Research on eyebrow makeup in the Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was an important period for the development of eyebrow makeup in ancient times. Of course, the prosperity and development of eyebrow makeup was by no means an accident. It was due to the prosperity of the Han Dynasty at that time. Determined by external factors such as economy and stable politics. The following is a sample paper that I, J.L, will share with you on the study of eyebrow makeup in the Han Dynasty.
The Han Dynasty had a prosperous economy, splendid culture, abundant land, etc. At the same time, it was also the first dynasty in the history of our country that could be called a complete and unified dynasty. These are all The Han Dynasty became the kingdom of heaven in the minds of the people at that time, which also made the development of eyebrow makeup in our country enter its first period of prosperity and development in the Han Dynasty. At that time, people's love for eyebrow makeup reached its peak. Its fans ranged from the condescending Ninth Five-Year Plan, to the elegant maids, and even the most talented literati and ordinary people. .
There were many types of eyebrow makeup during the Han Dynasty, including not only the eyebrow styles of the Pre-Qin Dynasty, but also clearly recorded the eyebrow makeup in the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" in "The Palace of the Ming Emperor, Brushing Indigo and Eyebrows"; at the same time, the eyebrow makeup of the Han Dynasty Eyebrow makeup styles also include wide eyebrows, distant eyebrows, etc. The wide variety and different styles of eyebrow makeup reflected to a certain extent the women's continuous pursuit and deep understanding of beauty in the society at that time. At the same time, they also reflected the rich and diverse emotional world of people in the society at that time. In the Han Dynasty, the military strength and morale at that time were particularly sufficient and high. Not only did they defeat the Xiongnu and conquer the barbarians, but they also reached their peak in terms of land expansion. In such an environment, whether they were soldiers or ordinary people, their hearts were They all exuded a strong momentum and morale, which also enabled the Han Dynasty to intimidate all parties at that time, and all tribes could only bow to it.
Even now, we can still feel the pride and heroism of the people of the Han Dynasty at that time. Then, although the Han Dynasty was a wealthy dynasty, it still could not escape the hierarchy of feudal society. These landowners and businessmen who held power began to engage in massive land mergers in the pursuit of maximum interests, while living at the bottom As described in Cai Yan's "Poetry of Sorrow and Indignation", the people are so poor and hard-working. Due to the massive expansion of land and the frequent occurrence of wars, people's lives were miserable, with wives and children scattered, families broken up, and people dying of hunger everywhere. In this environment, whether they were official women in the imperial court or humble women from the lower class, their lives and spirits were put on invisible shackles. Fortunately for us, the folk customs at that time were relatively open, and they were not bound by Zhu Zi's ethics. Those women who did not want to be bound by feudal ideas could give full play to their creativity and imagination, and inject new ideas into the development of eyebrow makeup. vitality. Among them, eyebrow makeup such as wide eyebrows, frowning eyebrows, long eyebrows, etc. are the masterpieces of women in the Han Dynasty at that time. These eyebrow makeup styles were not only sought after by people at that time, but even now we can also use these styles to be popularized by people at that time. Attracted by his character and lingering emotions.
As we all know, the raw material used by ancient people for thrush was called "Dai", as Liu Xi recorded in "Shiming": "Dai" means Dai. To eliminate eyebrows, use this painting to replace them. ?It means that ancient people had to shave off their original eyebrows and use Dai instead to draw eyebrows. So, what exactly is this "Dai"? In essence, Dai is a type of ore. From a chemical point of view, it is a type of graphite. In the Han Dynasty, people called it "bluestone" or "bluestone". Shi Dai or "Mo Dan", due to its special chemical structure, makes it soft and delicate in texture, and is used as a tool for making eyebrows, so this kind of material is also called "Thrush Stone". At the same time, this kind of graphite can also be used for writing. Men in ancient times used it for calligraphy, but our beauty-loving women use it as a beauty tool. The perfect combination of the graceful figure in front of the dressing table and the rebellious Fang Qiu in the study makes us feel as if we are personally there to experience this romance that combines boldness and charm.
