How did ancient people eat and bathe?

I think eating should be the same as modern people, maybe using something made of wood to play with~~~

As for bathing:

In ancient times People wash their hair with saponin or polyporus. Polyporus is used by wealthy people. Some spices are added to Polyporus, which gives it a rich aroma after use. Ordinary people use soap locust to wash their hair.

After checking the information, I found that ancient people were much more hygienic than we imagined. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, they had formed the habit of washing their hair once every three days and bathing once every five days. So much so that the one day off given by the government every five days is also called "holiday". "Hai Lu Sui Shi, Officials, Bureaucrats" records that "Han Law stipulates that people are allowed to rest and bath once every five days, and they can return to rest and bath for a visit."

The ancients also used soap and bath beans to bathe. The pancreas of the Tang Dynasty also served as a chilblain ointment. The higher-end ones are called "facial medicine" and "mouth grease", which are used to coat the face and mouth. The palace will issue it to officials in winter. Du Fu's "La Ri" said, "The fat of the mouth and the medicine are accompanied by the grace, and the green tubes and silver poppies fly down to the sky." This is what is said. Winter labor protection supplies were also developed in ancient times.

The ancients used plant ash and soap locust for laundry. Use rice water to wash your hair and call it pan. For example, "Zuo Zhuan of the Fourteenth Year of Ai Gong" contains "Pan Zhi left due to illness."

I excerpted a paragraph, as follows, if you are interested, you can read it.

Tracing the History of Bathing

1. The Formation of Bathing Etiquette in Pre-Qin Dynasty

Bathing is what is commonly called bathing today, including bathing of the head, body, hands and feet. Take a bath. However, the ancients divided them very finely. Xu Shen's "Shuowen Jiezi" of the Eastern Han Dynasty said:

Mu means to wash your hair.

To bathe and sprinkle oneself.

Wash and sprinkle enough.

Take a bath and wash your hands.

The so-called "wash" and "sprinkle" mean to wash. From this point of view, the meaning of bathing in ancient times does not completely match that of bathing today. Only by combining Xu Shen’s explanations of “mu”, “bathing”, “washing” and “bathing” can the meaning of bathing be fully understood. Take a shower today.

The early residents could only bathe in the river. With the development of society, people gradually developed the habit of bathing. At the latest, there are records of "bathing" in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The character "mu" is shaped like hands holding a basin of water to bathe one's hair, which means "mu", which means washing hair; "yu" is shaped like a person putting himself in a vessel with water droplets in a casserole on both sides of the person, which means "bath", which means bathing. . The utensils used for bathing include the bronze jian. "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Jian is also a large basin," which holds water and is used as a washing utensil. "Zhuangzi Zeyang" has "Linggong has three wives, and they share the same jian." Bath" records. Before the advent of bronze mirrors, ancient people often used the mirrors to hold water in them to illuminate their faces. The oracle bone inscription "Jian" (jian and "jian" are the same characters in ancient and modern times) resembles the shape of a person leaning over a dish to take care of his face. Judging from the shape of the character "ying", it looks like a person bathing in a bath, which is similar to the shape of the character "ba". The only difference is that the character "ying" in the bath "sees enough to express naked bathing" (Kang Yin's " A brief explanation of the origin of ancient Chinese characters"). The shape of the word "ying" shows people the scene of pre-Qin people using baths to bathe.

In the Western Zhou Dynasty, bathing etiquette gradually became customized. Since bathing has penetrated into all aspects of society, people have a deep understanding of bathing. They not only regard bathing simply as a means of cleansing and moisturizing the body, but also as a grand etiquette in the pre-Qin period. It is a fixed law to bathe and purify oneself before worshiping gods and ancestors. It means that the heart is clean and pious. It is called a precept, also known as fasting. The ritual of fasting began in the Yin and Shang Dynasties and became custom-made in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The fasting rituals in the Western Zhou Dynasty were very solemn and sophisticated. Fasting was performed twice before every major sacrificial event. The first fasting ceremony was held ten or three days before the sacrifice. , the second call for sleep is held three days or one day before the sacrifice, and full-time officials preside over certain ceremonies. The sacrificers are required to fast from meat and fish and take baths to show respect for the gods. Fasting and bathing have become an important part of the sacrificial rituals of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and were managed by full-time officials. This is recorded in Zhouli.

