The original said, "Yu Zuoping." Although this statement is early, there is no evidence to prove that its "Three Rites" says, "The name of the screen comes from the Han Dynasty, so Ban Gu Shu has many words." Although this statement is well-founded, it is also recorded earlier. Historical records; Biography of Meng Changjun records that "Meng Changjun used the language of hospitality, and there was always a history of attendance behind the screen, and the owner remembered the gentleman's position and the guest language", which shows that the name of the screen existed in the Warring States Period. The use of screens began as early as the early Western Zhou Dynasty. But at that time, the screen had no name, so it was called "mansion" or "". Zhou Li; Nakazawa Tomohide; Zhang Ji: "Build a royal residence." Ashali pointed to the screen. The palace is a screen decorated with painted phoenix patterns. Screen can also be called "seat" or "seat", which refers to the screen behind the throne. Shangshu; Gu Ming: "Dishev makes clothes. "Book of Rites": "The son of heaven erected an axe in the room. Zheng Xuan said: "Nowadays, simple screens also have the power to embroider axes. Han Shu; Biography of Yanzhu: "Passive dependence. Notes on Stone Drum: "The black painting on a white background is an axe pattern. According to the reader, it looks like a screen, is curved, and is painted with an axe pattern, stretching from room to room. "In Volume VIII of the Three Rites Map, the minister said," Several big courtyards and big towns shoot them, and all those who are ordered by the king of the country are placed on the throne (with the same axe). "The system, with wood as the frame, paste with crimson silks, painted with axe lines, narration of the blade, and black beside the gong. It's called the golden axe, which means the golden axe was cut off. The old picture shows a cloud, which is eight feet wide vertically, and draws an axe without a handle, meaning to stand without using it. In fact, it not only has the function of wind protection, but also is a very delicate display. By the Warring States period, the production of screens had reached a high artistic level. The lacquer sitting screen unearthed from the Chu Tomb of the Warring States Period in Xinyang, Henan Province, although it belongs to the funerary objects, its manufacturing skills and technological level are amazing. The screen seat is twisted and coiled by several flatworms, which makes the work smooth and natural, and with the decoration of colored paint, the flatworms are lifelike.

Second, the screen of the Han Dynasty

In the Han Dynasty, screens were more widely used, and all rich and powerful families had screens. According to "Miscellanies of Xijing", "When Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was a prince, Sixian Hospital was built to attract guests. There are six halls in the garden, and the rooms are all spacious in Gao Xuan, with beautiful screens and curtains. "

Compared with the previous generation, the types and forms of screens in Han Dynasty have been improved. In addition to single screen, there are many curved screens, also called combined screen or overlapping screen. At this time, the screen is often used in combination with the bed. For example, the screen of Han Dynasty stone relief in Zhucheng, Shandong Province, has a matching bed and mattress in the middle. There are two sides and three sides, and there are many fans and two sides. The two sides are used to erect a door behind the bed, and then fold the other door at right angles to block one end of the bed. Three-sided use is to set up a door at the back of the bed, with one on the left and one on the right around both ends, and there are many two sides, that is, there are two or three doors around the back, one of which is folded at right angles and the other is standing at one side of the bed. A weapon rack is also installed on the screen. For example, there is a screen on the stone relief in Donganqiu, and a weapon rack is installed on the right side of the back to place weapons such as swords. There is another one, put in the back, which is the same length as the bed. For example, the mural screen of the Eastern Han Tomb in Gansu and Linger is a small screen with a very low screen.

Among the artifacts unearthed in recent years, the color screen unearthed from Mawangdui Tomb in Changsha is the most typical, with a black face and a bamboo back, a dragon pattern painted on the front, a green body and bamboo scales, which are vivid and natural. The vermilion floor on the back is painted with light green prismatic geometric patterns, with a grain jade in the center and wide prismatic colored edges around the board. Two wooden brackets with notches are installed under the lower frame to ensure the screen body to stand upright. The pottery screen unearthed from Jian Xi Han Tomb in Luoyang also belongs to this category.

Screen, generally used indoors, occasionally used outdoors, but rarely. There is a big screen, which is used to cover the door, and its position is relatively fixed, so it is called "tree". Some people also call the screen "plug the door" or "Xiao Qiang". Erya; Gong Shi: "The screen is a tree." Book of rites; Miscellaneous note: "Trees, screens and vertical screens should cover the inside and outside." "The emperor's outer screen, the vassal's inner screen." Zheng Xuan's Note: "Screen is a tree, and it is today." It can be seen that the screen at that time still had the name "Yi".

