The scientific name of the board held by court officials is water board, and sometimes people call it jade board or court board according to its material and purpose. Why did the tool board of Shang Dynasty, which had been handed down for thousands of years, be abandoned in Qing Dynasty? What is the use of this board?
According to relevant historical records, this kind of wooden board was already used in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties thousands of years ago. It was not specially used for officials at the beginning. Almost everyone has a wooden board at home, because paper was not invented at that time, and this kind of wooden board replaced paper.
Before going to court, officials recorded the main points of work to be reported to the emperor on the water board to prevent omission or forgetting, which was disrespectful to the emperor in ancient times, similar to the current "cheat sheet"; In court, the orders given by the emperor are recorded on the water board in case they are forgotten.
This function is equivalent to the notebook we use when reading or having a meeting. It also has another function, that is, ministers raise their hands to cover their faces in court to show Rowen. Water boards have certain specifications and grades, which does not mean that everyone can use the same water board.
The water board is about 2 feet 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. It is made of jade, ivory and bamboo. Water boards made of different materials symbolize different rank identities. In the fourth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty, officials with more than five grades held ivory rafts, while officials with less than six grades held bamboo rafts.
The Ming dynasty stipulated that officials with more than five grades should hold ivory warehouses, and officials with less than five grades should not hold them. Since the Qing Dynasty, water boards have been abandoned. As a "notebook" and a symbol to distinguish between high and low official positions, the water board. It lasted from the Xia Dynasty to the end of the Ming Dynasty for more than 3,000 years, and was abolished in the Qing Dynasty because of troubles, which has a long history.
The water bureau, which originally represented the position of power, underwent a great reversal in the Qing Dynasty. Man Qing is a real man, riding with a sword and whipping. Do you want to put the extra water board in your mouth? So since the Qing Dynasty, water boards have been abandoned. Since then, the water board, which has been brilliant for countless dynasties, has withdrawn from the historical stage and become an antique!