Life of Ancient People Composition

With running water and no computers...how did the ancients live? In fact, their lives are no worse than ours!

Did ancient women shave their body hair?

Compared with their high IQs that keep pace with the times, Chinese women have not evolved much in shaving their body hair. In fact, ancient women long ago advocated shaving off their eyebrows and painting them with black paint... Yes, the women in Akira Kurosawa's movie "Ran" like to make their eyebrows smaller, which is what they learned from China. The achievements of our ancestors... In addition, ancient women also popularized "face-pulling", which is to use thread to remove the fine hair on the face... It is said that only men care about face, but it seems that this is not the case.

The ancient emperor’s harem had 3,000 people. Was it really that many?

3000? This is just a conservative number. Ancient emperors were tireless in their pursuit of female sex. The famous emperor Yang of Sui once issued an edict to recruit beauties from all over the world, and even selected 3,000 virgin women to enter the palace for his "entertainment." Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was still a piece of cake, and the top of the rankings was undoubtedly Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Don't look at the ancient books that describe his love affair with Concubine Yang as shocking as hell, but the number of people in his harem is as high as 40,000... Well, one person a day, it will take more than 100 years to use them up.

The ancients often said that learning makes you rich in five carts. How many books can be packed in five carts?

It should be pointed out that this "car" is a horse-drawn carriage or an ox-cart, not a large truck. This word describes how diligent and studious Shi Hui, a famous scholar in the Warring States Period, was. Every time he went out, he would take five carts of bamboo slips with him to read on the road. I don't know if he can understand the bumpy road, but in short, this style is enough. There are not many books in these five carts of bamboo slips, probably not even the hardcover version of "Gu Wen Guan Zhi" can be filled. According to this algorithm, any one of us will be rich in dozens or hundreds of cars.

How often did ancient people usually take a bath? What do they use to wash their hair?

The ancients paid more attention to hygiene than we think. As early as the pre-Qin period, the ancients "washed their hair once every three days and bathed once every five days." In the Han Dynasty, "Xiu Mu" also appeared, which meant that after officials worked for five days, they could take a day off to take a bath. How can today's civil servants get such treatment? Some people even wrote books because they liked bathing. This is Xiao Gang, Emperor Wen of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, and his "Bathing Sutra". The ancients washed their hair more frequently and often used water and the natural detergent "soapberry" to wash their hair.

The ancients did not have toilet paper, so what did they use to wipe their butts after going to the toilet?

The ancients probably practiced "ninja magic". Before paper was invented, the ancients used small pieces of wood or bamboo to "scrat" their buttocks after defecation, and they were not afraid of hemorrhoids. Even after the invention of paper, because China has a tradition of "respecting writing paper" and paper is relatively expensive, using paper to wipe one's buttocks is a disrespectful and luxurious act. The ancients had no choice but to continue to be "ninjas". Until the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolian people didn't care about paper, and their buttocks have been treated with "gentleness" since then.

The ancients did not have refrigerators, so how to preserve food?

Who said the ancients didn’t have refrigerators? A "copper ice mirror" was unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Hou Yichu in Suixian County, Hubei Province, which is the earliest refrigerator discovered in the world. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, slaves cut ice in winter and stored it for the nobles to drink in summer. Simply put, the ancient "refrigerator" was a box with ice cubes in it, and food was placed in the middle of the ice to achieve antisepsis and preservation. However, the "refrigerator" in the past was simple and had a single function. Unlike now, the refrigerator can even become a container for murderers in thrillers.

How did the ancients predict the weather?

In the Shang Dynasty, using the eyes, ears and other sensory systems to observe celestial phenomena was a great skill. It was not a problem to get a high position in the government. By the Zhou Dynasty, people had learned to predict the weather from the behavior of animals. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the ancients completed the formulation of the twenty-four solar terms. Later, the advent of the lunar calendar was the crystallization of the wisdom of ancestors of past generations. Although the ancients did not have sophisticated instruments to predict the weather, they were often much more reliable than the so-called "weather forecasters" today.

How did ancient women wear makeup?

Applying makeup and makeup is a hobby that has never changed for women since ancient times. The three most commonly used magic weapons by ancient women are: powder, makeup powder and rouge. "Dai" is a black mineral that can be used to draw eyebrows by grinding it into powder and then mixing it with water. Makeup powder is now powder cake. Rouge is an ancient lipstick. The raw material is a kind of flower called "red and blue". It can also be used as blush after being mixed with makeup powder. Nowadays, the dazzling array of cosmetics gives women more choices, and their "masking" skills are even better than those of the ancients.

