Jia not false, white jade for the hall of gold as a horse,

A room palace, three hundred miles, can not live in Jinling a history,

East East lack of white jade bed, the Dragon King invited to the King of Jinling,

Abundance of years of good snow, pearl as earth and gold as iron.

-- "Dream of Red Mansions"

It is often said that the success of the thrift defeat by luxury, luxury, both ancient and modern, the first thought is inevitably "Dream of Red Mansions" in the "four families" of the extravagant life, but the idle flip through the history of the book, and found that some of the ancient people's luxury is really more than ever. But I've been looking through the history books and found that some of the ancients were really more extravagant than others.

01

Food is the only thing that matters to people, so let's talk about "food". The "Dream of the Red Chamber" in the "eggplant replica bags china" has been Liu Lou Lou Lou lamented: "My Buddha! Pour ten chicken to match him, strange way this flavor!" The first time I saw this was when I was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, and I was a student at the University of California, Berkeley.

The Western Jin Dynasty He Zeng life is very extravagant, the daily diet can cost 10,000 money, but also lamented that "there is no worthy of chopsticks ah", every time the palace banquet, never eat the food made by the Imperial Kitchen, the emperor let him take their own home food to eat.

At that time, because not yet mastered the technology of flour, steamed bread this food is a luxury, the emperor had special decree that the future sacrifice of the temple must have steamed bread, and for He Zeng, if you do not steam out the cross cracks, then do not eat, as for to meet his preferences and how much it cost, it is not in the consideration of the.

Jin - ceramic figurines

Cai Jing in the Song dynasty is even more pompous on the diet, a banquet, he only in the crab steamed buns on the cost of more than one thousand three hundred coins, a cord that is consistently, think Su Dongpo was in the Huangzhou monthly livelihood of less than five coins, a meal dining is enough to make the ordinary people live for decades.

In Gengxi Poetry, there is also a story that Cai Jing loved quail soup, so much so that one day he dreamed of thousands of quails complaining in his dream: "A soup of hundreds of lives, the carcasses are not enough."

In the "Hulin Wang Lu" describes Cai Jing's residence, even to do buns have specialized people picking onions and shredding, the back of the kitchen staff of the complex, the feast of luxury can be seen.

Qing Dynasty - ivory dyed carving quail box

Wild history records, Heshen every morning to take a pearl, and not ordinary pearls, must be freshly caught from the sea pearls, can not be yellowed and damaged. Such a pearl one of the lightest also want eight thousand taels, the heaviest can reach 20,000 taels, "the scholarly world to buy, but fear not", and Shen is so day after day.

According to the "Qing Records" records, Heshen's family seized more than 200 strings of pearl strings, more than the Palace several times; "Heshen crime file" figures are more accurate: 60 big beads, pearl strings 236 strings. In accordance with Heshen's love of pearls, daily take pearls (powder) this behavior is indeed possible.

Qing Dynasty Pearls

If the above characters are to spend money for the enjoyment of luxury, this one is almost inhuman.

The Shishu Xinyi (New Words of the World) recorded that Emperor Sima Yan once went to Wang Ji's home to dine, and there were more than a hundred maidservants waiting on him, holding food in their hands to fill the table. The steamed suckling pig at Wang's house tasted delicious and different from the usual flavor. Emperor Wu felt strange and asked Wang Ji about it, to which he replied, "It is fed with human milk. The first is to feed the pig with human milk, what kind of heartlessness is this.

02

After talking about "food", then talk about "clothes". There is a saying called "first honor Luo Yi after honoring people", idioms also have "food and clothing parents" such a statement, the importance of the clothes of ancient times, in the clothes on the luxury is also exceptionally amazing.

In the Qing Dynasty, for example, the tycoon Ji Zhenyi, his family sable, green fox, silver rat and other types of fur clothing, only when exposed to the sun with a stick to beat, falling hair covered to the ground, are full of three inches thick.

Of course, more extravagant to belong to the Anle Princess of the hundred birds skirt, "New Tang Dynasty" records, this skirt by hundreds of bird feathers woven, gorgeous, positive look side to side look at the color is different, in the sun and the shadow is a whole new color, as if you can see the form of a hundred birds. Ziji Tongjian" also said: "Anle has woven into a skirt, straight money 100 million". Such a skirt, but also do not know how many people's efforts.