Bathing is closely linked to the behavioral norms of people’s lives. "Book of Rites Nei Principles" records: "Men and women get up early, bathe and wear clothes, and pay attention to food and drink." When living at home, men and women should get up early, bathe and change clothes.

As a couple's etiquette, there is "not dare to take a bath". The wife cannot use the same bathroom as her husband. In the family, there is also the etiquette of respecting the elderly, "On the fifth day, please take a bath in the tan soup, and on the third day, please bathe. During this period, if the face is dirty, please wash the tan soup; if the feet are dirty, please wash the tan soup." Etiquette stipulates that the younger generation should boil warm water to bathe their parents once every five days, and boil warm water to wash their parents' hair every three days. During this period, if the parents' faces are dirty, they should boil rice water to wash them; if their feet are dirty, they should wash them with warm water. Bathing is also very important in the birth ceremony. "Book of Rites Nei Principles" records: "When the prince is born, the king bathes, wearing court clothes, and the wife does the same." It also records: "When the son of the concubine is born, he moves into the side room. At the end of March, his wife When the prince is born, the king and his wife must bathe and wear court clothes to meet the king. Bathing is also an important etiquette among the etiquette of coming and going. "Etiquette: Betrothal Gifts" records: "When a manager is a guest, he has to bathe for three days and bathe for five days." It also states: "If the guests are not well served, they will not worship, but only bathe and eat." When a manager receives a visitor, he must satisfy the guest for three days. It is required to wash your hair once and take a bath once in five days. When the host entertains guests with a feast, the guests do not need to thank them, but they must take a bath before eating to show respect for the host. "Book of Rites·Jade Bath" also stipulates that "a gentleman's residence should always be in the household", "take a bath five times a day, wash the millet and return to the beam," "sleep outside and bathe." "Etiquette·Shi Yu Li" stipulates that when Yu is held, Before the ceremony, those who participate in the ceremony must wash their hair and take a bath, which is called "Yu, bathing". Yu means Yu Li. A sacrifice is held in the middle of the day to rest the soul of the deceased. This is the Yu Li.

In the Zhou system, the princes met with the emperor, and the emperor granted them a bathing town within the royal territory, which was called "Tang Mu Yi". "Etiquette·Kingdom" says: "Uncle Fang is the emperor, and all his towns are in the emperor's county." The princes must first wash their hair and bathe in the towns dedicated to bathing, and then they can go to court to see the emperor and take a clean bath. To show respect for the emperor. Confucius, who took self-denial and restoration of etiquette as his mission throughout his life, practiced the ritual of bathing personally. "Confucius bathed before going to court" has long been known to the world.

The formation and perfection of pre-Qin bathing etiquette is a summary of how bathing has penetrated deeply into society and all aspects of life. As a custom, it is followed by the world. This is also unique in the history of bathing in the world. The emphasis on bathing is also The ancient tradition of the Chinese people.

2. The Qin and Han emperors bathed in strange news

The Yingzheng of the Qin State unified China and created a unified feudal authoritarian centralized country in our country, calling himself the First Emperor. At that time, there were hot springs in Lishan Mountain, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province. After Qin Shihuang established his capital in Xianyang, he built a palace in Lishan Mountain, built a pool with stones, and named it "Lishan Hot Spring."

