera was irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and yellow light and red light (yellow people have a lot of yellow and red skin colors) were exposed to black, which is why people who look at old photos of Qing civilians are all black and look very rustic. ...
For the nobles of the palace, they can't stand the "black and earth", so they have to make up and rub thick reflective powder on their faces to make themselves look whiter and brighter. However, due to the immature manufacturing technology at that time, the quality of cosmetics used could not be compared with that now, so it was difficult not to be stiff on such a thick powder face.
Finally, the way to take pictures. At that time, the sensitivity of the camera was low and the exposure time was long. During this time, I can't move, including my eyes and muscles. Many times when taking pictures, you still use a special head to support your neck at the back, otherwise you will not be able to achieve the effect of immobility. In this case, the most successful expression is to relax your face and spread it out, which will be very lifeless.
Fourth, the development of society and civilization has changed the aesthetic standards of modern people (for example, women in the Tang Dynasty regarded obesity as beauty), and their emphasis on beauty has changed.
Emperors in the Qing Dynasty chose concubines only because of their family status, not because of their looks. Because Manchu is a minority, they are particularly afraid of being assimilated by Han Chinese, so they will only choose concubines among the daughters of senior officials of the Eight Banners. This range is too small. There may be dozens that are suitable for the comprehensive conditions of the whole country. Coupled with some other political factors, these dozens of relatively beautiful ones may not be chosen. The final balance result is shown in the figure, and the comprehensive face value level is very low.
Personally, I don't understand why Guangxu was infatuated with Zhen Fei. Zhen Fei in the photo is obviously very ordinary. Later, I saw photos of several generations of emperors' harems, only to know that it was a small probability event for the Qing emperor's harem to have concubines.
First, after choosing a concubine, the first thing is birth and virtue, and appearance is secondary.
Second, there were not so many cosmetics and makeup techniques in ancient times, and there were no makeup and pictures.
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