The ancients did not have condoms or condoms, so how did they prevent pregnancy?

If an ancient emperor did not want his concubine to become pregnant, he would order the eunuch to hang the woman upside down and wash her private parts with saffron. In the past, brothel women would also take a "cooling medicine" containing musk to prevent pregnancy. However, the effect is not 100%. Wei Xiaobao's 80% success rate was caused by his mother not taking good contraceptive measures, and some people even drank highly toxic mercury. Of course, most ancient people did not deliberately use contraception

How did garbage be disposed of in ancient times?

The ancients were much more environmentally friendly than modern people. Uncivilized things like littering rarely happen. As early as 8,000 years ago, ancient people would centralize garbage disposal and use natural or excavated pits to pile garbage.

The fastest way to deal with garbage is to burn it directly. If you can't burn it, bury it. Most of the remains of ancient garbage dumps are broken porcelain and lacquerware. If you put a lot of effort into it, you might be able to restore an antique. Therefore, if you want to make a fortune, you can dig through the garbage of the ancients.

Did ancient people drink water raw or boil it before drinking?

Only modern people will be troubled by this problem. In ancient times, there was no environmental pollution. Whether it was river water, spring water, well water, or even rainwater, you could drink it directly without worrying about diarrhea. Only when the weather was cold, the ancients would boil water and drink it. Although water can be obtained anytime and anywhere, ancient people had to be careful of water sources being contaminated, because most of the epidemics of ancient plagues were related to drinking water. Villains in martial arts movies often use dirty tricks like poisoning water to take people's lives without even a trace.

Were there maps in ancient times? How is it made?

It is said that when Yu the Great was controlling floods, he had a map. The oldest existing maps in China are three ancient maps from the Han Dynasty that are more than 2,000 years old. The "Six Types of Cartography" created by Fei Xiu, a geographer in the Western Jin Dynasty, made the compilation of maps more accurate. Ancient maps were basically measured step by step, so the brothers who made the maps must first be ascetics like Tang Monk. Because it often takes more than 10 years to make a national map, which is a huge and boring project.

How to correct typos written by ancient people?

The easiest way is to just paint it out with a brush. This is how Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing dealt with typos. Therefore, "Wang Xizhi Orchid Pavilion Preface" and "Yan Zhenqing's Manuscript of Memorials to Nephew" can be regarded as "graffiti works" by two great calligraphers. The most common method is to add dots with a brush next to the misspelled word (usually in the upper right corner) and keep the original word and continue writing. Another method is to apply a mineral called "orpiment" on the typos, which is somewhat similar to the current "correction fluid"... That's how the orpiment comes from.

In an era without pesticides, how did the ancients kill them?

There are various kinds of medicines used to prevent and control pests in ancient times. Plant-based medicines include Jiacao, Mangcao, etc., animal-based medicines include mirage, fishy water, etc., and mineral-based medicines include salt, sulfur, lime, etc. Arsenic etc. Methods used include mixing into seed collections, planting with seeds, soaking in water or boiling juice and spraying, lighting smoke, smearing insect holes, etc. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the government even had to set up officials to control pests. Every time when pests are rampant, there will be a spectacular scene of "all the people catching insects".

What time did the ancients go to work? Check in?

Don’t think that clocking in to work is a perverted modern invention. If you look at the work records of ancient people, you will feel that they are much more humane now. The working hours for civil servants in ancient yamen were as follows: in spring and winter, they had to sign in at 6 a.m.; in summer and autumn, they had to sign in at 5:30 a.m. If anyone dares to be absent from work or late for no reason, it will not be as simple as deducting some money. Depending on the number of days and the severity of the case, he may be punished with flogging or imprisonment. Therefore, if you are late for work, you may suffer physical pain, which is not easy to deal with.

Do ancient students have winter and summer vacations or weekend vacations?

Today’s students often complain that the holidays are too short. If this complaint had occurred in ancient times, it is estimated that teachers or parents would have had two layers of skin removed from the palms of their hands. In ancient times, students did not have special holidays. Except for festivals celebrated by the whole country such as New Year and Dragon Boat Festival, students' daily task was to study hard in the cold window. Before the exam, they had to stab their buttocks with a cantilever, or dig a wall to steal some light, and sprint for the exam. . In ancient times, only officials could take vacations. Therefore, after working hard to obtain meritorious titles, you could legitimately take vacations.