According to "The Records of Xin's Sanqin" cited in Volume 71 of "Taiping Yulan", it is said that Qin Shihuang came to Lishan Mountain one day to take a bath and saw a beautiful woman standing gracefully by the green and quiet spring. She was so beautiful that she suddenly became lustful, ignored etiquette, and went up to tease her. The beauty was enraged and spat at Qin Shihuang to fight back. Qin Shihuang immediately developed sores on his body, bleeding thickly, and suffering unbearable pain. Only then did Qin Shihuang realize that she was a goddess. He was so frightened that he begged the goddess for mercy in every possible way. The goddess washed him with hot spring water and cured his sores. Therefore, the legend of Lishan Hot Spring, also known as "Goddess Soup", is quite interesting. The Goddess punished the arrogant Qin Shihuang, and when he apologized, she used the hot spring to wash away his sores. This shows that Lishan Hot Spring has the medical function of "swallowing swelling and removing toxins", so "Xin's Records of the Three Qin Dynasties" says: "Future generations use bathing." As early as the Qin Dynasty, people recognized this function of Lishan Hot Spring and came to the hot spring to bathe and cure diseases. This legend also illustrates the fact that Qin Shihuang liked bathing very much.

The most famous palace in the Qin Dynasty is rumored to be the Epang Palace in later generations. There are water channels built in Epang Palace, which lead the Wei River and Fan River into the palace. The powdered water after the palace people bathed flows out of the palace through the water channels, causing a layer of dirt to float on the surface of the Wei River. From this, we can imagine that there are many bathing facilities in Afang Palace, which are specially designed for the concubines to bathe. These bathing facilities are carefully designed to absorb river water, discharge sewage through circulation, and even have facilities to filter Wei water and Fan water. , making it flow day and night without letting go.

It can be seen that there were many hot spring baths in Huaqing Palace at that time, which was the heyday of Huaqing Palace.

Most of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, starting from Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, liked hot spring baths. Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, wrote the poem "Guo Wen Tang". In December of the third year of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Xianjinglong came to Xinfeng Wen Palace and gave him a bathing hot spring. Ministers also presented poems one after another. Shangguan Wan'er also composed three quatrains for the dedication, which was called "Driving to Xinfeng Hot Spring Palace and Presenting Three Poems" 》. Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, took action and pushed hot spring bathing to its peak. Every October, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and his concubine Yang Guifei went to Huaqing Palace to spend the winter, bathe, play and enjoy the hot spring baths.

At that time, there were many hot springs around the ancient capital of Xi'an, the most famous of which were Lishan Hot Spring, Shimen Hot Spring and Fengquan Hot Spring. Lishan Hot Spring became the emperor's bathing place, and Fengquan Hot Spring was also a place where the emperor often visited. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty expressed in his poem "Xing Fengquan Hot Spring" that "I wish to bathe in the infinite beauty and bathe everyone with the same heart." It is located in Lantian. Although Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty could not visit Shimen Tang on the west side of the Tangyu River mouth, he was very concerned about it and named it "Daxing Tangyuan". He also opened five soup pools: Jade Girl, Rongxue, Lianzhu, Laiyu and Zhuoying according to the water temperature. . At that time, people from all walks of life in Chang'an went to bathe, which was very popular for a while.

Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also knew a lot about the curative and health-preserving effects of hot springs. He often bathed in the Huaqing Palace Hot Spring. A poem written by the emperor, "Taking leisure time to travel around, is to express one's aspirations" says:

The Guidian Palace is connected to the mountain, and the orchid soup flows naturally.

The cliffs are beautiful and the valleys are warm and gurgling.

The performance is the work of Kuai Xie, and the merit is nourishing the righteousness.

I would like to say that the billions of trillions will spread like this.

5. Scholar-officials in the Song and Yuan Dynasties loved bathing

Historians believe that around the Song and Yuan Dynasties, with the development of the city and the prosperity of the commercial economy, public bathhouses appeared in the city. , and most houses are equipped with bathrooms, bathing is even more common. Even when guests come from afar, the host will first set up a fragrant soup for the guests to bathe, and then prepare a banquet to entertain them, which is called washing the dust. Literati and doctors were even more fond of bathing, which is often recorded in literati's notes.

Scholar-officials of the Song and Yuan Dynasties bathed in various forms. For example, Yang Jian, who held a high position and was an official to the rank of Taifu, built a special bathing pool at home, which was quite similar to the family swimming pools of wealthy people today.

