The Yangzhou thin horses during the Qing Dynasty were very famous. How were they cultivated?
What is "Yangzhou Skinny Horse"? The history of blood and tears of ancient Yangzhou beauties. In ancient times, Yangzhou was the settlement of salt merchants in the south and north of Huaihe and Lianghui. The salt merchants could be said to be the richest people in those days, and their luxurious life was comparable to that of the royal family. Since the Ming Dynasty, there have been many young women in Yangzhou who have been professionally trained to be married to injured women, who are called Yangzhou thin horses. The poor people in Yangzhou City and surrounding rural areas who had no food and clothing had to sell their own slender daughters to work as lean horses to survive the days of poverty and helplessness.
"Skinny Horse" bought Yangzhou. After several years of training, he first let them learn how to deal with it, whether they behaved properly or in a sly manner, and then taught them calligraphy and painting, Go, dance, dance, dance, dance, Dancing etc. In the Qing Dynasty "Houjia Ji", Yangzhou people bought many young women from the Kong family and taught them to use scribes to sell other people's concubines for a thousand gold, which was called "ganma". There are very strict emotional procedures for choosing a thin horse, and the most important thing among businessmen is the judgment of the thin horse's small feet. There is also a very detailed method for identifying this "3-inch golden lotus". For this purpose, people have formulated 7 standards such as "thin, small, pointed, curved, fragrant, soft, and straight".
In the Qing Dynasty, Yangzhou was centered on the "thin horse" industry chain, and there were merchants who specialized in survival. They provide one-stop service from purchasing to breeding to finding buyers and holding weddings for thin horses and buyers. Historical records show that the "thin horses" bought in Yangzhou received formal education, accumulated skills, went to the halls and obtained kitchens, and were also good-natured and thrifty. In the master's house, he rarely makes other wives and concubines angry, and he is not jealous, which makes the men feel relieved. Some people feel the advantages of Yangzhou's "thin horse" and go to Yangzhou to buy it again and again. At that time, keeping horses was not a shameful thing. Because thin horses are profitable, some businessmen also buy young women. If they meet a generous buyer, it is natural to make thousands of gold.
The beauties known as "Skinny Horses" go with buyers to the vast world outside Yangzhou, or to protect their hometowns, find a suitable home, and get married. But not all "skinny horses" can successfully marry into wealthy families. Eventually, some of the remaining "skinny horses" had to be sent to Fireworks Alley. Along the Qinhuai River, most of the "Two Fangs" came from "Shou Ma" in the early days. The "lucky" officials and the "skinny horses" taken as concubines by noble princes did not live happily ever after. Some people say that Yangzhou Shou Ma is the history of blood and tears of Yangzhou beauties.