What are the ancient and modern ways to send letters?

1. Poems about the way the ancients sent letters

1 Poem about ancient ways of sending letters. What are the ancient ways to send letters?

China is one of the first countries in the world to establish an organized information transmission system.

As early as 3000 years ago, there were records of information transmission in Shang Dynasty. Post-horse relay is an early organized mode of communication.

The "Postman" sculpture is located in Jiayuguan Railway Station Square, based on the mural tomb of Wei and Jin Dynasties in Jiayuguan. With a simple document in his hand, the postman galloped at high speed on all fours. This brick mural was taken as the theme of a small stamp by the First Congress of the All-China Philatelic Federation 1982, which shows that Jiayuguan is one of the cradles of information culture in China.

The appearance of ancient information transmission can not be separated from the Great Wall, which is "up and down for five thousand years, with a vertical and horizontal distance of one hundred thousand miles". The word "Great Wall" first appeared in the documents of the Warring States Period.

In ancient dynasties, due to the different architectural forms, the titles of such defense projects were different, such as: Fierce City, Fangcheng, Fortress, Linluo, Jiegou, Side Wall and so on. All these actually refer to the Great Wall. In fact, the Great Wall in a broad sense refers to all the giant military engineering systems in ancient China. The basic principle that has been followed in the construction of the Great Wall in past dynasties is "adapting to local conditions and adapting to risks".

The first is to build the project according to the base type. The second is to make full use of geographical and natural disasters to defend the enemy.

The Great Wall is mainly composed of city walls, including ramparts, passes, barracks, health centers, piers, towers, observation, communication and other comprehensive functions, forming the most stringent military defense system in ancient times. Among them, the beacon tower located in the Great Wall is an important part.

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, in order to guard against enemy invasion, the "bonfire tunnel" was used as the contact signal for border defense emergency. In the ancient history book "Zhou Li", it is recorded that "on the passage from the frontier to the hinterland of various countries, a beacon tower is built at intervals, one after another. There are oranges on the stage, and there are cages full of firewood on the heads of oranges. When the enemy invaded, the beacon tower set off fireworks in succession to convey the alarm.

Every night, the watchman lit the firewood in the cage and held it high, calling it a "lighthouse" to convey information to the leaders. During the daytime warning, the firewood piled up on the stage is lit, and the smoke is used to indicate the urgency, which is called "embarrassment". In order to make the smoke straight without bending, so that it can be seen from a distance, the ancients often used wolf dung instead of firewood, so it was also called wolf smoke.

The Zhou Dynasty stipulated that when the emperor raised a bonfire, local governors must immediately lead troops to rescue and fight against the enemy. It can be seen that the implementation of the beacon system means that a huge and perfect military information contact network has appeared as early as last week.

From 1972 to 1976, archaeologists in China obtained more than 30,000 wooden slips of the Han Dynasty through excavation, and excavated the beacon tower site, which provided us with abundant information about the beacon tower of the Han Dynasty. According to the wooden slips, during the Han Dynasty, there were beacon towers from the four counties in Hexi (now Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang in Gansu) to Yanze, with a very large scale and extremely strict management. Known as "beacon tower versus Wan Li", it is said that "five miles and one whistle, ten miles and one pier, three miles and one castle, and a hundred miles and one castle".

In addition, various secret codes are used to indicate the number of invading enemies. If the enemy is less than 500 people, one beacon will be launched, and if the enemy is more than 500 miles, two beacons will be launched. In the unearthed Firefighting Articles, the provisions of the imperial court at that time, namely the Convention on Joint Defense, were recorded.

This article stipulates the detailed rules such as the category, quantity, mode of transmission, and how to correct mistakes when the Huns invade different parts, time, intention, changes, abnormal weather, and even when the captain is sick. This way of information transmission has played a certain role in defending the border and resisting the enemy.

The bonfire conveys information very quickly. In BC 1 19, General Wei Qing and Huo Qubing led hundreds of thousands of troops to attack separately, marching with bonfires as signals. In just one day, this signal spread from Hexi to Liaodong thousands of miles away. Because of the rapid and timely warning of beacon tower, it has been used until the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Yantai City, Shandong Province, was named after the establishment of Wolf Yantai here in the Ming Dynasty to prevent Japanese invasion. Although the bonfire transmits military information quickly, it can't fully express the profound and complicated military content. With the development of society and the needs of politics and military affairs, the communication mode of transmitting information by animal power has gradually occupied a dominant position, forming a more rigorous delivery system for transmitting government documents and cooperating with beacon early warning.

