1645, Dorgon issued the "Shaving Order" for the second time. last time was because of the strong opposition of the Han Chinese . The shaving order was not easy to implement, but this time, the Qing government has been in charge of the Central Plains for a year and its back has become hard, so it is necessary to make all the people under the Qing Dynasty shaved their hair and relaxed their clothes. We can often see "Yin Yang Head" in the Qing Palace drama . . shave the first half of the head, and leave the hair on the second half and braid it into a long braid.
The "yin and yang head" hairstyles of male actors in the Qing palace drama
But is the hairstyle really like this in the Qing Dynasty? In fact, this is a misrepresentation in the TV series to beautify the characters in the series. The real hairstyle of the Qing Dynasty was the extremely ugly "money rat-tail braid".
What is money rat-tail braid
Manchus hunt for a living when they are outside the pass, requires riding horses and shooting archery all year round. While has developed a skill in riding and shooting, they also found that it is very inconvenient to have long hair, which is not only inconvenient when hunting, but also incurable in combat.
The Qing people made a living by hunting outside the customs
Imagine if one side had long hair when two armies were fighting and was grabbed when they were close to each other, the consequences would be unimaginable. So Manchus invented a hairstyle called "money rat-tail braid" .
This hairstyle is to shaved the whole head and leave only the size of a copper coin behind the head. and extend a braid with a thick rat tail. This braid must be able to pass through the hole of money. can only be called the authentic gold rat tail braid. The gold rat tail braid is also the traditional style before Manchu entered the level.
The real hairstyle in the early Qing Dynasty was "money rat tail"
From the current aesthetic point of view, themoney rat tail braid is very ugly. At that time, the Han people in the Central Plains were also unacceptable. This was because ancient China emphasized "the body and hair are the parents who dare not easily damage it." has almost zero tolerance for this hairstyle that is not good-looking and does not conform to the values of the Han nationality.
Compared with the previous ethnic minority regimes, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty seemed to be very persistent in popularizing the "rat-tailed braid of money". Why is this?
Guan Yu's portrait of shaving his hair and changing clothes
shaving his hair and changing clothes is a symbol of surrender
In the eyes of the Qing government shaving his hair and changing clothes is a symbol of surrender. As early as period of the Later Jin Nurhaci siege outside Shanhaiguan, he began to force the local people to shave their hair. At this time, it was still Chongzhen years. As long as the city was broken, a bald head would be left, which was used to indicate the surrender to the Later Jin regime.
Huang Taiji Although the empress did not enter the pass, he also ordered the Han people outside the pass to shave their hair and change their clothes, and they should keep their hair "money rat tail" while their clothes should not be worn with big collars and sleeves, and they should be worn in the style of the Manchus. Women are not allowed to comb their hair and bind their feet, and if anyone fails to follow, they are severely punished.
The hair of the Qing Dynasty changed to a certain extent
1644, and Dorgon promulgated the "Shaving the Hair Order" and "Easy Costume Order", and clearly stipulated that all Han people must shave their hair and change their clothes. Those who do not comply can choose to "lead their hair but not their heads". But at this time, the Qing army had just entered the pass and had not yet gained a foothold in the Central Plains. The Southern Ming regime was also ready to move. Therefore, under the strong opposition of the Han people, Dorgon had to temporarily give up the implementation of the headshammer order.
The following year Dorgon issued the "Shaving Order" again. This time, it clearly requires Zhili area for one month, other areas for three months must shave your hair and dress easily, and the Han people who have not shaved their hair after will never forgive.
Portrait of Dorgon in the Qing Dynasty
As soon as the news was released, many Han people were furious, but due to the extremely tough attitude of the Qing Dynasty, the Han people could only do it. After all, the head and hair are important, and most people can still distinguish them.
But only a few Han people in the areas of Jiangyin and Jiading fought to the death, and This also broke out the two tragic city massacre incidents of "Jianyin 81 Days" and " Jiading Three Massacres " . During the "Eighty-One Day in Jiangyin" incident, the Qing army sent a total of 240,000 soldiers and civilians in Jiangyin, and a total of 172,000 people defended the city.