Did ancient babies drink goat’s milk or cow’s milk? Or just drink breast milk?

If babies in ancient times could drink goat's milk or cow's milk, there would not be so many tragic deaths in infancy. Ancient people usually could not drink animal milk until they reached a certain age. Babies still mainly received breast milk containing human antibodies, because at that time, animal milk did not have the current sterilization technology, and babies had no resistance to bacteria. What if the mother has no milk? The only option was to "borrow breast milk", and the profession of wet nurse was born. Poor families without milk can only use rice ground into a fine paste suitable for swallowing as a substitute.

How did the ancients make fire?

Initially, when the ancients saw a volcano erupting or a lightning strike causing a fire, they thought it was some kind of god and would worship it. Later, Suiren saw woodpeckers making smoke by rubbing against wood, and learned to drill wood to make fire. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the "Yang Sui" method was invented to make fire, which was to use a concave bronze mirror to make fire using the principle of focusing sunlight. It was very convenient to use fire until humans knew how to make fire by striking rocks. Therefore, flint is a must-have item for ancient people at home. However, be careful to keep it out of reach of children and kittens to avoid playing with fire.

Can an iron pestle really be ground into an embroidery needle? If not, how are the needles made?

In ancient times, all metal things were considered valuables. If the allusion is true, the old lady who sharpened the iron pestle could be regarded as a rich and free person. However, making iron needles does require a lot of perseverance and patience. First, draw the red-hot iron into wire, then cut it into sections, sharpen one end and drill a hole in the other end. Making needles for acupuncture is even more cumbersome. You must first insert them into the bacon to fill the holes with grease, and the tips must be sharpened and rounded to prevent the needles from breaking blood vessels.

There were no sanitary napkins before. Are menstrual cloths disposable or reusable?

The longest thing on women in ancient times, apart from their hair and foot-binding cloths, was the "menstrual cloth". The menstrual cloth is a long strip of cloth used to wrap the lower body tightly when the "big aunt" comes. However, because women in ancient times participated in physical labor more frequently, it was still inevitable to "see red". In addition, because China has always advocated frugality, used cloth strips will still be cleaned and reused. Today's women should be grateful to the inventor of sanitary napkins, which "liberated women" to a certain extent.

How did the ancients lose weight? Are there any home remedies for breast enlargement?

Compared with today’s various weight-loss drugs, the ancient methods were much simpler, such as drinking tea to lose weight. However, people in ancient times rarely had a lot of food and fish. They had to do heavy and tiring work all day long. How could they gain weight? The ancient methods of breast enlargement were more natural, such as using dietary supplements such as red beans and soybeans to achieve the effect of breast enlargement. In addition, the ancients believed that acupoint massage can also promote breast turbulence. Compared with the "internal adjustment method" of the ancients, today's breast enlargement method is more dangerous, and it can cause "breast destruction" if you are not careful.

Is a watchman who shouts on the street in the middle of the night that the sky is dry and things are dry and careful about the burning candle considered a civil servant?

Watchmen in ancient times were similar to today's community patrol teams and administrators. They were mainly responsible for patrolling neighborhoods and telling time at night. Because they travel at night, they are more likely to "run into ghosts" than ordinary people. In zombie movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan, watchmen often die suddenly and inexplicably. Having said that, watchman is a serious profession and can be regarded as a civil servant, because in ancient times, lower-ranking soldiers in the army were assigned to be watchmen, just like bodyguards and policemen. What is certain is that their treatment is not as good as that of current civil servants.

In addition to listening to singing and opera, how did the ancients celebrate their birthdays?

China respects the elderly and the virtuous. Only the elderly can live a long life. When a newborn baby turns one year old, a "week-catching" session will be held. From now on, every birthday would be celebrated by the parents by boiling a few eggs. This was called a "little birthday". Only those who are 60 years old are eligible to celebrate "shou", that is, a "big birthday". At this time, a big stage can be set up, and relatives and friends will also send precious gifts and beautiful blessings. Therefore, in ancient times, if you wanted to have a decent birthday, you had to have the ability to live a long life.

If the ancient heroes participated in the current Olympic Games, would they win a great victory?