Yang Jian was a favorite of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. When he was in power, he built a luxurious pool and liked to bathe alone in the pool. However, his bathing and swimming seemed to be integrated into one. It seems that he Very enjoyable. Before Yang Jian, there were many powerful people who built such private swimming pools. "New History of the Five Dynasties·Lei Man Biography" records that Lei Man in Langzhou dug a deep pool in his house at the end of the Tang Dynasty. When guests came to visit, he would sit there There is a banquet by the pool. When the wine is drunk, the wine glass is thrown into the pool, and then naked into the water to grab the wine glass. After playing in the water for enough, he comes out of the water to dress and drink again. Lei Man built the pool mainly for splashing in the water for fun, while Yang Jian mainly built it for bathing, because every time he entered the pool, he would order people to place "bath utensils and bath beans" for bathing on the pool. Swimming is just a form of entertainment while bathing.

The public bathhouses of Song and Yuan Dynasties are very popular and have formed a certain scale of industry. Some literati and doctors also agreed to take a bath in the public bathhouse on time.

Wang Anshi was famous in history for being difficult to wash and having lice on his body. His marriage friend Wu Chong had a good understanding of the importance of bathing and developed the good habit of bathing frequently. In order to change Wang Anshi's bad habit of not bathing, he made an appointment with Wang Anshi and Han Wei "every two months" That is to say, the prime minister led the family to bathe in Dingliyuan. Because the three of them had an agreement, the three of them went to the public bathhouse to bathe and change into new clothes. Under this constraint, Wang Anshi had to take a bath. After he came out of the bath, he saw the new clothes. Just replace it. This made Wang Anshi change his old habits and his personal hygiene improved greatly.

Su Shi also liked to bathe in the public bathhouse. One year, after taking a bath in the public bathhouse, he felt refreshed both physically and mentally and became very popular in poetry. He wrote two poems "Like a Dream". The poem describes his feeling of bathing, and it is written very humorously. One of the poems goes:

How could scale ever fall in love? If you look closely, there is nothing left. Send a message to wipe people's backs, and you will be tired all day long and wave your elbows. Hands lightly, hands lightly, a layman is originally innocent.

The second one says:

Only by purifying yourself can I purify others. I sweat and breathe. Send messages to bathe people, and avoid physical games. But wash, but wash, bow down to everything in the world.

It can be seen from the poem that the public bathhouses at that time had perfect services and even had back-wipers to serve customers. From the back-wiping service, it can be seen that the Song Dynasty opened up many abortive bathhouses. It is considered "the first of modern life customs". Since the Song Dynasty, public bathhouses (such as today's saunas) have had back-wiping services specially designed for customers.

Since scholar-officials have developed the habit of bathing frequently, people looked down upon those scholar-officials who were not good at bathing. Although Dou Yuanbin came from a prime minister's family and was talented, because he always didn't bathe for a long time, the world gave him the word "stinky". "nickname", and later generations also ridiculed him as a model of poor bathing.

The development and utilization of hot springs has a long history. There is a hot spring 32 kilometers northeast of Jingpeng Town in southeastern Inner Mongolia, called Keshiketeng Ari Mountain, commonly known as Hot Water Hot Spring. According to "Rehe Jingpeng Chronicles", Hot Water Hot Spring is one of the twelve scenic spots in Jingpeng , every spring when the flowers bloom, people come here one after another to bathe, treat illnesses and keep fit. There is an endless stream of people coming and going. Wang Huanlu of the Song Dynasty passed by here and took a bath in various hot springs, and wrote a poem "It's good to bathe in hot springs":

The new bath above feels light, and I just like the warm water.

The beauty of the ointment is not due to the heat of the human world, especially this spring in the green mountains.

Bathing not only makes people feel relaxed, but also brings out poetry, which shows Wang Huan's preference for hot spring baths.

Fuzhou hot springs have been widely developed and utilized during the Jiayou period of the Northern Song Dynasty. In its heyday, there were more than 40 large and small bathhouses, divided into official hot springs and private hot springs. Li Gang, the national hero of the Song Dynasty, not only bathed in the soup, but also wrote a poem praising it:

Jade Pond, Golden House, Bathing in Orchid Fragrance, is the No. 1 hot spring in Tsinghua University throughout the ages.

