This article shares with you: the history of cats.
Total words: 2729
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
The custom of keeping cats in China court began in Sui and Tang Dynasties. At that time, cats entered the court with superb mouse catching skills and began to be loved by people. Wu Zetian is one of them. She sent people to collect all kinds of cats, keep them in the palace and train them to get along with parrots. As a result, "the cat was hungry and the parrot ate it." During this period, the image of a cat began to be drawn. Many pictures of ladies show cats, and many famous cat painters have appeared. Diao Guangyin, He Zunshi, Bi An, etc. They are all famous artists who draw cats. When He Zun painted a cat, it was even called: When He Zun painted a cat, the mouse ran away. By the middle of the Tang Dynasty, cats had become family pets.
In the Song Dynasty, from dignitaries to intellectuals, there was an upsurge of raising cats. In China's poems about cats, Han Yu's theory that cats are like milk explains the character of cats from a moral point of view. "Cat as Milk" mentioned that "husband and cat, human and animals are not benevolent, and their feelings are animals!" Cats raised by virtuous people have been influenced by people for a long time, and they also know benevolence and fraternity.
Song Lizong is an emperor who loves cats. It is said that during a sacrifice, Song Lizong asked Xu Qingcuo, the accompanying minister, "What do you think of cats catching mice?" Xu Qingcuo said: "Love wants to live, and evil wants to die." As soon as his voice fell, Xu Qingsao knew that he had slipped his tongue, because Song Lizong's zodiac is a mouse. Of course, if it was someone else, Mrs. Xu Qing might have to use her head. But Song Lizong didn't care, and talked very happily, which showed that he really liked cats.
It is said that Qin Gui is the granddaughter of "Mrs. Guo Chong" and especially likes a female cat. Suddenly one day, the lioness cat disappeared. She immediately called the chief of Lin 'an Prefecture and ordered him to get it back in a few days. However, they still can't be found at the expiration date. The chief executive was in a hurry and arrested all the residents nearby, putting the blame on the officials in charge of public security. The public security personnel were in a hurry and walked around looking for it in person. They also bribed the old servants of the Qin government, asked them what cats looked like, and asked them to draw 100 cats to find them. The noise is getting louder and louder, and the chief is in a hurry. Finally, they bribed the person who served the lady.
In fact, in the Song Dynasty, in addition to the royal family's love of cats, literati also liked to keep cats. Lu You, a poet and poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, was a cat slave. I didn't expect this. There is also a gentle side in his magnificent and sad poems. "The wind blows the rivers and lakes and rains the dark village, and the four mountains make waves." The firewood is soft and warm, so I can't go out with the raccoon dog. "He also wrote a poem" A Gift to a Cat ":"You can always watch a play when you are wrapped in salt. I am drunk with mint all the time and embarrassed every night. There is no reward for fishmeal. "Let's call it tú." The description of the cat's demeanor and love is vividly on the paper. What is even more unexpected is that such a famous poet has written 12 poems for cats all his life. He is really a die-hard cat slave.
Huang Tingjian, a poet who is one of the four bachelor's degrees in Su 'men, is willing to be a cat slave. When begging a friend for a cat, he will look through the almanac "Jixiang Cup Nursery Rhyme Book" specially designed for cats. After picking a good day, he also drew a "cat deed" and bought a small fish to beg the cat at home, so he left a poem "begging the cat". Qiu Lai mouse bullied the cat to death, peeped at the urn, rummaged through the basin and stirred the night sleep. It is said that slaves can count their children, buy fish and hire cicadas. This is similar to the way the ancients hired plum blossoms because they loved them. Not only that, after the kitten caught the mouse, Huang Lao also wrote a poem, "Thank you for giving only cats, raising raccoons and slaves." General Liu Xi has a family style. " A foot (dān) thin fish meal, the wall often makes the mouse empty. "In order to express gratitude to the cat, do you think such a big celebrity is so cute in front of the cat?
Liu, a writer in Jin Dynasty, is what we call an otaku today, a real cat slave. Why is it an otaku? You have to start with his poem "It's a little cold and I can't go out and sit with the slaves". The warm picture of people and cats staying at home is enviable.
Historically, the status of cats in the royal family was the highest, especially in the Ming Dynasty.
Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was a fun-loving "cricket emperor". He not only liked to keep cats, but also was good at drawing cats, including six paintings of axes by civet cats, such as Fu Guitu Axis in a Pot under Flowers.