Who do you think will win in a PK between Spider-Man and Sun Wukong? This kind of question can only spark a war of words and never come to a conclusion. Most ancient people were engaged in physical labor, so their endurance and endurance should be much better than those of modern people. However, in the current Olympic Games, the entire country is dedicated to cultivating a small group of young athletes. With the support of financial resources, manpower, and technology, the heroes of ancient times will probably not be able to compete with them. However, in some competitions that value endurance, such as the marathon, the ancients still had a high chance of winning.

Did ancient people have plastic surgery?

The ancients believed that "the hair and skin of the body are influenced by the parents." Therefore, the ancients would not take the initiative to go under the knife on their bodies like modern people do. In previous wars, it was very popular to cut off the noses of prisoners of war. Therefore, the ancients developed a set of nose reconstruction surgery, which is to cut a gap in the arm, fix the arm on the injured nose, wait for the wounds on both sides to heal, and then dig out the nose from the arm. Lose a piece of meat the size of your nose and use it as a new nose. However, this is completely different from modern plastic surgery for beauty.

Did ancient people brush their teeth?

The ancients also paid great attention to oral hygiene. Our ancestors have long used the middle finger of their right hand as a toothbrush. Later, the "poplar toothbrush" invented by the Indians was introduced to China by monks, also known as "wooden toothbrush". The method of use is very simple: bite one end of a poplar branch until soft, dip it in the medicine and brush your teeth to make your teeth smooth and clean. A simpler method is to use "chew", chewing young branches like a giraffe, which can also achieve a similar effect. When modern people "survive in the wild" one day and forget to bring a toothbrush, they might as well return to the ancient method.

What should the ancients do if they were myopic?

In ancient times, there were no environmental pollution problems, nor were there the temptations of television and computers, so there were very few people with myopia. Usually those who are short-sighted are those who study hard. Think about it, they are always digging into walls to steal light and studying at night. It would be strange if they are not short-sighted. The ancients believed that unclear vision was due to lack of concentration, so "Dingzhi Pill" was the most commonly used prescription. Acupoint massage and acupuncture were also used to treat eyes. During the Ming Dynasty, glasses were introduced to China from the West. With the help of glasses, people ruined their eyes even more unscrupulously.

How were eunuchs castrated? How to pee?

During the operation, white cloth strips will be used to tie the eunuch's abdomen tightly, and then paralyzing chili pepper water will be used to disinfect, and then the person's hands and feet will be tied, and then you will have to see the master. The sword skill is great. It is best to solve it with one knife, and cut off the penis and scrotum together. Otherwise, if the cartilage grows back, you will have to cut it again. If you accidentally cut it too deep, a hole will be dented, causing urine to leak out. After the operation, due to the lack of "water pipes", the eunuchs usually pee in a fan-shaped shape. In order not to soil their pants, they can only urinate while squatting.

Did men circumcise in ancient times?

In ancient China, there was no such custom of making men lose their skin. Men generally cherish their body hair and skin, and only ethnic minorities have the tradition of circumcision. Circumcision is more common abroad. For example, ancient Egyptian reliefs depict adult males receiving circumcision in a standing position.

The reason for traditional circumcision is not for hygiene, but for the worship of the penis, which considers the foreskin to be an appearance defect.

In ancient times, women wore bellybands on their tops, so did they wear underwear?

The ancients referred to clothes as "yi" on the upper half and "shang" on the lower half. "Shang" is a bit like a skirt. To put it bluntly, it is just a fig leaf. It wasn't until the Spring and Autumn Period that pants appeared. Later, women would wear an extra pair of old pants during menstruation to avoid soiling their outer pants. Gradually, men followed suit and gradually evolved into the underwear worn today. Nowadays, not wearing underwear has become another sexy expression.

Did ancient men like to cross-dress?

"Drag men" are similar to today's gay men, who are feminine and handsome and like to play female roles. There are relevant records in the documents of the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, this kind of preference for beautiful men was mainly popular among the nobles. By the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, even the common people had heard about it. During the reign of Emperor Wei Ming, Pan An, He Yan, Du Hongzhi and others were famous handsome men at that time. They were so good at applying vermilion that even women were inferior to them.

Were there lesbians in ancient times?

In ancient China, lesbianism was often called "Mojing", and both parties obtained a certain degree of sexual satisfaction by rubbing or stroking each other's bodies. Since both sides have the same body structure, it seems that there is a mirror placed in the middle, so it is called "grinding mirror". There was also a woman who disguised herself as a man and tied a dildo around her waist to have sex with her partner. In ancient times, lesbianism mostly occurred in the harem, because the only men the palace ladies came into contact with were the emperor and eunuchs. When there were not enough men, the palace ladies had to "digest internally" on their own.

