It’s really too hot this year. I just want to stay in an air-conditioned room all the time. I don’t want to go anywhere and I can’t go. Sometimes I can’t help but think about the ancient times. , how can we live without air conditioning? For this reason, I specially checked some information. Today I will summarize it.
1. Cattail fan
2. Ice cubes
3. Cool house
4. Go to the countryside to escape the summer heat
< p>5. ClothesWould the summer temperature in ancient times be lower than now? The temperature in ancient times may indeed have been a few degrees lower than today, but there was definitely not much difference. It was still hot in summer.
1. Cattail fan
The ancients would use fans, bamboo mats and other items to fan themselves to cool down. Fans are mostly made of bamboo whips, which the ancients called kiln style, also known as "cool friends". Families with good financial conditions will buy fans made of silk, which are easier to shake. You can enjoy the comfort brought by artificial fans in Kushu. This method is very popular and can be used by almost everyone, from nobles to peddlers, they all hold a fan to grab the air flow. The fan can bring cool wind, while the bamboo mat can spread the cool air from the ground to the human body.
2. Ice cubes
This is the most common method in costume dramas. The ancients took some ice cubes and stored them in the cellar in winter, and then took them out as a cold source in summer. At least in the ancient Zhou Dynasty, this method did not consume energy and did not pollute the environment at first. It can be said to serve multiple purposes with one stone. "The Rites of Zhou" says: "Take ice in winter and hide it in the cold sky for cooling off." People during the Zhou Dynasty had learned to collect ice cubes from rivers or lakes in winter and then store them together. In an ice cellar with good insulation, it can be used in hot summer months. However, this kind of facility is basically inaccessible to ordinary people and was prepared for the Zhou royal family.
The use of ice in summer really became popular after the late Tang Dynasty. During this period, there were even ice vendors in the market. In midsummer, it can be used as a good way to relieve the heat. By the Song Dynasty, with the development of the commercial economy and people's higher requirements for quality of life, people's demand for ice was so great that it even formed an industry. There were all kinds of cold drinks and cold foods in the streets and alleys.
3. Cool house
In the Tang Dynasty, a "cool house" appeared for people to cool off. "Cool houses" are usually built near the water. They use a method similar to a water wheel to push the fan wheel to rotate to slowly send cool air into the house, or use a machine to send water to the roof and then down along the eaves to create a "cool house". The indoor temperature of artificial water curtain will naturally drop. This kind of refrigeration equipment uses natural water cooling and has high cooling capacity. . Of course, only dignitaries could afford such luxurious facilities. The further the development progresses, the more luxurious the pavilion becomes. In the Song Dynasty, there were plants in the pavilion to provide spiritual pleasure.
4. Go to the countryside to escape the summer heat
For example, the famous Chengde Mountain Villa, also known as the Mountain Resort, is the emperor's success in summer. This place is lush with green trees and has a cool climate. After Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, every dynasty would leave the Forbidden City and go to the Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, and Chengde Mountain Resort to escape the summer heat. These palaces are usually close to mountains and rivers and are naturally cool. Of course, ordinary people don't have to think about it. It can be said that people with money and leisure can play like this.
5. Clothes
In people’s minds, ancient times were generally conservative and feudal, and people wore “three layers inside and three layers outside”. In fact, in the face of hot weather, The ancients had their own clever ideas for dressing up. Ancient people would wear thinner clothes in summer, such as linen, cotton and other breathable materials, and would also choose light-colored clothes to absorb a small amount of sunlight. Here let's look at a poem:
"Summer Composition" - Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty
The Ge clothes are sparse and single, and the gauze hat is light and wide.
You can spend the summer with a coat and a hat.
Translation: Ge's clothes are rough and single, and his gauze hat is light and wide. A coat and a hat can survive the summer.
The clothes sewn from kudzu have sparse and thin textures, and the hats woven from fine yarn are light and suitable. Such clothes and hats are enough to accompany him through the hot summer. Bai Juyi believes that as long as it suits him, there is no need to pay attention to the use of exquisite clothes; as long as it suits his own taste, there is no need to spend a lot of money. Eat some light bamboo shoots and seasonal vegetables, take a leisurely stroll in the garden after dinner, and sleep peacefully under the window. You will not be irritated or impatient. You will feel at ease and calm, and you can survive the heat and prolong your life.