At the end of Qing Dynasty, how did the royal aristocrats in the Forbidden City come into contact with the camera?

Nowadays, camera shooting and photographing have long been commonplace for us, and it runs through our daily life. But photography was first introduced to China in 1844. At that time, everyone had never seen a camera, let alone heard of taking pictures, so the camera at that time was regarded as an ominous thing that would take people's souls and lead to the loss of life, so few people touched it. So, as the royal aristocrats of the highest ruling class at that time, how did they treat the camera? How do you feel after contact?

Photography was first introduced into the late Qing Dynasty in 1844. At that time, the Attorney-General of French Customs took photos for Yingjie, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi of the Qing government at that time. Although Yingjie is a Manchu aristocrat, he is very open-minded. At that time, when the camera was regarded as "the magic to capture the soul", Yingjie was first applied to diplomatic activities. In 65438,

Photography was first recognized by everyone in diplomatic activities, so when did the ladies of the Qing Dynasty begin to contact photography? Because of the rumors that the camera bewitched the soul, and the fact that ancient women couldn't go out, women's images couldn't be seen in public, let alone copied and circulated as photos, so photography technology didn't flow into the harem for more than ten years after it was introduced into the late Qing Dynasty, until the Guangxu period in the late Qing Dynasty, the enlightened princess Zhen took the camera into the harem and took many photos.

Princess Zhen, a Manchu nobleman with a red flag, was recruited into the palace and became Princess Guangxu. At that time, Zhen Fei took her camera to the harem because she loved western things. At first, she was regarded as a big mistake by Cixi. Later, Cixi didn't like her. Before Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Beijing and Cixi fled in a hurry, she pushed Zhenfei into Cining Palace and drowned in the well of Zhenshun Gate. At that time, Zhen Fei was only 25 years old, and she left many innocent pictures.

After Princess Zhen, Cixi also experienced the pleasure of taking photos, so she became the second person in the harem to contact photography. This is mainly because once Prince Chun, the biological father of Emperor Guangxu, asked a foreigner at that time to take a portrait of him 1885. As a result, Cixi was amazed and admired. She feels like a real person. She doesn't need a painter anymore, so she also wants to enjoy this new photography.

In the 29th year of Guangxu, Empress Dowager Cixi was 69 years old. In order to prepare for the 70th birthday celebration the following year, Empress Dowager Cixi summoned a scholar who studied photography in the West to the palace and took a full set of photographic equipment to take pictures of her. Since then, Empress Dowager Cixi has become a "photography fan" and has taken many photos.

Subsequently, the number of women exposed to photography increased in the Qing Dynasty, and many photos were taken. After the death of Empress Dowager Cixi, Puyi was idle in the palace, and together with the beautiful last Wanrong, she bought several cameras and fondle admiringly took many photos.

Today, photography spread to the harem in the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, the royal family liked to take pictures. It is a good thing for us to know the true face of Empress Dowager Cixi and the elegance of the last empress.