How can this spring water the sick old man? He might as well go to Lychee Township.

Peng Yingqiu of the Northern Song Dynasty stayed at the Hot Spring Temple in North Hot Spring, Chongqing on his way to the official appointment during the Jingde period. After enjoying the hot spring bath, he wrote the poem "Staying at the Hot Spring Buddhist Temple". In the first year of Jiayou's reign, the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi took a boat trip to Wentang Gorge and went to Bei Hot Spring to give lectures and bathe. He also wrote a preface to Peng Yingqiu's poems and engraved a stone tablet titled "Preface to the Poems of Zhou Dunyi and Peng Tuiguan's Edict to Su Wenquan Temple in Suzhou". After Zhu Xi bathed in the Lushan Hot Spring, he once discussed the cause of the Lushan Hot Spring: "Who ordered Danhuang to burn? This mountain pool water?" He felt unable to explain this. From these records, it can be seen that the scholar-bureaucrats of the Song and Yuan Dynasties liked hot spring baths more than the average person.

Zheng Yuanyou of the Yuan Dynasty records in "Suichang Miscellaneous Records" that the famous Zen master Wen Riguan of the Yuan Dynasty and the father of the great calligrapher Xian Yushu were close friends. There are also high-quality bath products and bath beans. Every time Wen Riguan came to Xianyu's house, Xianyu and his son would bring him soup to bathe in. Xianyushu also respectfully presented bath beans. It is for this reason that Wen Riguan became a frequent visitor to Xianyu's house.

In the Song and Yuan Dynasties, scholar-bureaucrats' hobby of bathing had become a common practice, which showed that individuals at that time paid great attention to cleanliness and hygiene, and regarded bathing as a kind of enjoyment in order to maintain physical and mental health.

6. Bathing Jokes of Citizens in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, bathing really penetrated into people’s lives. With the further development of the city, the citizen class has gradually grown, and various service industries have become increasingly prosperous. "Hongtang" has become common in the city, which probably means that bathers, regardless of their status, "mix" and wash themselves. Any kind of person can enter the bathhouse and take a bath as long as they pay money. At that time, people were more particular about bathing than before. Tu Benjun, a man of the Ming Dynasty, once compared "bathing" with "appreciating antiques", "obscene incense" and "reciting clear words", as a kind of spiritual enjoyment. Shi Chengjin, a man of the Qing Dynasty, regarded "shaving your head, removing your ears, bathing your body, and pedicure" as the four pleasures of human life. He believed that only by making your body happy can you be truly blessed. He also talked about the "joy of bathing" in "Happy Origin": "During the severe cold months in winter, you should not take frequent baths. In the other three seasons, you should take frequent baths. You need warm water and repeated showering to feel refreshed all over the body. It is a great pleasure. "The bathing life of people in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is reflected in the oral literature of the citizens, and there are many jokes with bathing as the content.

Huntang is a place where everyone bathes together. People of all kinds come together to "meet each other sincerely." Hungtang is almost a small society where people of all colors gather together. Mingren Yu There is a joke in the "Selected Childish Smiles" compiled by Zhang Zuiyuezi:

The righteous officer was sweating very much from running around, so he took a bath in the hall. After bathing, he got up and his coat and small clothes had been stolen. , during the commotion, the master accused him of being a traitor, and the righteous officer was very angry. He wore a gauze hat, boots, and a belt to tie his naked body, and said to everyone, "Is it possible that I am here?"

Hunting Hall It was a crowded place, which was where thieves used their skills. It was common for thieves to lose their clothes while bathing, so the master of the hall pretended to be confused, which made the righteous officer do this funny thing. Yuzhang Zuiyue

Zi Ping said: "What a good dress and appearance, who can tell me about this situation." There is no good way. It seems that the righteous official has no choice but to admit that he is unlucky. Volume 5 of "Xiao Lin Guang Ji" edited by the master of the Qing Dynasty has an article "Rinse the Mouth in the Houtang" that says:

Someone was bathing in the Houtang, scooping water into the mouth and gargling. Everyone frowned at each other, hating him for being unclean. This man put water in his hand and said, "Don't worry, gentlemen. After I finish washing, spit it out."

