In addition, the origin of the idiom "fat and thin" is also inextricably linked with Yang Guifei. The imperial concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was plump, while Zhao, the queen of Emperor Han Cheng, was thin. The fatness of these two famous beauties in history is used by Mr. Su Shi as a metaphor for the style of calligraphy works. According to Su Shi's poems "Sun Xin Begging for Ink" and "Miao Yan", "Ling Du's storytelling is expensive and thin, and this theory has not been proved by me. There are different ways to be short and fat. Who dares to hate Yuhuan's flying thin? " The beauty's chubby book and calligraphy are separated by 108 thousand miles, and it is really ingenious to be linked by Mr. Su Lao. Since then, this idiom has spread, but it has nothing to do with calligraphy. Back to the original meaning, it is about a woman's figure.
In addition, Bai Juyi's "Song of Eternal Sorrow", although there is not much description of Yang Guifei's fatness, the phrase "cream crystal that warms and smoothes her skin" can make people realize Yang Guifei's fullness between the lines.
Known as the "symbol of women in the Tang Dynasty", Zhou Fang's "Picture of Zanhua Ladies" also made women in the Tang Dynasty magnificent and beautiful, just like a blooming flower, which vividly and fully raised the eyes of countless people in the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, in the Tang Dynasty, not only women but also men were fat. An Lushan, Yang Guifei's adopted son, is one of them. According to the biography of An Lushan in the Old Tang Dynasty, "An Lushan was obese in his later years, with his abdomen hanging down to his knees and weighing 330 Jin ... until Xuanzong wrote Hu Xuanwu, he was as sick as the wind." It's incredible that Hu Xuan can dance as fast as the wind at 330 pounds. What is even more puzzling is: Why did the Tang people regard obesity as beauty? Why is the plump Yang Guifei so popular?
The main reason for holding this view is that the sculptures and pictures of beautiful women preserved in the Tang Dynasty, although different in technology and age, are mostly full moon, full cheeks, fine eyes, round waist and muddy body, and bare and bold costumes. Even the "Cup-holding Maid", praised by modern people as the first beauty in ancient China, is characterized by "fullness, beauty and gentle posture" in addition to the graceful posture of holding cups.
Among them, the most powerful evidence to support this view is that they think that two peerless beauties, Empress Wu Zetian and Imperial concubine Yang Yuhuan, who stand out in real life in the Tang Dynasty, can be regarded as models of "wealth, beauty, gentleness and gentleness". Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in China history, stepped into the peak of power with her beauty, wisdom and courage. Although there was no effective way to record her true face at that time, from the description of "square forehead, wide eyes and phoenix neck" in history books, we can roughly draw the conclusion that she won the status of "obsequious mother" with her broad forehead, plump cheeks, round overlapping neck and rich image, thus laying the foundation for her to be closer to the power center. Yang Yuhuan, one of the four beauties in ancient China, is a well-known and eternal model of fat beauty.
The historical roots of "beauty is fat" in the Tang Dynasty are mainly reflected in three aspects: First, the Tang Dynasty was prosperous and well-fed, as the poet Du Fu wrote in his poem, "rice is fat and white, and public and private warehouses are rich." People have the conditions to eat and wear warm clothes and keep healthy and plump physique. Secondly, the Tang dynasty was open and inclusive, with strong national strength and developed civilization, which made the people of the Tang dynasty full of self-confidence and became a highly open country. According to incomplete statistics, there were more than 130 countries related to the Tang Dynasty at that time. Influenced and blended by different cultures, Tang people are not limited to tradition, but have a broad vision and enthusiasm. Third, the lineage of the rulers also determines that the Tang people are closer to their strong bodies. The grandfather of Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, was big noble Dugu. He hoped to be born in Xianbei. In other words, at least half of Li Tang's royal blood is Xianbei people, and the nomadic life of Xianbei people creates and needs a wild and strong body.
"Obesity is beauty" or "Gentle and graceful beauty" in Tang Dynasty?