Cao's deep fear of full, every silent and so on the rise, always worried about the shape of the voice. However, the food is not heavy flavor, clothing, washing clothes, vast and so on the rank, Cao's will be dispersed in-laws, to ensure that the week to give, the family has no surplus funds.

- "Jinshu - the biography of women"

(Sui Wen) emperor both bow to fulfill the frugality, the six palaces salty service Maundy clothes.

- Sui Shu - Food and Wine

(Empress Ma) lived in the clothes of the big practice, clothing and wash clothes, do not like to be beautiful. Although the coverlet is bad, do not bear to change.

-- "Emperor Taizu of Ming Dynasty"

And, considering that the ancient emperors and tycoons even "serve Maundy's clothes" (wearing washed clothes) to be used as an example of thrift, the actual degree of extravagance must be unimaginable.

Qing - point cui flowers and butterflies head flower

03

Finally, talk about "live" and "travel".

This brings us to Shi Chong and Wang Kai's fight for wealth. Wang Kai with purple silk lined with green damask lining made up to 40 miles long step barriers, Shi Chong with embroidered satin made 50 miles of step barriers to match him. Shi Chong made peppercorns into mud to paint the walls, but Wang Kai used red stone resin to paint the walls. The first thing I want to do is to make sure that I have the right to be able to do this, and that I can do it.

Shiyu Xinyi also recorded a story that Wang Kai once punished a man by locking him up in a curved inner courtyard and not letting anyone bring him out. He was starved for several days and did not know where to go out in a daze. The vastness of Wang Kai's residential compound was roughly the same. And Shi Chong's house is more often than not more than a dozen maidservants standing waiting, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, most guests are too shy to go to the toilet.

And again, the previously mentioned Wang Ji, who once moved to live under Mount Mang in the north, where there were many inhabitants and land was very expensive. But he bought a large piece of land for horseback riding and archery, and used a rope to weave up copper coins to make a short wall around the racecourse. At that time, people called it "Golden Ditch".

Qing - gold openwork carved ancient money bracelet

As for travel, perhaps some readers have heard the story of Zhang Juzheng 32 people carrying sedan chair travel, Wang Shizhen in the "Jiajing since the first ministers biography" recorded: "Juzheng sitting on the carriage, the real Ding keep Qian Pu created for worship. Before the heavy Xuan, after the bedchamber, in order to lay down. Pond wing two hips, hips each a child standing, and the left and right service for the waving of the paintbrush incense burning, where the use of pawns thirty-two lifted."

This sedan chair has a bedroom, living room, and even two serving children, sounds really grand. The authenticity of this story is doubtful, after all, Wang Shizhen and Zhang Juzheng have a gap, but can also be used as a description of the luxury of ancient travel.

The shallow knowledge, only from the clothing, food, housing and transportation to talk about the luxury of the ancients, want to be those who spend money like dirt, extravagant behavior, behind the scenes, but there is a lot of hunger and cold suffering of ordinary people. "Vermilion door, wine and meat stink, the road has frozen dead bones", it is: "ugly empty hall, when the wat full of bed; withered poplar grass, once for the song and dance field. Spider silk child knot full of carved beams, green veil today and on the canopy window."

History as a lesson, read the police. In today's more should be "a porridge and a meal, when thinking about the place is not easy; half silk and half a wisp, always think of the material force is difficult", thrift and frugality of the road, my generation to move forward.

Note: The images in this article are from the National Palace Museum Digital Heritage Library website

References:

1, "Ran sex luxury, business in the wasteful. Tent and car clothing, poor and beautiful, kitchen food and taste, too much for the King. Every Yan see, do not eat the officials set up, the emperor always order to take their food. Steam cake on the cross does not chap not eat. Food day tens of thousands of dollars, still say there is no stick."

