Is the cloak really a cloak?
I think this question may be a bit silly. A cloak is not a cloak. What else could it be? I'm afraid it's not teasing us. No, no, according to our usual understanding, a cloak is a thin cloth that swings back and forth in the wind. Not to mention silk, satin and linen. The key is that it is thin, the wind blows, and it must be handsome. In fact, although this idea cannot be said to be wrong, it can of course be said to be one-sided.
1, not all cloaks are thin.
Cloak refers to the coat worn, also known as "cloak". Cloaks are generally thin and thick. The cloak has no sleeves and is worn by tying two straps around the upper end of the neck. In military affairs, the cloak of ordinary soldiers tends to be practical, and there are often two iron rings on the shoulders of armor. Those thick cloaks hang on these two iron rings. People wearing short cloaks used to be called bi, and elders were also called cloaks. In folk applications, cloaks are generally hooded to better keep out the cold.
Because of geography and climate, cloaks are often used more in the north. Moreover, from the perspective of dynasties, cloaks were popular in the Ming Dynasty. So what we often see in costume TV dramas is that the man puts on a cloak for a woman who enjoys the moon in the wind at night, which may be more common in the Ming Dynasty.
Women's cloak
2. The function of cloak is changing gradually.
Out of pragmatism, every new invention of mankind is basically based on practicality. The cloak we know now is actually evolved from a blanket that can shelter from the wind and rain. In ancient times, due to the need of war, the army often needed to camp in the wild. Whether it is cold in the north or humid in the south, you need to keep in good health. It is also unrealistic to carry a bedroll with you, because you need to keep a certain marching speed. In this way, thick or thin blankets have shown their advantages of portability and practicality. Slowly, the blanket gradually developed into a cloak and extended to folk use. It can also be said that the cloak was discovered step by step from the military camp.
The necessities of generals in military operations, such as keeping warm against the cold, first aid and saving lives.
Swiss army knife is famous for its excellent quality and diverse functions. The analogy between ancient cloaks and modern Swiss army knives is enough to illustrate the diversity of cloaks used in ancient wars. The number of functions may not be as good as the former, but it is more important.
1, against the cold
The first practical function is naturally keeping out the cold. In fact, after the cloak was invented, it was used to protect soldiers from the cold until it had other special meanings. Just as food is to human beings, it is to fill the stomach at first, and then it is the pursuit of taste buds. This cloak with the function of keeping out the cold was first applied to the whole army. Almost everyone, from generals to soldiers, has something like this. Until later, the cloak became thinner and more symbolic, and the windbreaker was no longer the same as the eye-catching cloak. But even so, the cloak can still play a little role in keeping out the cold.
2. Cover the owner
The more eye-catching people wear in the war, the easier they are to be attacked by the enemy. But as generals, their armor must shine, and in the eastern tactical thinking, "catch the thief first, catch the king first" is a very effective method. Therefore, as long as the enemy commander is found during the battle, the troops will generally gather and storm. The dark cloak can block the shining armor and effectively reduce the probability that our generals will be discovered by the enemy. A cloak with this function is usually a dark cloak. If it is an eye-catching color such as red, it will increase the risk of being discovered by the enemy.
What we saw in the "Three Kingdoms": Cao Cao was at war with Ma Chao, and Ma Chao was defeated and pursued. Ma Chao once shouted, "cao thief wears a red robe and hunts cao thief." Force Cao Cao to take off his red cloak. This is a more realistic example. If Cao Cao was wearing a black cloak, the probability of being discovered by Ma Chao would be greatly reduced, and there would be no embarrassment of "cutting his beard and abandoning his robe".
3. Command and guidance
Dark cloaks are good for lords to hide, while bright cloaks are good for commanders to command and boost morale. In ancient wars, the command system was not perfect, and the soldiers were mostly rough, so they could not understand all kinds of tactics well. All I know is "beating gongs and drums, marching into the golden bell jar and retreating." As soon as he rushed into the battlefield and killed his red eye, all he saw was the enemy. Many people don't know whether we will win or lose after the battle. This situation will still happen in small-scale encounters with hundreds of people, not to mention the super-large battlefield with tens of thousands of people.
In fact, it is a group fight, and many people will "climb to the top." At this time, if there is a coach in red on the battlefield, our soldiers can obey the dispatch, which is conducive to the coach's unified command and tactics against the enemy. At the same time, the commander-in-chief kills the enemy conspicuously on the battlefield, which is also very strong for improving his morale and deterring the enemy.
