Old photo: Did the real characters in the late Qing Dynasty subvert your understanding of the Qing Palace Opera?

A Mongolian riding a camel. 1906, Japan published the photo album Scenery of Qing Dynasty, which recorded the architectural attractions, street customs and people in Qing Dynasty. The photographer is unknown. According to Bian Xiao's judgment, it is likely that photographers Nana Ogawa Xinyi and Yamamoto Sanjiro were active in Beijing in the late Qing Dynasty. Today, we choose the images of relevant figures to visually present the images of our ancestors more than 0/00 years ago.

A carpenter at work. Are the characters in these old photos very different from those we saw in TV dramas? In reality, people of different classes dress completely differently, especially between Manchu and Han nationality. However, when we design the roles in TV series, we tend to simplify the reality. If we use this to understand history, we will go astray.

A group photo of Manchu and Han women. The five people sitting in the first row obviously come from a wealthy family. Can you tell who is Manchu and who is Han? Judging from the costumes, the first right and the third right are typical Manchu people, which we often see in the Qing Dynasty dramas. The second one from the right, wearing a hammer and trouser legs, is a typical Han Chinese; The first one on the left and the second one on the left are more interesting. Their headdress is Han style, but their clothes are Manchu. Is it Hanqi's?

A sedan chair bearer carrying an official sedan chair. We usually think that ministers of the Qing Dynasty went out in sedan chairs. In fact, most ministers don't ride in sedan chairs, but in carriages. Because ministers have to spend their own money to hire sedan chairs, it is very expensive to hire 4-8 sedan chairs all year round, so it is much easier to raise horses and hire grooms.

Manchu women ride donkeys. This is a very interesting scene. The woman rode on a donkey, dressed up beautifully, followed by a shirtless page. I don't know if the man in front is her domestic servant or a vendor who sells goods to her.

Manchu women smoked opium. After careful identification, this smoking woman may be the same person as the donkey rider, with similar appearance and clothing. The children of the Eight Banners in the Qing Dynasty didn't have to farm and do business, and the court paid them a monthly salary. Without the pressure to make a living, they live a life of drunkenness. By the end of Qing Dynasty, many people were addicted to opium.