It is indeed disgusting to rinse your mouth with the turbid and white filthy soup in the bath. Lang Ying once said that the water in Huntang "can be used to remove fuel and fertile cauldrons, and it is so different from the water in Godu." However, this person said something outrageous, which is why it's so funny.

Going to the hunchang to take a bath was just a way for people to take a bath in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. More people still took a bath at home. Even poor families had the habit of taking a bath. They only needed to use a load of firewood to heat a pot of hot water. You can take a shower once, which is convenient and easy. There is a joke in the volume "Fashionable Jokes" compiled by Chen Meigong of the Ming Dynasty:

There is a guest staying for tea, but there is no tea leaves, so he borrows them from his neighbor. If he does not come for a long time, the soup boils, so he adds some After adding cold water for a long time, the pot was full. The wife said to her husband: "I can't drink the tea. Let him take a bath."

He boiled water to make tea. The family was poor and had no tea leaves, so he borrowed tea. I haven't borrowed it yet, but the big pot of hot water is full. The guests can't have tea, but they can take a bath. It seems that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was also a custom of leaving guests to bathe.

There is a category of jokes in the Ming and Qing Dynasties that specifically ridicules those who talk nonsense. The joke "Big Bathtub" in Volume 21 of "Xiao Lin Guang Ji" edited by the master of the Qing Dynasty game:

A good liar would say to others: "There is a footbath in a temple here, which can enable tens of millions of people to bathe together." Shaanxi Famen Temple's "Song Dynasty Famen Temple Baths Miraculous Monument" records that "monks gathered in the Bathhouse of Famen Temple, and ordinary saints mixed together. "Thousands of people take baths in a day", and more than a thousand monks and laymen take baths every day, which shows the scale of the bathhouse. The footbath that "can enable tens of thousands of people to bathe in the same bath" may seem ridiculous, but just like the exaggeration of "thousands of people bathing in a single day" in the Bathhouse of Famen Temple, the joke itself still has a shadow of life.

Monks and Taoists must bathe and purify themselves before religious activities to show their piety and awe. Monk and Taoist bathing custom has been around for a long time. "Monk Bathing" in Volume 8 of "Xiao Lin Guang Ji" says:

Taoist monks take baths with their master first, then their master, then their master, in order to avoid confusion. Because he sighed with emotion, he said: "There are no rules in my monk's family. The old monk never went down, and the young monk took off his naked clothes first."

This is obviously a Taoist making fun of the monk. Whether it is a monk or a Taoist, There are specific procedures and regulations for bathing, except for taking off clothes. The rules that monks must abide by are very strict. "Baizhang Qinggui" says: "Extend the bathing bag, take out the bathing utensils to one side, unbutton your top, and take off your clothes first." The lower part of the skirt can be tied with a piece of cloth, and the skirt and trousers can be folded up and placed inside the skirt. "It is definitely not like what the monk said in "Monk Bathing": "There are no rules in the Monk family."

Literati in the Ming and Qing Dynasties sometimes directly created jokes. Most of them described real people and real events, and there were also some jokes about bathing. Volume 10 of "A Night in the Mountains" written by Li Zhi of the Ming Dynasty, "Bohu's Answer", records the anecdotes about bathing by the great talent Tang Yin; Volume 4 of "Xiaoxiaoxiao" written by Duyiwo Tuishi of the Qing Dynasty, "Bath and Sleep", describes the anecdote of Jin Shengtan. Event:

Jin Shengtan visited a friend, but the master resigned and took a bath. When asked about his son, he said: "He's asleep." Jin Shengtan said: "Nai Zunshang is in prison, and Nailang is a sinner!"

Jin Shengtan said that bathing means prison, sleeping means sin, so good He mocked the host who was rude to his guests.

Bathing jokes in the Ming and Qing Dynasties originated from people’s bathing life at that time, reflecting the secularization of bathing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Due to their rich content, they became the material of folk oral literature.