It is said that Emperor Jiajing was a serious cat sucker. In order to keep his palace cats well, Emperor Jiajing set up a special management organization cat room in the palace, which was specially looked after by four people. If the cat is seen by the emperor, it will be locked up, and of course the cat owners also take advantage. Emperor Jiajing lived in Xiyuan in his later years, and he didn't want to deal directly with ministers, preferring to get along with cats. Emperor Jiajing loved cats more than people who loved beauty. He once domesticated two cats, one named "Frost Eyebrow" and the other named "Lion Cat". The cat named "Frost Eyebrow" has light blue eyes and white eyebrows, so it is called "Frost Eyebrow". "Frost Eyebrow" is considerate and accompanies Jiajing Emperor day and night. Frost eyebrow is thirsty and hungry, or wants to pee and shit, and will wait for the owner to wake up and never scream. Emperor Jiajing loved Frost Eyebrows very much and named them "One Dragon". Emperor Jiajing was very sad when Frost Mei died of old age. He ordered the imperial secretary to bury Frost Eyebrow on the side of Long Live Mountain, with the tomb number of "Jilong Tomb", and dedicated a monument to sacrifice. In order to alleviate Jiajing's sadness, the cat room carefully selected a cat and named it "Lion Cat". It is recorded in Wanli Yebian that after the death of the lion cat, Emperor Jiajing deeply regretted it. He ordered a skillful craftsman to make a golden coffin for the lion cat and buried it in Wanshou Mountain. He also ordered some senior officials to write articles to cross over the cat. Wei Yuan, a bachelor lecturer, wrote a sentence in his eulogy, which was appreciated by Emperor Jiajing. He promoted Wei Yuan to Shaozai and was promoted to the Cabinet. How much does it cost to keep so many palace cats? Take the twelve cats raised by a famous official as an example. These cats consume 1700 kilograms of refined pork and more than 300 pieces of pig liver every year.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, some gifted scholars also loved cats, such as Yuan Mei. He was very happy when a friend gave him a cat. He also showed off around his wives and made them fall in love. He held it in his lap and thanked a poem: "The slave was really given to a poor official and showed to many girls."
By the Qing Dynasty, the cat culture in China had been further developed. Han Huang's Cat Garden in Qing Dynasty systematically sorted out and classified the allusions, poems and legends of cats, which was a master of cat culture. "Scented Cat Classic" describes the appearance, coat color and structure of cats in detail, which is somewhat similar to the current breed standard of purebred cat association competition.
During the Republic of China, when eating, he, his mother and the cat each occupied a corner of a table, and they didn't affect each other, so they got used to it. Later, when his mother died, he asked the painter to draw a "eating map" to recall the scene of that year. When Feng Zikai makes cartoons, he often decorates them with cats. In "Yuan Yuan Tang Essays", he took a boastful sentence "A cat gives birth to a child as cold as a mother", described it and treasured it. He also printed it into stationery and gave it to relatives and friends.
Xu Beihong, is it a surprise to mention him? Do you think he should like horses better? In fact, Xu Beihong has a cat and likes it very much. To your surprise, Xu Beihong painted the most cats. He thinks the best cat he draws is a cat. He once gave Xu Zhimo a photo of a cat. In the inscription (bá) in the upper right corner, it was written that Zhimo was in love and is now a cat. It's about the black and white cat next door, but it lost its claws and praised it for being loyal to its friends.
Qi Baishi, a great painter, is actually a cat slave. He once painted an ink painting called Oil Lamp, Cat and Mouse according to his cat life. Later, the painting was auctioned for 4.48 million yuan. It is estimated that people who can pay so much money should also be cat slaves.
In history, in addition to the cat slaves mentioned above, there are a large number of literary masters. Ji Xianlin, Bing Xin and Lao She are famous literary masters who love cats in China ... What's more interesting is Qian Zhongshu, who not only loves cats, but also helps his own cats fight in winter, or fights with the Lins' cats. His kitten often fights with the big cat in his neighbor Lin, but the kitten can't beat the big cat. No matter how cold it is, as soon as Qian Zhongshu heard the kitten meowing, he immediately jumped out of the hot bed and rushed out with a bamboo pole to protect his cat. Lin's big cat is often beaten to run away.
Thank you for listening. See you next time!