However, this type of graphite can show different colors depending on its concentration. Its color span includes almost completely black, with azure blue, like pine and cypress in late winter. The green color of the lotus pond in midsummer, as well as the contrasting changes of the two colors of green and yellow, all gave ancient women a charming look on their brows. At that time, this type of graphite was relatively rare. It is said that it was produced in the Western Regions. We can confirm this statement through the record in "A Dream of Red Mansions" that there is a stone named Dai in the West, which can be used as a substitute for thrush ink. In ancient times, in addition to the material of Dai, there were also professional eyebrow drawing tools such as Dai inkstones, tweezers, and eyebrow pencils. The entire eyebrow makeup process included 3 steps:
(1) Use tweezers to Modify your own eyebrows;
(2) Grind the daisy in a daisy inkstone and add a small amount of water to adjust the appropriate color;
(3) Use an eyebrow pencil Dip in the mixed ink and apply makeup. Through these simple makeup steps, coupled with the artist's ingenuity, a variety of eyebrow makeup styles are now formed. Among the five senses of the human body, the eyebrows are the most vivid and expressive parts of the body that can convey emotions. Just as in "The Biography of Ma Yuan in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty", the words "for clear beard and hair, and picturesque eyebrows" are used to identify Ma Yuan, the general of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The mighty spirit of aid. In ancient times, there were many literati and poets who gave detailed and vivid descriptions of eyebrow makeup in their literary works, such as "For my treasure bun, eyebrows are covered with flowers" in "Yuefu Poems - Lingaotai", and There is a scene in "Mrs. Shangyuan" with eyebrows murmuring and laughing to oneself, suddenly drifting in the wind. ?
The Han Dynasty was an important period for the development of ancient eyebrow makeup. Of course, the prosperity and development of eyebrow makeup was by no means an accident. It was determined by external factors such as the prosperous economy and stable politics of the Han Dynasty. of. With the economic prosperity of the Han Dynasty, agricultural technology also developed accordingly, and land remuneration also increased accordingly. These all caused the population to continue to increase at that time. Under the private ownership system at that time, landowners could It was freely traded, so the phenomenon of land annexation occurred. The result of land annexation is that a large number of farmers have left the land and lost their basic living security. In order to survive, farmers have poured into cities in large numbers, expanding the city's population and thus developing handicraft production and commercial activities. The development of urban economy greatly enriched the cultural life of residents, and the pursuit of beauty reached an unprecedented peak in the Han Dynasty. Zhang Qian's success in conquering the Western Regions and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's campaign to conquer the barbarians were both activities of Chinese merchants. Businessmen from all over the world began to go to China for trading activities. With the rapid development of commercial economy, the continuous expansion of territory, the continuous expansion of international markets, the continuous enrichment of material and cultural life, the continuous expansion of city scale, the continuous growth of huge commercial profits and super-economic power, these have promoted The market demand for handicrafts also provided favorable conditions for women to create cosmetics at that time, and the entire country was full of luxury. At that time, the imperial court was full of beauties and delicious food, and there was singing and dancing every night. Whether she is a noble lady in an official position or a humble maidservant, a hundred flowers can bloom and compete for beauty in this magnificent palace. Even though the extravagant trend breeds the danger of ruining the country, people at that time were still keen on this luxurious life and enjoyed the vanity brought by beauty. This also led to the unprecedented development of eyebrow makeup art at that time.
More than two thousand years have passed, and the glory of the Han Dynasty is no longer there, but the brilliance of Han culture has not been swallowed up by the dust of history. No matter how many dynasties replace old ones with new ones, and no matter how time moves forward, the cultural essence of the Han Dynasty has been passed down and preserved to this day. Eyebrow makeup can be used as a method of research and creation and can be used for reference by workers engaged in various types of art research and creation. ;