The Qing Dynasty was a Central Plains dynasty established by ethnic minorities in Chinese history. Audiences who have watched Qing Dynasty court dramas should know that the costumes of the Qing Dynasty people are very different from those of previous dynasties, showing a style th

The Qing Dynasty was a Central Plains dynasty established by ethnic minorities in Chinese history. Audiences who have watched Qing Dynasty court dramas should know that the costumes of the Qing Dynasty people are very different from those of previous dynasties, showing a style that combines Han and Manchu.

For example, women in the Qing Dynasty court attracted attention by wearing flag clothes, combing flag heads, and wearing pelvic sole shoes.

There are also "white cloth strips" wrapped around the neck. Some of these "white cloth strips" are embroidered with patterns, and some are simply white. So, what is the function of such "white cloth strips"?

The name of "white cloth strips" - Longhua

The Manchus come from the cold Northeast region and live a hunting life. Therefore, the Manchus often wear a circle of fur around their necks when hunting outdoors. Something to keep out the cold.

After the Manchu people entered the customs, they were influenced by Han culture and due to the need for governance, their eating habits and clothing needed to be improved, but they were unwilling to fully integrate into Han culture.

Therefore, the culture of the Qing Dynasty was often a combination of Han and Manchu, and this was also the case in clothing.

In the traditional clothing of Manchu women, the collar and clothes are separate. After the Manchus entered the palace life, they rarely went out for hunting. The collar to keep out the cold no longer played a role, and gradually it was no longer needed. , In the palace The women wear luxurious flag uniforms without collars.

However, the winter in Beijing is also a bit cold after all. Without clothing to cover the neck, it is easy to catch cold. In addition, the women in the palace tend to be conservative due to the influence of Han culture, and they always feel that it is not appropriate to expose the neck to the outside.

At this time, the scarf will come in handy.

But for the royal family, it was unsightly and inconvenient to use the fur originally worn outside the customs. As a result, people in the Qing Dynasty used silk fabrics to weave scarves.

Concubines and princesses can wear it around their necks to keep out the cold. This is what we see today, the unique "white cloth strip" of Qing Dynasty clothing.

In order to match the status of the royal family, this "white cloth strip" also has a unique name, called Longhua. In addition to keeping out the cold, Longhua has also become a kind of decoration.

White is an unlucky color in traditional Chinese culture, but for the Manchus from outside the customs, white symbolizes purity and nobility, and serves as decoration. Comparing the white color of

with the gorgeous and extravagant clothes of the concubines, has a little bit of simplicity in the luxury. is also quite elegant, and the overall matching does not look strange.

Longhua is generally two inches wide and three feet long, and is completely tailor-made for women. When wearing it, one end is cleverly hidden in the chest, and the other end hangs in front, which really looks beautiful and special.

It is said that the Longhua materials of the concubines of the Qing Dynasty were all high-end silk fabrics . The cost was very expensive, and not ordinary families could afford it.

In the beginning, Longhua was only worn by concubines, empresses, queen mothers, princesses, etc. Later, it was also worn by palace maids. However, the palace maids only wore ordinary white cloth, so naturally they could not be compared with the concubines.

In short, Longhua became a unique part of Qing Dynasty clothing , and it was also a popular fashion. In later generations, many scholars who studied Manchu costumes would also make a fuss about Longhua's research.

A symbol of identity and status

In addition to its function of keeping out the cold and decorating, Longhua is also a symbol of some kind of identity and status.

In the TV series "The Legend of Zhen Huan", it is not difficult to find that the dragon flowers worn on the necks of the queen, Concubine and others are embroidered with more or less patterns, which is actually the identity of the harem women. and status distinction.

Generally speaking, the empress dowager, as the woman with the highest status and the most power, uses the finest materials and the largest size for her longhua. She often embroiders the word "longevity" or other auspicious patterns, symbolizing May you be blessed with good fortune, longevity and good health.

For example, Empress Dowager Cixi 's Longhua has many pearls and gold threads, and there are many embroidered patterns.

The queen is the woman whose status is second only to the empress dowager in the harem. She is embroidered with golden peonies that symbolize wealth.

The imperial concubine can embroider six groups of flowers, while other concubines can only embroider four groups of flowers. Those below the concubine rank will embroider a few small flowers for decoration.

Sometimes, concubines with higher status may not necessarily dress more luxuriously than concubines with lower status. After all, personal styles and dressing habits are different. The Longhua pattern that represents status is indispensable.

The slaves will use this to determine the identity of each master.

An unwritten rule is: Longhua does not allow you to embroider any pattern you want. Regardless of status, women can only embroider plums, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums, otherwise it is equivalent to exceeding their authority.

The number of patterns is also particular. Even for imperial concubines, the patterns cannot exceed five, while the patterns on Longhua for ordinary concubines are usually two.

It is convenient for the emperor to copy the brand

We all know that in the harem of the ancient emperor, even if there were not three thousand beauties, there were dozens of concubines.

The emperor, who was busy with everything, was naturally unable to accurately identify the names of all the concubines and remember their appearances. Some people had lived in the harem for more than ten years without ever seeing the emperor.

However, this is inevitably inappropriate, because the concubines in the harem have different family backgrounds. The emperor's favor is not only their own personal glory and wealth, but also related to the family power in the court.

There are even some concubines with prominent family backgrounds. Even if the emperor doesn't like them enough, he still favors them.

In this way, Longhua, which can represent status, comes into play, and its pattern is also a unique symbol for each person. The emperor can identify the identity of each concubine by identifying Longhua, and judge whether he can turn over her brand.

At this time, Longhua already had a unique meaning and attribute, which was one of the manifestations of the strict hierarchy during the Qing Dynasty.

Some concubines will also try their best to make the patterns on their Longhua flowers fresh and new. Even if the material cannot be too expensive, it must be special in order to attract the emperor's attention. Longhua has become a kind of hidden competition among the harem and concubines.

Later, with the development of the times, the ancients added collars to their clothes, such as stand-up collars, round collars, etc., so that women no longer had to bother and put a dragon flower around their necks.

plus The Qing Dynasty gradually declined, and there were fewer and fewer concubines in the harem. The emperor no longer had to follow Longhua to identify the concubines' identities.

New things are constantly emerging. Western culture has influenced China, and people's clothing has gradually gotten rid of tradition. With modern fashion, special decorations such as Longhua have gradually been eliminated, and only extremely noble women can use them.

In the old photos from the late Qing Dynasty, it is difficult to see the shadow of Long Hua.

Tracing back to the history of the Manchu period, a small piece of white cloth can reflect many things. It is not only a decoration and protection from the cold, but also a symbol of the status of women in the harem. The emperor can also use it to identify his concubines.

But in a sense, isn't "white cloth strip" like a restraint of feudal society on ancient women?