Qing Dynasty As the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, in 1644, Dorgon led the Qing troops into the pass, and his power was in hand for more than 20 years. The Manchu culture and the Han culture gradually collided. One of the simplest features of Manchu culture is that the Han people must shaved their foreheads and wear braids at the back to indicate surrender. In order to better consolidate power, the Qing Dynasty made great changes in the official hats.
"Guanzi·Scene" says: "When words are trustworthy, actions are poor, and the clothes are upright, the ministers will be honest."
In the Qing Dynasty, the top hats were replaced with crowns, and there were two types of top hats, which were winter clothes and summer clothes.
The top hat styles of first-grade to ninth-grade officials are almost the same, but their dresses are different. At the same time, you can also distinguish it from the top beads on the hat. The top beads on the first grade to the ninth grade top hat are very different.
According to historical records: the top beads of the first grade are ruby, the top beads of the second grade are coral, the top beads of the third grade are sapphire , the top beads of the fourth grade are lapis lazuli , the crystal of the fifth grade is tridacna , the 7th grade is primitive gold , the 8th grade is yin pattern wisp flower gold, and the 9th grade is yang pattern carved gold. If there is no top bead, it is no official rank.
Some top hats will have some special flower feather , and this flower feather is also very famous. Although the scope of rewards was expanded later and more people received this feather, at the beginning, officials who had made military achievements and made great achievements had the opportunity to get it.
flower feather is made of peacock tail feather and is divided into three levels: single-eye, double-eye (two single-eye flower feathers superimposed) and three-eye. The circle pattern of the circle on the feather represents one eye. The higher the level, the more circles, the nobler the identity of the wearer.
When you watch the palace dramas, it is not difficult to find that many officials under the sixth rank have a blue feather behind the top hat. This type is a bird feather, which is not of the same level as the flower feather.
Minister wants to get the third-rank peach feather, that is a very outstanding achievement. For ministers, the third-rank petal feather is a favor and a great honor. During the 200th year of the Qing Dynasty, few people had it, not even , Heshen, in the Qing drama.
If you just say how rare this peach feather is, it is difficult for ordinary people to understand. If it is converted into silver and money, you will understand. The system of donating cases for
was found after the First Opium War in . At that time, donating a single peach feather would cost 7,000 taels of silver. Those three are not 1+1=2 anymore.
What's more, the officials were honored by the petal feathers, so who would sell them?
But since the Opium War began, the treasury gradually became empty and the Qing Dynasty began to decline. Later on, there was a system of donating feathers, and the flower feathers at this time were no longer as difficult to obtain as before.
As the saying goes, "A scholar can be killed but not humiliated." The peacock feather, which was regarded as Mo Gao's glory, also reached the point of being sold with the decline of the Qing Dynasty, witnessing the rise and fall of a dynasty, which is ridiculous and lamentable.
The seven ministers who were rewarded with three-eyed peach feathers ( Fuheng , Fukang'an , Helin, Changling, Xien, Li Hongzhang , Xu Tong ), if they were given such a result, what would they feel?
Reference materials:
"Draft of Qing History"
"Complete History of the Qing Dynasty"
