There are many traces of screens left in the vast sea of ??historical materials, ancient books, poems, and paintings. For example, "Chang'e" by Li Shangyin, a poet of the Tang Dynasty: "The candle shadow on the mica screen is deep, and the dawn stars are gradually setting on the long river. Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and the blue sea and blue sky are in my heart every night." In the poem, due to the background of the screen, Chang'e's loneliness is and regret show themselves more deeply.
Another example is the long scroll "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" painted by Gu Hongzhong in the Five Dynasties. It is three meters long and divided into five sections. In the painting, a screen is used to divide the scene into five sections: listening to music, watching dancing, resting, blowing, and having a banquet. So, why did the ancients always like to place screens in their houses?
"Screen", also known as screen door or barrier, refers to the screen placed between doors and windows. Most of the ancient houses were in the form of courtyards constructed of civil engineering, which were of course not as strong and dense as modern reinforced concrete structures. Therefore, in order to block the wind, the ancients began to make furniture such as screens, and often placed the screens behind the bed or on both sides of the bed to achieve the effect of blocking the wind. Liu Xi's "Shi Ming Shi Bed Zhang" of the Han Dynasty said: "Screens can block the wind." That is to say, screens have the functions of wind blocking, shelter and partition.
As the dynasties changed, the development of screens was promoted. There were more types of screens and their uses gradually became wider. Some screens are made entirely of wood. This kind of wooden screen is very strong, so it can be used as a lean on or for hanging sundries. For example, during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a man named Wang Kun who was very stingy. Not only did he store the wine under his bed, but he also hung all the rice, salt, soy sauce, etc. at home on the screen beside his bed. Anyone who needed it had to go through his hands to get it.
The use of screens had begun as early as the early Western Zhou Dynasty, but at that time they were not called screens but "Di" or "扆". For example, "Zhou Li·Tian Guan·Zhang Ci": "When the king traveled to God, he set up a felt case and set up an imperial residence." Jia Gongyan of the Tang Dynasty. Shu: "The residence is said to use the board as a screen and decorate it with Phoenix Emperor feathers. This is called the place where the king sits." Also in "Lunheng·Shuxu" written by Wang Chong of the Han Dynasty, it is uploaded: "With the 憆 in the south and the countryside sitting, the 憆 is behind." "The "Historical Records of the Han Dynasty·Biography of Mengchangjun": "Mengchangjun sat and talked with guests, and there were often attendants behind the screen to record what the king said to the guests." This shows that the name "screen" appeared in the Han Dynasty and made it popular at that time. The recorder has the function of dividing the indoor space and blocking the line of sight.
During the Han Dynasty, the use of screens had become very popular, especially in the homes of wealthy and prestigious people. For example, "Miscellaneous Notes of Xijing" records: "The crown prince of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty established the Sixian Courtyard to invite guests. There are six halls in the garden, and the guesthouses are all spacious and high-rise, with beautiful screens, curtains and mattresses." According to Huan Kuan's "Salt and Iron" "Lun Sanshi Pian" uploaded: "A cup of kettle requires the efforts of a hundred people, and a screen uses the efforts of ten thousand people." It takes the effort of ten thousand people to make a screen, which shows the luxury of the screens in the Han Dynasty. At this time, the types and forms of screens were increased and modified, and the original single-fan screen developed into a curved screen with multiple fan screens, which was foldable and also called a continuous screen or a stacked fan screen. Screens are often used in conjunction with beds. They are not only practical, but also an indispensable indoor decoration.
Before the Han Dynasty, screens were mostly made of wooden boards that were painted and then painted. However, after the invention of paper and silk, most screens were made with wood as the frame and paper or silk as the surface. In addition to paintings and calligraphy, there are also dyed valerian patterns or embroidery, and most of the written content is poetry. In the Tang Dynasty, in this prosperous and peaceful age, the world was always decorated with the most beautiful things. Paper screens were popular during this period, and painters might paint beautiful landscapes, flowers and birds on them, poets might write inscriptions and chants on them, and some wealthy families would even paste gold foil on them. These decorative screen paintings were always pleasing to the eye. There were also screens using carving, inlaying and painting techniques for use in the palace.
In addition, after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, some literati gradually liked a simple screen. This kind of screen is made of white paper, completely white, with nothing painted on it. It usually uses wood as a frame, so it is called a "plain screen". However, there are not many people who simply use white paper without decorating the screen. Most of them still add poems, books, and paintings.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, screen culture reached its peak. According to the "Tianshui Bingshan Record", there were nearly 400 screens of various sizes among the belongings confiscated by Yan Song, the traitorous official of the Ming Dynasty. There are also many descriptions of screens in "A Dream of Red Mansions". For example, in the 71st chapter, when Jia Mu's eightieth birthday, Jia Mu asked: "How many of the girls who were given gifts by me before have screens around them?" Sister Feng said: "There are sixteen families in the country with screens, twelve large and four small Kang screens. Among them, only the Zhen family in Jiangnan has a large screen with twelve screens, and the bed is covered with red satin tapestry." "Hut", with a gold-plated "Hundred Years of Life" picture on one side, is first-class. "In the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, rich and colorful handicrafts were applied to the production of screens, which brought the screen art of the Qing Dynasty into its heyday.
The word "screen" makes people feel very poetic. It creates a quiet space that seems to be separated but not separated, and seems to be broken but not broken. The extremely exquisite screen is made with fine workmanship and skillful workmanship. The screen is decorated with various paintings with exquisite and colorful patterns. It records customs, historical stories, landscapes, etc. It not only shows the high level of handicraftsmanship of the ancients, but also It reflects the close relationship between screens and art and culture.