In the Western Zhou Dynasty, in order to meet the needs of the communication between the king of Zhou and the princes, a post station was set up every 30 miles on the avenue, and horses and weekly cars were prepared, which were specially responsible for delivering official documents, receiving officials and transporting goods. Confucius once said: "The popularity of virtue is faster than posting."

In other words, the moral theory he advocated spread faster than postal money orders. It can be seen that postal communication at that time was not only quite complete, but also quite fast.

A whole set of evacuation system was formed in Qin and Han Dynasties. Especially in the Han Dynasty, the documents delivered were graded, and the documents of different grades should be delivered by special personnel and special horses in accordance with the prescribed order and time.

Sending and receiving these documents must be registered and marked with time to show responsibility. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the cause of evacuation developed unprecedentedly.

The official postal transport line in the Tang Dynasty centered on Chang 'an, the capital city, radiating in all directions and reaching the frontier, with a post station about 30 miles away. According to the Six Codes of the Great Tang Dynasty, at its peak, there were 1 639 post stations in China, with more than 20,000 people specializing in postal services, including 1.7 million post soldiers.

The post is divided into three types: land post, water post and waterway merger. Each station is equipped with a station house, a post horse, a post donkey, a post boat and a post yard. In the Tang Dynasty, there were also explicit provisions on the itinerary of the post station. Lu Yi's trotters walk six posts a day, that is, 180 Li, and then there are about 300 Aliri, and the fastest requirement is 500 Aliri. Pedestrians travel 50 miles a day; Sailing against the current, the river is forty miles, the river is fifty miles, and the other six miles; When it is good, specify 100 to 150 miles.

The poet Cen Can wrote in the poem "A Judge on the Road to Longshan" that "after a post, the post rides like a Milky Way; Pingming sent Xianyang, the curtain and the top of the mountain. " Here, he compares the post horse to a meteor.

On November 9th, 14th year of Tianbao, An Lushan rebelled in Fanyang. At that time, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was in Huaqing Palace, three thousand miles apart. Within six days, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty learned the news, and the speed of communication reached 500 miles per day.

It can be seen that the organization and speed of postal communication in Tang Dynasty reached a high level. Song.

2. Ancient ways of sending letters

The ancient method of transmitting information was to tie a rope with a specific metonymy (1).

Knotting is a common method to convey original information. The custom of tying knots in ancient China is described in historical books. I ching said: "in ancient times, knots ruled, and later saints used them to write behaviors." A hundred officials rule, and the people keep it. "

"Zhuangzi" contains: "The ancestors were allowed to become families ... I wish the Rong family, the Fu family and the Shennong family, and at that time, the people will use it." "History of the North" also mentioned: "Hunting is a profession, simplicity is a custom, simplicity is a change, not a speech, but a woodcarving knot."

The knotting method is widely used in the ancient history of China with a long history. When recording the date of appointment, Gaoshan people in Taiwan Province Province tie several knots according to the number of days and untie one knot every night.

The Barrow people in Tibet cut a knot with a knife every other day until the last knot is cut, which means it is due, and when the knot is untied, it means the date of appointment. When Yunnan Dulong people travel alone, they often tie a hemp rope around their waist and tie a knot every day to record the number of days they leave.

When Yao people have disputes, they often get a verdict in front of the leaders. The method is that both sides of the dispute hold a rope, and whoever speaks a truth will tie a knot until the end, and the party with more knots will win the case. In class society, the tradition of knots has also been inherited by businessmen and changed in shape and use.

In the stalls of shops, hotels, teahouses and merchants, all kinds of covers or signboards are often decorated with all kinds of decorative pieces, strung together with ropes, embroidered with sapphires, colorful striped fabrics, all kinds of beads or rows of ears. There are also many unique covers, which are woven with thick hemp ropes. Here, the knot has become a new medium to convey advertising information.

(2) Wood carving. Wood carving is another symbolic language.

Historical books also record the historical facts of woodcarving in various parts of China. For example, in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, "When an adult calls, the woodcarving will be believed." Although there is no text, I dare not violate it. "A Answer from Outside the Ridge" also said: "Yao people have no words, and they are carved with two boards of wood. People hold one and leave one. "

"Yunnan Tengyue State Records" also mentioned: "Yi people have customs, and all loans are on credit, and all financial terms are agreed. I don't know how to write, but I only use woodcut as a symbol, each holding half of the other party, as promised. " In the process of commodity production and exchange, the custom of carving wood for commemoration evolved into the inscription of officials or the mark of celebrity goods, that is, the names of officials or celebrities were stamped on the goods sold.

