In ancient China, the general status of women was relatively low, but in the Tang Dynasty, this concept had a subtle change. In the Tang Dynasty, in addition to women's accession to the throne, women were in charge of state affairs, and changes could also be found in society, such as women disguised as men. In many books, we can see the evaluation of women wearing men's clothes. The Book of Rites stipulates that "men and women cannot wear clothes". At that time, if women wore men's clothes, it would be considered immoral, but in the inclusive and powerful Tang Dynasty, it was very common for women to dress up as men.
Ceramic use in Tang dynasty
At present, many tomb figures in the Tang Dynasty have been unearthed, and there are many images of women disguised as men. For example, in the tomb where the granddaughter of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan enjoys the princess, there are women dressed in men's clothes, riding horses and shooting arrows. Even now, in our opinion, they are very brave. In addition to pottery figurines, many paintings in the Tang Dynasty also have images of women disguised as men, such as You Chun, Lady of the State of Guo, Le Tu of the Tang Palace, Bird Watching and Cicada Catching, etc. Having said that, some people may ask why in the Tang Dynasty, women disguised as men were imitated by so many women, and women disguised as men were also recognized by the society at that time.
Guo's wife You Chuntu.
Thoughts flowing in the blood Xianbei people's views on women are closest to those of us today. Xianbei people advocate motherhood, and women naturally have a certain position in the race. According to historical records such as the History of the Later Han Dynasty and the History of the Three Kingdoms, Xianbei people are the remnants of Donghu people. The reason why it is called Xianbei people is mainly because of Xianbei Mountain, so it is named after the mountain. Xianbei nationality appeared very early in history and didn't disappear until Sui and Tang Dynasties. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Xianbei country, which was established with Xianbei as the main body, ceased to exist, but this did not mean that Xianbei people disappeared, and their culture and thoughts gradually merged into new countries, such as the Tang Dynasty. Tang Gaozu's mother was a noble in Xianbei nationality, so the Tang Dynasty was deeply influenced by Xianbei culture. It is mentioned in the Book of the New Tang Dynasty that "Zhongdi will take him to the harem and his husband will put on his boots". Therefore, the popularity of "Hu Feng" in the harem at that time further confirmed the truth of this statement.
Portrait of Ren Hu
In the Tang Dynasty, people rushed to imitate, because some people in the upper class at that time had accepted Xianbei culture and even Hu Feng, so the costumes in Xianbei culture first spread from the upper class. People in ancient times were divided into classes, and many behaviors of the upper class would be imitated by people of the lower class, which were upward behaviors and downward effects. In other words, if the emperor likes to eat a dish, the women in the harem and the ministers in the DPRK will be curious and then taste it. Gradually, people outside the palace were afraid to see it, and then this dish became popular. Hu Feng and women disguised as men became popular in the Tang Dynasty, which had a great relationship with the upper class. Before this, some folk women would wear men's clothes in order to make their work more convenient, but there was no trend at that time.
Palace music map in Tang dynasty
In the Tang Dynasty, the most famous woman disguised as a man was Princess Taiping. There is a record in The Five Elements of the New Tang Dynasty: "The emperor tasted the banquet, Princess Taiping wore a purple shirt and jade belt, and there were seven things in it, singing and dancing in front of the emperor. Both the emperor and the queen laughed and said," Women can't be military attache, so why dress like this? "At that time, Princess Taiping dressed as a military attache in the DPRK and sang and danced at the banquet. When Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian saw this scene, they were amused instead of reprimanding them. Then there is the famous "Mrs Guo You Chuntu". In the picture, Mrs. Guo is wearing men's clothes. Mrs. Guo is the aunt of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. Since then, the trend of women disguised as men has gradually spread from the royal family to the nobility. Since then, men's wear has officially begun to spread from women and become the object of emulation.
Princess Taiping stills
With the development of social tolerance in the Tang Dynasty, the folk customs of the whole Tang Dynasty have changed greatly compared with the previous dynasties. People living in the Tang Dynasty are generally open-minded, and both men and women have a certain degree of acceptance and tolerance. Before the Tang Dynasty, there were many demands on women. According to earlier historical records, women are not allowed to go out at will, and even the social behavior between nobles should cover their faces so that foreigners can't see it. But in the Tang Dynasty, it was different. Women are allowed to take part in many social activities, not only going to the theater for a spring outing, but also playing polo and horse racing. Once women put on women's clothes to participate in horse racing, they will be disrespectful, so they will change into men's clothes, which may be the prototype of those pottery figurines.
Hit Ma Qiutu.
Women's yearning for power in ancient China, there were few female officials in the DPRK and China, and even women in business in society were very rare. A large part of the reason is that men are bound by women. Women are taught from an early age to respect their parents' orders and obey their husbands' demands after marriage, so it is difficult for women to achieve their own careers, as far as Princess Taiping is concerned. Princess Taiping is the favorite daughter of Li Zhi and Wu Zetian. The reason why she danced in men's clothes at the banquet was that she wanted to be an official in North Korea like a man and gain some power. It was not until Wu Zetian ascended the throne that women's concept of power became more obvious. At that time, besides Wu Zetian and Princess Taiping, Wei Hou and others all wanted to be powerful women like Wu Zetian.
Women in the Tang Dynasty have more ambition, courage and desire than women before them. Even though they will still be questioned and criticized by men, they are still on their way to believe. This idea can be seen from many aspects, for example, women can be assigned land in the Tang Dynasty, and women can choose their husbands to a certain extent. Because of this, divorce became very common in the Tang Dynasty.
Wu Zetian
Conclusion Dressing as a woman is not only a woman's interest, but a woman's challenge to men and her yearning for power. Women are taught from an early age to be "obedient and virtuous", or "a woman without talent is virtuous". This kind of thinking will only further imprison women, and there will be uprisings if there is oppression. Women who have been in this social environment for a long time will have the truest idea in generate's mind at some point, that is, the equality between Xianbei people. The popularity of women disguised as men means that society is tolerant of women and recognizes their status in society. Women in women's clothes can teach each other, and women in men's clothes can also gallop on the battlefield. Dressing up as a woman is a great progress and development of women in history.