Is it really feasible to send messages by flying pigeons?

In ancient China, it is unknown when flying pigeons began to be used to deliver messages. During the Mongolian Western Expedition, messenger pigeons were already used in large numbers in military activities and made great contributions. Later, pigeons became a wonderful tool for delivering love letters and the "matchmaker" for many beautiful marriages. The ancients used flying pigeons to deliver letters, often using red silk thread to tie the letters and notes to attract the recipient's attention. Nowadays, we use email, phone calls, videos, etc. Although they are more convenient and faster, they lack a trace of romance and expectation.

Did ancient people have vaults or safes? How did they hide the money?

As early as primitive times, in order to preserve the food they had hunted so hard, the ancients would dig holes, put the food into the caves, and then put a big stone to block it. Later, it evolved into wrapping valuables in animal skins, which should be regarded as the prototype of a safe. With the development of utensils and locks, people began to put money into boxes and cabinets made of different materials. However, even if the "safe" appears, a group of green forest thieves will inevitably appear halfway. Banks emerged as a result, but they also became more professional institutions for "harboring stolen money".

Do previous banknotes need to be protected against counterfeiting?

The earliest banknotes in ancient times were born among the people and were freely issued by merchants. But doing so can easily lead to hair loss and forgery. Later, Jiaozi (China's earliest banknotes) were officially issued, and anti-counterfeiting measures were even stricter, and two official seals were stamped on the banknotes. During the Huizong period of the Song Dynasty, it was changed to "Qian Yin" with a more complex pattern, and multi-color overprinting was added to make it more secure against counterfeiting. Since then, every dynasty has had its own unique anti-counterfeiting methods. There are so many tricks that modern people still haven’t figured out how our ancestors guarded against counterfeiting.

Did ancient people wear dentures?

As early as the Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing invented the method of filling cavities with amalgam. In the Song Dynasty, there were also professional doctors who installed dentures. Ancient dentures were made of many materials, including ivory, ox bone, and hard sandalwood. In addition to solving actual dental problems, dentures also have decorative and show-off functions. "Dental bridge" is to tie the teeth with soft gold iron wire and then tie it into the entrance. It has no chewing function and is purely for decoration. This reminds me of the Hong Kong movies of the 1980s and 1990s, where the nouveau riche opens his mouth and flashes of gold teeth.

Did boys in ancient times have long hair?

The level of effort that the ancients put into three thousand hairs is beyond the imagination of modern people. In ancient times, both men and women had long hair, and the longer the better. They almost never cut their hair, and at most they trim their fringes. Even then, they still have to look at the almanac to choose the day. When a boy reaches the age of studying, he will tie his hair into a bun, which is called "study with hair tied". The "bald punishment" in ancient times was an unbearable punishment for the ancients. It was what Sima Qian called "shaving one's hair and being humiliated."

Did ancient people smoke?

Tobacco was first introduced to China from Luzon Island in the Philippines during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It was initially grown in small quantities in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, but not many people smoked it. As we all know, the scourge caused by tobacco began with the Opium War. A little opium became the trigger for rewriting Chinese history. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, British businessmen brought cigarettes to the mainland through trade. At first, they gave away cigarettes for free, and then started selling them after people became addicted.

What were ancient jade or gem-like ornaments carved from?

Gold is valuable but jade is priceless. The ancients have known for a long time the preciousness of jade and gemstones. And "stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade" also shows that the ancients had a long-standing understanding of hardness and knew how to use harder minerals to grind stone tools. When carving jade, the ancients often crushed minerals such as quartz, garnet, and diamond with higher hardness into gravel, which became "jade sand". Later, the hardest "emery" appeared, that is, broken diamonds. Now, no matter how hard the gem is, it can be "slaughtered" by others.

Did the alarm clocks of ancient people only have roosters?

What if the rooster that was used as an alarm clock was killed? Of course the ancients would not hang themselves from a tree. In addition to the clepsydra and the sunglasses, the ancients also invented the incense clock. The incense coil is made from a special mold. The thickness of the incense coil is even and the burning time can be accurate. Then estimate the time from the scale on the incense coil remaining after burning. Later, the ancients improved the incense clock. When the incense burned to a fixed scale, the heavy object hanging on it would fall and hit the metal vessel under the incense coil to achieve the effect of an alarm clock.