If we go back further, woodcarving can even be regarded as the source of commodity trademarks and logo advertisements. (3) Display smoke.

It was recorded in China during the Spring and Autumn Period that military warnings were transmitted by fire and smoke. After Qin Shihuang, a beacon tower was built every ten miles on the Great Wall of Wan Li, using dried wolf dung as fuel. After ignition, the flame and smoke soar, which may spread the emergency alarm to a long distance.

The ancient poem "The sunset in Pingsha is red in the west of the desert, and the stars on the dragon are high and low; The phrase "watching bonfires in several places in the lonely mountain, strong men waiting to beat drums" is a true portrayal of the application of this original information transmission method. This medium was also used in the business activities of businessmen in ancient society. For example, there are records of night teams and caravans "lighting fires for the number" in different periods.

(4) drums. The original way of information transmission has both visual and auditory effects.

The information transmission acting on hearing is mainly carried out by means of audio communication tools, among which signal drum is the most common. In China, the Jino cowhide wooden drum is also hollowed out at both ends of a thick tree, tied with a furry cowhide, hung on the tree and struck with a mallet. Every new year's day, men, women and children will get together to sing and dance.

(5) the number of bamboos. The Nu people in our country used bamboo trumpets to spread information during the funeral, and played bamboo trumpets with different numbers to inform the whole village of the funeral.

The number of bamboo trumpets increases or decreases according to the identity of the deceased: unmarried deceased plays one bamboo trumpet, married people play two, and old people and leaders play five or six. Tribal members immediately rushed to the home of the deceased and sent eggs to mourn.

Entering the class society, with the differentiation of businessmen, businessmen walked the streets and created a variety of information dissemination tools such as blowing, pulling and hitting. For example, merchants in the Han Dynasty recorded that they played flutes and sold sweets. (6) Audio equipment.

Ceramic chimes and urns unearthed from Miaodigou site in Neolithic age in China, as well as three-hole urns unearthed from Jiangzhai site, all have the function of making music. After entering the class society, with the development of commodity production and commodity exchange, the forms of audio advertisements are becoming more and more colorful. Various utensils in daily life may become the media of audio advertising, such as bowls, lamps and pots closely related to daily life, and flutes, pianos, harps, drums and gongs related to entertainment have also become the tools for advertising information transmission.

Many businessmen have also specially made vocal instruments to show the characteristics of the industry for the needs of advertising, such as a vendor's rattle, a barber's tweezers fork, and a copper bell for a knife sharpener. The widespread use of specific metonymy shows that the ways and means of advertising communication have changed greatly.

With the frequent communication activities and the progress of communication technology, people borrow all available tools or objects to deliver advertising information more effectively and pertinently. The richness of media forms makes human advertisements spread in a wider area, conveying richer ideological, cultural and commercial information.

2. The draft of metonymy (1). Also known as dirt.

This is a naturally growing thing, but when it is inserted into the items for sale or sale, it has the meaning of recognition. Mustard was used in different historical periods of ancient China society, from daily necessities to poor families who sold their children because of hunger and cold.

Cao Biao has been mentioned many times in Water Margin, the most famous one is about Yang Zhi selling knives: "Yang Zhi bought a treasure knife that day, inserted a Cao Biao and sold it on the market." The grass sign here has the function of advertising media.

(2) ears of wheat, hedges and wicker. It often appears in front of food stores in rural areas and can be hung on the door or fence at will, which not only plays the role of logo, but also shows the simplicity and hospitality of the store. Small hedges and wickers can immediately close the distance between shops and customers, merchants and passers-by, and are also advertising media with low production cost but excellent communication effect.

(3) gourd ladle and grass broom. Grass broom is also called "grass brush", "grass pole" and "broom pole"

After the Song Dynasty, the market restriction was broken, and shops could be opened not only in residential areas, but also in markets and rural areas. Straw brooms, as advertising signs, often appear in restaurants and teahouses, and there are many records about these things in the literature of Song Dynasty.

3. What are the ancient ways to send letters?

First, bonfires spread military intelligence.

"Beacon" is a communication method used in ancient China to transmit frontier defense military information. It began in Shang and Zhou Dynasties and extended to Ming and Qing Dynasties. We have been learning from each other for thousands of years, especially in the Han Dynasty. At the height of the frontier defense military fortress or transportation hub, a high platform is built at regular intervals, commonly known as beacon tower, also known as beacon tower, trestle, smoke pier, etc. Garrison is waiting on the high platform. When the enemy invades, they burn firewood during the day to give an alarm by "burning smoke" and at night to give an alarm by "bonfire" (fire). When one station lit a beacon, neighboring stations also lit torches one after another, passing by one by one. In a short time, in order to report the enemy's situation, they dispatched troops, requested reinforcements and defeated the enemy.