The name "Xu" has a long history, but it gradually disappeared when it arrived at Wang Mang. At that time, people often interpreted it as "reflection". After Wang Mang usurped power, he changed his country name to "Xin" and ordered the demolition of the Han tomb, in order to make people stop thinking about Han.

Indoor screens are mostly made of wood, while outdoor screens are rarely made of wood. In order to resist wind and rain erosion, it is often made of soil and stone. The function is the same as the screen wall and photo wall we see today. Bao's Notes on the Past and the Present contains: "The portrait in the screen is also familiar with the door outside the house. When I arrived at the imperial court, I gave up outside the door and became more familiar with what I had to do. " This means that when people step out of the screen, they will stop and think for a while. Here is a screen. Once you bypass the screen, you should be polite and have no time to think. Therefore, when the door is on the screen, it can shelter from the wind and light, increase the indoor furnishings, and draw a special area for visitors to give people a place to think and prepare.

In the Han Dynasty, screens were painted with wooden boards. After the invention of paper, people often use paper paste to draw various images of gods and animals on it. Book of later Han dynasty; "Song Hongchuan" is very popular, sitting on the new screen, painting women, and paying attention to the emperor. Zheng Hong said, "If you don't regard good virtue as good sex, the emperor will dismiss you." "This kind of screen is generally composed of many fans. Each fan is connected by a button, which can be folded, lighter, put away when used, and put away when not in use. This is called a curved screen. Four fans are called four songs, and six fans are called six songs. There are also many mosaic panoramic screens.

There are also carved holes in the screen, and a wooden painted seat screen was unearthed from the Chu tomb in Xinyang, Henan Province. This kind of screen is mostly made of wood with a strong three-dimensional pattern carved in the middle, which is purely decorative. In the Han dynasty, this kind of screen was still very popular. "Three Auxiliary Records" contains: "He Chang is the satrap of Runan, and the emperor Zhang Xun is the emperor of Nanjun."

There is also a smaller screen, called "sitting apart", which is mostly a single fan. There is a description of this kind of screen in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: "When Zheng Hong was Tai Wei, it was not uncommon to mention his brother's five virtues. Next is the shift change. Every time I see you at the new moon, I bow my head and feel inferior. When I ask you why, just listen to the mica screen. " The reflection of the three kingdoms; "Wu Shu" contains: "When Emperor Jing was in office, he was the official minister, and Zi Zhi was the official minister. Every time the court meets, the imperial edict separates his seat with a screen. " These two records can help us further understand the use of screens at that time.

Three. Screen in Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties

During the Wei, Jin, Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, the use of screens was more common than that of the previous generation. Not only the bedroom display screen, but also the daily use of wormwood seats, beds and other sides are affixed with small screens. There are generally three screens of this kind, and the screen borders are connected by buttons. After people sit down, turn on the screen and set one on the left and one on the right. In the Biography of Lienv by Gu Kaizhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, we can also see the scene of using screens at that time. There are three screens in the picture, which depict the scenery. This kind of three-screen can stand upright, without installing a base, just open one. At this time, the screen not only plays the role of display, but also plays the role of wind protection. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, this kind of screen began to develop to high places, and the number was increasing. Southern history; "Wang Yuan Ru Chuan": "The screen bends as the Romans do, and Liang Xiao Ziyun flies with a white book on the screen." The main feature of folding screen is light and flexible, but single screen is not. It is big and heavy, and must be supported by a heavy vertical wooden seat, otherwise it cannot stand upright. Because of its stability, its position in indoor furnishings is relatively fixed.

Painting and calligraphy screens prevailed in Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, and were frequently recorded in historical books and paintings presented at that time. New Tang book; There is a saying in the Biography of Wei Zhi: "The emperor took the sparse column on the flag as an obstacle." New Tang book; Li Jiangchuan: "Li Jiangyuan received a bachelor's degree in two years, and Xian Zong ordered Cui Qun, Qian Hui, Wei Hongjing and Bai Juyi. , and searched for 50 kinds of success or failure, which is a continuous screen. " "In the old four years, there were fourteen disciplines of monarch and minister, and six screens were written." There is also a screen with pictures on both sides, which can be displayed at will. Not on one side, but on the wall. This kind of screen connection is not limited in number, and can be added as needed. Ning said in Qing Dynasty that during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, 70 screen paintings were made by Meng Zhixiang in Houshu, which were connected by movable buttons and displayed at will. In later years, it was often used as a place to sleep and was called the Screen Palace.