The commander-in-chief killed the enemy on the battlefield. Why don't you work harder? Taking the lead has always been a virtue that China preached to the generals. But the coach should pay attention to it. If you are not good at martial arts, you'd better use this trick with caution. If anything goes wrong, it will be another heavy blow to our morale. If the coach is seriously injured, the morale of the army will be unstable. If the coach is captured or beheaded, he is more likely to flee directly.
Senior commander
Step 4 identify yourself
At first, cloaks were common to the whole army. Later, for various reasons, it could only be used by generals or imperial soldiers. This reveals a new function of the cloak: to show the identity of the user. In the era when cloaks have become high-end, only officers above the captain in the army can wear cloaks. And the more gorgeous the cloak, the higher the status. Roughly look at whether two people wear cloaks, or compare them, and you can roughly know which of these two people has a higher official position.
Similarly, the imperial army, as the elite guard of the imperial city, is the symbol and embodiment of imperial power. It is natural to distinguish them from ordinary troops and have certain characteristics, and cloaks are one of them. In fact, the production and value of the cloak is not very high, but it is symbolic. Just like the national seal, it is essentially just a small piece of jade, or even a stone (the beauty of a stone is jade). But the imperial power it represents is the reason why people attach importance to it.
In fact, in addition to the above functions, the cloak has more functions, such as dressing the wound when injured and identifying the identity after death, so I won't go into details here. It is an indisputable fact that the symbolic meaning of cloak in the army is greater than the actual meaning. Whether the application of ancient military cloaks is good or bad is also controversial.
Folk love is also a standard of marriage.
Compared with the army, cloaks are widely used in the people, and there are not so many so-called symbolic meanings, and their practicality is greater than symbolism. As far as I know, cloaks are only used to keep warm and get married among the people.
1, keep warm.
The cloaks used by ordinary people are not so gaudy, and thickness is generally the first goal. Therefore, the thickness of folk cloaks will generally exceed that of military cloaks, but the thickness is just right, which is similar to the thickness of a dress, and there will be no quilt.
2. One of the dowry
The basic function of keeping out the cold needs no introduction, but surprisingly, cloaks are also used in marriage. Maybe you haven't attended a luxurious Chinese wedding, but you must have heard of the famous bride's ornament-rockhopper garland in Chinese weddings. In ancient times, as the standard of marriage for rich families, rockhopper was a symbol of luxury.
As the name implies, it means short cloak. Shrimp skin, also known as shrimp skin or fish, is shaped like two colorful exercises with pictures printed on it. Wear it around your neck, hang it on your chest and hang a gold pendant. Teacher Cao Lifang introduced that Bi Xia originated in the Jin Dynasty. According to the "Shilin Guangji Clothing", it is recorded that "Jin Yongjia made the crimson halo and made the princess take it. Bai Juyi also said in his poem, "Shang Hongxia Temple is full of cymbals. "description. But in fact, it is not only in marriage, but also in peacetime, the iron can be worn by aristocratic women.
Ladies in the Northern Song Dynasty wore different robes according to the official positions of their husbands and sons. Not every aristocratic woman can wear a dress. According to the regulations, the dress "can't be worn without gifts". If no one gives it to you, you can't wear it. In the Ming Dynasty, Kui also became one of the queen's dresses in some important ceremonies.
Fengguan robes
abstract
Cloak is a bright color in China costume culture. Through various film and television works, illustrations and written descriptions, we have constructed an image of a hero warrior in a cloak in our mind. The "handsome" of the cloak is also fixed in our minds. In ancient China, the cloak gradually changed from thick to thin, from pragmatism to symbolism. Its military function has also changed from simple warmth to a symbol, a symbol of identity. It has the magic of guidance, and it has an intoxicating taste-status and power.
However, this is also a historical necessity. As long as there are different classes, there must always be different performances to distinguish the two, and the cloak is just one of them. In the folk, although the cloak is still mainly practical and warm, its splendor still shows the wealth of the family. In addition to reflecting class differences, the clothes and collocation culture diffracted by different cloaks are also the things carried by cloaks. Cloak culture, as a part of China's costume culture, has gradually moved away from our real life, but it still left a colorful stroke.