Second, Hongyan passed the book

The story of Biography of Hongyan comes from the story of "Su Wu herding sheep" in Biography of Wu. According to records, in the first year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (BC 100), Su Wu, the messenger of the Han Dynasty, was captured by the fierce slave Shan Yu. He was brave and unyielding, and Khan exiled him to Beihai (now Lake Baikal) to shepherd sheep in no man's land. 19 years later, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, and the fierce Han Dynasty reconciled and married. The envoys of the Han Dynasty were ferocious and asked Su Wu to go back. Khan refused, but he couldn't say it, so he lied that Su Wu was dead. Later, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty sent envoys to kill slaves. With the help of the jailer, Chang Hui, the deputy envoy detained with Su Wu, secretly met with the ambassador of the Han Dynasty one night, told him about Su Wu, and came up with a plan for the ambassador of the Han Dynasty to tell Khan: "Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty killed a wild goose while hunting in Shanglinyuan, with a letter tied to his foot, which said that Su Wu was not dead. Han was very happy after hearing this, so he blamed Khan according to Chang Hui's words. Khan was surprised after hearing this, but he couldn't deny it, so he had to let Su Wu go back.

Third, fish carry a ruler.

In China's ancient poems, fish was regarded as the messenger of words, and the words were represented by "fish essence", "fish book", "carp" and "double carp". In the Tang Dynasty, Li Shangyin wrote in the poem "A Letter to Secretary Hu Ling": "Song and Shu are separated from each other for a long time, and the two carp are far apart." In ancient times, people often wrote letters with silk, but in the Tang Dynasty, writing letters in the world woven with silk became more popular. Because people in the Tang Dynasty often used a foot-long silk to write letters, letters were also called "rulers" ("plain" means white raw silk). Because people often combine large and small elements into the shape of a pair of carp when carrying letters, there is what Li Shangyin said: "Two carp are far from a piece of paper". Obviously, the "double carp" here is not really two carp, but just a size element that constitutes the shape of the double carp.

Fourth, the Jade Bird delivers books.

According to China's ancient rare book Shan Hai Jing, there are three kinds of bluebirds, namely Zhao Lan and Yan Zi (the author has not found the name of another bluebird). They are the attendants and messengers of the Queen Mother of the West, who can fly over Qian Shan to deliver information and good news of good luck, happiness and happiness to the world. It is said that the Queen Mother of the West once wrote a letter to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The Queen Mother of the West sent a book to the Jade Bird, and the Jade Bird always sent the letter from the Queen Mother to the Chenghua Temple in the Han Palace. In later myths, the bluebird gradually evolved into the king of birds-Phoenix.

Five, "Huang Er Biography"

At present, there is no clear statement about the exact start time of carrier pigeon book transmission, but as early as the Tang Dynasty, carrier pigeon book transmission has become very common. There is a record of "Pigeons Pass Books" in Wang Renyu's "Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" in the Five Dynasties: "When Zhang Jiuling was a teenager, he raised a group of pigeons at home. Every time I communicate with my relatives and friends, I only go to the pigeon's foot book department, follow the instructions and fly to vote. I was a flying slave when I was nine years old, and people liked to be surprised. " Zhang Jiuling was a statesman and poet in the Tang Dynasty. He not only used carrier pigeons to deliver letters, but also gave carrier pigeons a nice name-"flying slaves". Since then, homing pigeons have been playing an important role in people's communication life during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Seven, kite exchange

Legend has it that as early as the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Lu's skillful craftsman lost the game (that is, Lu Ban) once imitated the shape of a bird. "Cutting bamboo and wood thought it was a magpie and flew three days later." This flying "wooden magpie" made of bamboo and wood is the predecessor of kite. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cai Lun invented papermaking. People made a frame with bamboo sticks and then pasted it with paper, which became a "paper kite". In the Five Dynasties, when people made paper kites, they tied a bamboo whistle on them. The wind blows a bamboo whistle, which sounds like a kite, hence the word "kite".

Eight, bamboo tube delivery book

The story of Zhutongzhuan began in the 11th year of Emperor Wen (590). That year 1 1 month, rebellions broke out in various parts of the south. In order to quell the rebellion and stabilize the country, Emperor Wendi issued an urgent edict, appointing Su Yang as the general manager of the March and leading the army to crusade.