I am the fourth in the top three. By reading some relevant materials and historical records, it is found that the above views are not very correct and impeccable. In fact, this statement is really inaccurate and difficult to justify. Therefore, I dare to suggest that the Tang Dynasty was not all about "taking fat as beauty". There are five reasons for this:
First, based on "painting". The reason why people think that obesity is beautiful for women in the Tang Dynasty is mainly based on Yang Guifei's posture and the female images in court paintings and ladies' paintings in the Tang Dynasty. However, as long as we carefully analyze and compare, it is not difficult to find that the ladies and gentlemen in Yan's paintings and the ladies and gentlemen in the flowers in the paintings by the famous painter in the Tang Dynasty are not obese at all. Surrounded by Li Shimin, the nine maids in Walking Map walked slowly, some carrying webbed children, some holding umbrellas and some holding fans. Their bodies are really slim. The women in The Flower Maiden are slightly plump because of their higher status and older age, but they stand graceful and light as the spring breeze blows the willows. Their figure can still be described as "slim". If it is true that women are "fat is beautiful", why not show their fullness in the painter's works?
Second, take "common sense" as evidence. Up to now, there is no historical document showing that Yang Guifei was favored by Tang Gaozong because of her obesity or fullness. On the contrary, it is documented that Yang Guifei is fat and afraid of heat. For example, Kaiyuan Tianbao Heritage said that she "had a body, and Zhixia was bitter and spicy". But Yang Guifei's "weight" is by no means as fat as people say today. It's just a little muscle at most. Yang Taizhen's biography is called "micro-muscle". A person who is good at dancing ("Dancing in Dress" is her masterpiece) must have physical exercise on weekdays. It is impossible to say that you are fat, but it is normal to say that you have a little muscle.
On the other hand, Tang actually doesn't appreciate Yang Guifei's muscles. "Biography of Yang Taizhen" said that once Tang Huangming read "Biography of Emperor Han Cheng" in the toilet of Baihua Garden, and Yang Guifei asked what book to read after reading it. Don smiled and said, "Don't ask, it will be uncomfortable to know." Yang Guifei grabbed the book, only to find that it read: "Emperor Hancheng is better than the flying swallow, but he is lighter than the wind. I'm afraid it will float away, and the emperor will sing and dance in order to make a crystal plate for the imperial palace ... "At this time, Tang said in a joking tone," You are more vulnerable to the wind than she is. " Yang Guifei refused to accept it and confidently said that her "dress and dance" definitely surpassed Zhao. With a few figures, it can be seen that although Tang's words are a joke, they reveal a faint meaning. He doesn't love Yang Guifei because of obesity.
Third, take "statement" as evidence. As we know, the term "fat and thin" began with the mouth of Su Dongpo, a literary giant in the Song Dynasty. There are two sentences in Sun Xin's Poem of the Old Man Searching for Ink Pavilion: "Short, long, fat and thin have their own characteristics. Who dares to hate Yuhuan Yan Fei!" Su Dongpo here regards Yang Guifei and Zhao as typical examples of fat beauty, which is only his family's opinion and one person's comment, and can not be used as an example of people in the Tang Dynasty who really "fat is beauty". After all, Yang Guifei and Su Dongpo are not from the same era. They can't see and hear with their own eyes. The impression they get is only hearsay or other ways. It is only because of Su Dongpo's prominent literary name and far-reaching influence that "chubby" has become a well-known "historical common sense", which has also formed a misunderstanding that people in the Tang Dynasty like fat women. To take a step back, strictly speaking, even if Yang Guifei was really favored because of being fat, it may not be inferred that the whole Tang Dynasty respected "being fat as beauty". It is the common sense of dialectics that individuals cannot represent universality and individuality cannot reflect universality.
Fourth, take "recording" as the basis. According to the Second Old News of Liu Family and Tang Yulin, when Su Heng, the son of Tang Dynasty, was a prince, he was framed by treacherous court official Li, and he was in danger. He was worried that his hair and beard would be white and he would stay away from all kinds of entertainment, and his life was very difficult. When Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty learned of this incident, he asked Gao Lishi to send Beijing (the mayor of Chang 'an, the capital) to "select five slender and fair-skinned women in the world and give them to the Prince". Imagine that Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty, as a gentleman, could not help choosing beautiful women, but we are talking about "slender white people" instead of "plump and beautiful people". It can be seen that the standard of beauty in Xuanzong era is the same as today: slim, tall and fair-skinned.
Fifth, take "poetry" as evidence. We say that people in the Tang Dynasty did not regard obesity as beauty, which can also be strongly confirmed by the use of words such as "thin waist" and "gentle and graceful" in Tang poetry. I am the fourth in the top three, so I won't list them one by one.
To sum up, countless forests and forests have repeatedly explained that the standard of beauty in the eyes of the Tang people is also an aesthetic condition, and not all of them are the only standard of "taking fat as beauty".