-- "Jin Book He Zeng biography"

2, Cai Yuan long for the phase of the day, the Secretary for the hundreds of officials, pay excellent, the cost is incalculable. One day, the set of bureaucratic meetings, stay for a drink, ordered to make steamed buns with crab roe. Drinking, the officials counted their fees, steamed buns a flavor for the money more than 1,300 coins. Also tasted a guest set of his home, wine and sound, Jing Gu library officials said: "Take the officials in Jiangxi sent salty black beans to." Officials to ten bottles into. Divided food, is the yellow bird gizzard. Yuan long asked still have geometry, the mandarin to still remaining eighty odd.

-- "The Only Awakening Magazine"

3, occasionally read "Jiao Li Hall Recollections", there is a prime minister to eat beads, the most anecdotal evidence, and urgently offered to record it. Wu County, Shi Yuanmei, to sell beads for the industry, always a small suitcase, brocade bag wrapped, but also the gold for the pill, the cut is a large pearl hidden. Heavy a grain of straight 20,000 gold, the second straight 10,000 gold, the lightest is straight eight thousand gold, the scholarly men scrambled to buy it, but fear not. Asked the use of, said: "so offer and the hall also. Hall daily morning, to beads as food, after serving beads, the mind is clear, over the eyes that is remembered, within a day, all the business is a flurry, the chest is clear, not forgotten. The old beads, and those that have been perforated, are all invalid. Therefore, the sea bead pickers, not afraid of the wind and waves, today's department store, no such thing as a strange Ang also. According to the Zhou official for the king to eat jade said that today there is for the prime minister to eat beads, really anecdotal. Westerners compiled by the Golden Tower dissected the body of the "novel," the Egyptian Queen Gelubajian, Jinfan Zhang Yan, with a bead of wine and serve, people have been shocked for the poor and extravagant, this Heshen is this for the usual medicine bait, and its elimination is not in the Gelubajian on the ten thousand yeah?

-- "four of Heshen's legacy"

4, the emperor tasted down to Wang Wuzi's home, Wuzi for food, and use the glazed ware. More than a hundred maidservants, all damask 衤罗, to hand-engine diet. Steamed dolphin fat, different from the normal taste. The emperor wondered and asked. Answer: "to drink dolphins with human milk." The emperor is very unfair, food is not finished, then go.

-- "Shishu Xinyao"

5, Kangxi nine years, rain and rain for ten days, fear of mold invasion of this, the order of the clothes of the exposure of fur in the court, open and hit, sable, green foxes, silver rats, golden leopards, Shelley sinking ship belonging to the shedding of hair accumulation ground, three inches thick.

-- "Goblet of the leftover sequel - Volume III"

6, Anle Princess made Shang Fang combined the hair of a hundred birds weave two skirts, is looking at a color, the evening as a color, the sun as a color, the shadow for a color, and the shape of a hundred birds are seen to one of the dedication to the Queen of Wei. Princess and the hair of a hundred beasts for the face, Wei Hou set bird hair for it, all with its birds and animals, the cost of work is huge. Princess of the first out of the surrender, Yizhou offered monofilament Biluo cage skirt, strands of gold for the birds and flowers, as fine as silk hair, as big as millet, eyes, nose, mouth armor are ready, loud and clear vision of the person who saw it. All clothing demon also. Since the Mao skirt, the rich and noble ministers more effective, Jiang, Ling strange birds and beasts of prey hair and feathers to pick up.

-- "New Tang Book, five lines of Zhi"

7, Junfu made purple silk cloth step barrier Biyali forty miles, Shi Chong made Kam step barrier fifty miles to the enemy. Shi to pepper as mud, the king to red stone resin mud wall.

Shi Chong toilet, there are often more than ten maidservants, all beautiful clothes and decorations. Set armor fried powder, incense juice of the genus, all ready. And with the new clothes on the order to go out, the guest more shy can not be toilet.

Wang Junfu tasted responsible for a person without clothing and women's undergarments, because the straight inside the curved pavilion heavy boudoir, do not listen to people will be out. So he was hungry for days and lost his way. Later, when he was dying, he came out.

Wang Wuzi was blamed, moved to the north of Mang. In the meantime, the land was very expensive, and the people were very good at horse shooting, so they bought the land for the enclosure, and made up the money for the enclosure. This is the first time I have ever seen a movie in the world that was so popular that I had to go back to the movies to see it.

-- Shishu Xinyun

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