Su Yang led the water army to cross the river into the south of the Yangtze River ... At the same time, Shi Wansui, the general manager of the March, was ordered to lead an army of 2,000 people, crossing mountains and mountains to attack the rebels. ..... One day, Shi Wansui stood on the top of the mountain and watched the breeze. He saw the dense bamboo forest dancing in waves in front of him, and suddenly realized that he immediately sent someone to cut down a section of bamboo, put the written battle report in it, sealed it and put it in the water, and let it drift down. A few days later, a fellow villager carrying water saw the bamboo tube and picked it up and opened it. He found the report sealed by Shi Wansui and sent it to Su Yang according to the tips on the report. ..... So, Su Yang continued to pursue the anti-Sui skirmishers with a great army. It was not long before the rebellion was completely quelled.

4. The method of sending letters by ancient people

Hello!

How did the ancients deliver news?

Drumming: In ancient China and Africa, drumming was the earliest and most convenient way to convey information. Africans use big drums specially made from logs to transmit sounds for three or four kilometers.

Beacon: a military communication facility built to prevent enemy invasion. In case of enemy situation, smoke during the day, light at night, and the platform is connected to transmit messages.

Flying pigeon delivers books: the information is tied to the pigeon's leg and transmitted to the destination through the carrier pigeon.

Ride a horse: Pass a post. Post station: Also known as "post station", it is a place where people or officials who delivered official documents stopped and changed horses on the way in ancient times. According to & gt； According to records, in the Zhou Dynasty, China built a building on the main road to provide accommodation for former officials and postmen. Postal service has a history of more than 3000 years, but there are not many sites and cultural relics left behind.

5. Ways of sending letters (ancient, modern, modern and contemporary)

The ancients mainly used the following methods to transmit information: flying pigeons, bonfires, fast horses, code words, sign language, letters, flags and so on.

There are mainly bird stories (flying pigeon story, wild goose story, wild goose story), post stories (galloping), bonfires, wolf smoke, semaphores, lanterns (three Zhujiazhuang, Kongming lanterns) and so on.

China is one of the first countries in the world to establish an organized information transmission system. As early as 3000 years ago, there were records of information transmission in Shang Dynasty. Post-horse relay is an early organized mode of communication. The "Postman" sculpture is located in Jiayuguan Railway Station Square, based on the mural tomb of Wei and Jin Dynasties in Jiayuguan. With a simple document in his hand, the postman galloped at high speed on all fours. This brick mural was used as the theme pattern of small stamps such as "Warlord in War", "We Won" and "Letter in a Bottle" by the First Congress of the All-China Philatelic Federation 1982. It can be seen that Jiayuguan is one of the cradles of China's information culture from "Fire Fighting", "We Win" and "Beauty in a Bottle".

The appearance of ancient information transmission can not be separated from the Great Wall, which is "up and down for five thousand years, with a vertical and horizontal distance of one hundred thousand miles". The word "Great Wall" first appeared in the documents of the Warring States Period. In ancient dynasties, due to the different architectural forms, the titles of such defense projects were different, such as: Fierce City, Fangcheng, Fortress, Linluo, Jiegou, Side Wall and so on. All these actually refer to the Great Wall. In fact, the Great Wall in a broad sense refers to all the giant military engineering systems in ancient China.

Huo Feng communication

As early as the Zhou Dynasty, China had a method of transmitting information by bonfire. As a primitive means of acousto-optic communication, bonfire served the ancient military war. From the border to the capital and the border, a beacon tower is built at regular intervals. When the enemy invaded, firewood was stored inside, and the fire alarms were lit one by one. When the princes saw the fire, they immediately sent troops to help and resist the enemy.

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, in order to guard against enemy invasion, the "bonfire tunnel" was used as the contact signal for border defense emergency. In the ancient history book "Zhou Li", it is recorded that "on the passage from the frontier to the hinterland of various countries, a beacon tower is built at intervals, one after another. There are oranges on the stage, and there are cages full of firewood on the heads of oranges. When the enemy invaded, the beacon tower set off fireworks in succession to convey the alarm. Every night, the watchman lit the firewood in the cage and held it high, calling it a "lighthouse" to convey information to the leaders. During the daytime warning, the firewood piled up on the stage is lit, and the smoke is used to indicate the urgency, which is called "embarrassment". In order to make the smoke straight without bending, so that it can be seen from a distance, the ancients often used wolf dung instead of firewood, so it was also called wolf smoke. The Zhou Dynasty stipulated that when the emperor raised a bonfire, local governors must immediately lead troops to rescue and fight against the enemy. It can be seen that the implementation of the beacon system means that a huge and perfect military information contact network has appeared as early as last week.