The Qing army once attacked Jiangyin
The Qing army paid the price of 75,000 people and three princes and eighteen generals, and the people in Jiangyin City were almost slaughtered, and only 53 people survived because they hid on the temple and pagoda. The three massacres of Jiading also massacred more than 100,000 Ming Dynasty residents who were unwilling to shave their hair.
This shows that Dorgon is extremely serious about shaving his hair, because shaving can represent true surrender. For the Qing Dynasty regime, these former Ming survivors who refused to shave their hair were also a disaster. One day they would rise up and fight against the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, using shave to measure whether the Han people surrendered was a feasible method at that time - those who shave their hair may not necessarily surrender, but those who do not shave will also rebel in the future.
willing to shave means surrendering to
Here it should be pointed out that after the promulgation of the "Shaving Order", Shandong Confucius descendants once wrote a letter to Dorgon, attempted to delay shave in the name of Confucius. He also gave an example of the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty and Jin Dynasty treating Confucius well. Unexpectedly, Dorgon did not give any face at all, replied directly to "Leave your head but don't leave your hair, and leave your hair but don't leave your head."
From this we can see that the so-called respect for Confucianism by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty was just to use Confucianism as a tool to consolidate rule.
The bronze statue of the braided head of the Qing Dynasty
Putting aside the fact that "money rat tail braid" is a traditional hairstyle of the Qing Dynasty, The Qing Dynasty forced the Han people to change their hairstyle, is to to enslave the Han people in a short time, and make the Han people surrender to themselves. As long as the Han people accept this ugly hairstyle, it means they accept the slavery of , .
Of course, with the changes of the times, this rat-tail braid of money is not static. In , the early and mid- and late Qing dynasties, there were also different forms of money rat tail braids.
The hair of the Qing Dynasty changed a lot of changes
The changes in the money rat tail
In the early Qing Dynasty, the people were leaving normal money rat tail braids. The Manchus thought they were constantly assimilating Han , but the Han people were also assimilating the Manchus? Over time, the rat-tail braid of this kind of money has undergone some changes.
The hair accumulation area changed from the back of the head to the top of the head at the beginning, and the number of hair was also higher than before. It was not as big as it was just a copper coin, but became the size of a palm. The thickness of the braid is no longer the rat tail, but is thicker.
Qing Dynasty portraits about braided heads
By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, this phenomenon developed faster and faster. At this time, the Qing Dynasty had completely settled down and didn't care much about the previous statements that shaving her hair and wearing it to enslave the Han people, so the civil and military officials in the dynasty also had more and more hair. The court is still like this, let alone the common people outside.
Until Jiaqing period, appeared in the TV series "yin and yang head" image, , but 's yin and yang hairline at this time is not that high. generally only leaves a small part of the hair behind the head, and most of the heads are still shaved.
Old photos of braids in the late Qing Dynasty
Later, the Qing government had no time to deal with such insignificant things as braids, so Han officials in the Qing Dynasty left their hair longer and longer, and more and more. Not long after, 11 Revolution broke out, The consciousness of countless people awakened. In order to show their attitude of supporting the revolution, cut off the braids left behind in the back of their heads. Money rattail braid has also become a microcosm of an era.
Overall, the speed of the change of The speed of the money rat-tail braid is exactly inversely proportional to the actual dominance of the Qing Dynasty in the Central Plains. The strong first and middle period of the Qing Dynasty, the money rat-tail braid was only the size of a palm. When it was on the decline of the late Qing Dynasty, it was more and more 70 years later. At this time, the money rat-tail braid was just in name only.
Photos of "braided heads" in the late Qing Dynasty
As for TV series, as long as the background of the Qing Dynasty is involved, will let the actors leave "yin and yang heads". This is purely from an aesthetic perspective, allowing the audience to accept the actors' looks. does not match historical facts. After all, if the actors were really allowed to film with an ugly rat-tailed braid of money, not many viewers would be able to appreciate the scenes they were filmed like this.
