Old photos in the late Qing dynasty: the daily life of farmers in the north, squatting on the wall to eat and driving carts?

In the late Qing Dynasty, French missionary Michel de Maynard was active in Shandong, Shaanxi and Beijing. What is very special is that he went deep into the countryside and recorded the daily life of farmers with cameras. This was a rare practice at that time, so his photos were particularly precious. Its photography level is not superb, but these photos restore the historical features well.

Fruit farmers who harvest fruits.

We know from textbooks that 100 years ago, under the rule of imperial power, farmers had a heavy burden, lived in poverty and the countryside was depressed, but we can't directly feel this situation. Mei used the lens to truly present the life of farmers and rural areas, making up for the lack of written records, which has important social and historical significance.

Husband and wife are walking on the wide road.

A cart with sails.

I've only met people who sail boats. Today, for the first time, I saw that they also set sails for wheelbarrows, making full use of the power of nature, and I had to feel the infinite wisdom of the people! It's really easier for drivers to drive with the wind.

A unicycle is a very heavy vehicle, which is difficult to control. As you can see from the photos, there are not many things in the car, but it still needs 1 person to push and 4 people to pull, which is quite laborious. ?

Judging from the clothes, the photo was taken in winter. In the north, many farmers are used to eating at the root of the wall, basking in the sun in winter and looking for shade in summer. To this day, this situation still exists more or less. Why eat at the root of the wall? I thought about it, but I didn't come up with an idea. ?

For four adults and two children, the food on the table is obviously not rich. According to the literature, farmers in the north in the late Qing Dynasty mainly ate coarse grains, occasionally eating vegetables, and in most cases eating pickles. Meat can only be eaten on holidays.

As mentioned above, there is little meat on the table of farmers in the late Qing Dynasty all year round. Some people may ask, why don't they slaughter and eat meat when they raise pigs and chickens? Reluctant! Family agriculture is an important source of farmers' income. Change some money to buy farm tools, clothes, see a doctor, marry a wife and so on. There are many places to spend money.