Four. Screen in Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties

There is little information about the picture scheme in Song Dynasty, but there is a lot of image information. For example, the screen in the Song Dynasty painting "Five Tones Clear and Sparse Map" is wide on all sides, and the frame is embedded with an inner frame, which is divided into several grids by dwarfs and beams, and there are panels, embossed tapestries and screen centers in the grids to depict landscapes. There is a skirt under the screen, with curved edges carved vertically and a chopping block under it. The screen in Li's Learning Qin in Middle School belongs to the same type as that in Fan Zhongyan's Portrait. Wide frame, plain face, without any decoration. The skirt is carved from the doorway of the pot, with vertical teeth on both sides. The base and screen frame are made of wood. From the pictures, they are all outdoor scenes. It is speculated that this kind of screen is made of silk paste, and its weight will not be too large.

The use of screens was also manifested in the tombs of the Song Dynasty. The mural "Sitting Opposite" of the Song Tomb in Yuxian County, Henan Province depicts the scene of the tomb owner and his wife sitting opposite each other and drinking tea. Two people are sitting in an armchair with a screen behind them. This display form is mainly to show the status and identity of the owner. Small screen, dedicated to fans. Judging from the proportion of characters in the picture, the height is roughly the same as the height of people standing. I guess it's also a portable thing, so you can use it at will.

The larger picture image should be represented by Master Sketch in Song Dynasty, with a unique fan at the center of the picture. Judging from the proportion of characters in the picture, it is huge. There is a diamond-shaped wide edge in the wooden frame, and the screen center is decorated with hexagonal turtle back brocade, which is much longer than the kang couch set in front of the screen. There are three screens in Liu Songnian's "Luohan Tu" in Song Dynasty. The middle fan is slightly larger and the side fan is slightly narrower. It bends forward at a certain angle, showing a figure of eight, and can stand upright on its own. This kind of physical information includes the statue of the Virgin in the painted sculpture of Jinci in Datong, Shanxi. The virgin sits on the throne of phoenix, with three screens of seawater behind her. The front fan of the screen is wide, and the fans on both sides are slightly narrow and slightly forward, showing a figure of eight. This exhibition form originated from the "axe" in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Until the Ming and Qing dynasties, this form was still preserved in the palace.

There are also many examples in archaeological excavations, such as the stone screen style of the Song Dynasty unearthed in Fangcheng County, Henan Province. There are thin lines around the screen frame and rungs at the lower part for additional reinforcement. Plain face with tenon under it. From the shape, it belongs to the same kind as the screen behind the owner of the Song Dynasty mural tomb in Yuxian County, Henan Province. Under the rung, two sides are carved with flowers, one with small flowers and pomegranate lines and the other with hibiscus flowers. The Golden Tomb in Datong, Shanxi Province has two civil screens made of poplar, with a height of 1 16 cm, a bottom height of 38.7 cm and a screen width of 38.3cm.. It consists of a moire base and a rectangular screen frame. The frame is fitted with a grid frame, and the two sides are pasted with silk, and then the drawing is done, leaving only fragments. There are two screen seats under the screen frame, and there are openings on the screen seats. When the screen is inserted into the opening, it can stand upright. Four stone seats were unearthed from the Song Tomb in Yandianzhuang Village, Fangcheng, Henan Province. The pattern was rolled up on both sides with a rectangular gap in the middle. It is 9.5 cm high, and the purpose of the excavation report is not stated. Compared with the ceramic screen base unearthed from Wang Qing's tomb in Yuan Dynasty in Baimahe, Datong, Shanxi, it can be concluded that this is a base specially designed for erecting screens. The screen painted by the mural of Yu Yin Tomb in Gaotang and Jin Dynasties in Shandong Province is also decorated with exquisite peony patterns.

In addition to Wang Qing's tomb, there are wooden screens unearthed from Feng Daozhen's tomb in Datong City in the Yuan Dynasty. The foundation is rotten. Judging from the remaining traces, it is a cloud-headed seat. The upper part of the screen body is carved with a small square window with four slats around it. The lower part of the screen is divided into three squares with two square blocks, and painted with dark brown pigment and tung oil.

In the Song Dynasty, screens were divided into small compartments in shape and decoration, especially screen frames, which were still widely used in the Ming Dynasty.

V. Screen in Ming and Qing Dynasties

Before the Song Dynasty, the screen was mainly practical, followed by decoration. In the Ming Dynasty, screens were not only practical furniture, but also indispensable indoor decorations. Screens in Ming Dynasty can be divided into two types: one is screen and the other is curved screen. The screen is divided into various combinations and single screen insertion. A multi-seat screen consists of multiple fans, or three fans, or five fans, up to nine fans, all of which are odd. Each fan is connected with a movable tenon, which can be disassembled at any time. There is a long tenon pin under the screen, which is inserted in the hole on the seat surface. The base is mostly in the shape of "eight", the middle sector is higher and slightly wider, and the sectors on both sides are slightly inward, which makes the screen stand up.