The delicate and slender nail sleeves that palace concubines often wear on their fingers are just props. In reality, in real life, in ancient times, this situation did exist. And as ancient princes and nobles, they often lived among concubines. Pampered? The identity. At present, this traditional hobby of ancient nobles can only be witnessed through video materials as historical materials, and the most representative figure is Empress Dowager Cixi, the real controlling figure in the political arena of the late Qing Dynasty!

Tracing back to the historical origin of armor sets, we have to talk about the ancient wind of armor storage. Those with long nails in ancient China? Personality? In order to better protect their long nails from all kinds of bumps and scratches in life, finger protection products made of gold, silver, copper, tortoise shell and jade are often used.

The earliest finger protector unearthed in ancient China belongs to a finger protector of Han Dynasty unearthed in Jilin Province. Finger protectors are made of gold rolls, and their shapes are much simpler than those worn in the photos of Empress Dowager Cixi. It can be seen that the Qing Dynasty was a prosperous period of finger protection culture.

We can almost clearly see most photos of Empress Dowager Cixi in the Forbidden City? Lafaille. Empress Dowager Cixi wears several super slender, precious and gorgeous finger protectors. It can be seen that Empress Dowager Cixi gained in the political arena in the late Qing Dynasty. The uncrowned king? Honor, but still can't avoid custom, can't put down the vanity of the image of a lady as an ancient woman.

Empress dowager cixi wears long armor. It can be seen from the photos of Empress Dowager Cixi available in the Palace Museum that the fingernails of the ring finger and little finger of Empress Dowager Cixi are very long, and the fingernails are covered with slender and gorgeous finger protectors. Of course, the nails of other fingers are not short either, but according to the length level, finger protectors should not be needed for the time being.

After all, no matter how high a lady is, although many daily lives are taken care of by servants, it does not mean that nothing can be done by hand, such as taking things, drinking water from cups, eating bowls, holding vegetables with chopsticks and inserting flowers in her head for a while.

In fact, we can basically estimate the length of the finger protector worn by Empress Dowager Cixi, because in ancient times, finger protectors for protecting nails were generally made according to the length of nails, and the length of nails was treated differently according to their status level, that is, the longer the nails were left, the higher their status was.

It is said that the nails stored by Cixi can be as long as seven or eight inches. If measured by modern centimeters, it should be between 23 centimeters and 26 centimeters. Looking at this figure alone, it is really surprising, even incredible. Of course, I also think that such a length is objectionable. However, in the real photos left by Empress Dowager Cixi to the world, we can't question the length of the finger protector she wears.

How to take care of such a long nail? This is indeed a troublesome and difficult thing for ordinary people, but everything seems easy for Cixi's position.

Cixi has always kept a set of toolbox specially used for manicure. Knives, scissors, brushes, crochets, feather tubes and snail box nail polish are all silver-white, with complete supporting facilities and extreme professionalism. It is said that this is still a foreign tribute.

Every morning, the ladies-in-waiting are busy washing the cough for Cixi, and then it's Cixi's turn? Professional armored team? It's debut.

Because once the nails are too long, they will deform, so Cixi's long nail care naturally has a set of procedures. First, the eunuch waited on Cixi to soak her nails in hot water to soften them. Then the nails are carefully modified. For example, the ring finger and the little finger belong to tubular nails and need to be trimmed into semi-circular spools, and the thumb belongs to a piece of nail and needs to be trimmed into the shape of a hornet's nest. In addition, Cixi also cherishes the manicured nails, which will be put in a box dedicated to nails.

Then there is the cleaning of nail dirt. If the nail has deteriorated or there is a rash, it will be treated with drugs. Finally, carefully put on the delicate and slender hand guard made of jade. In addition, in order to protect the healthy and beautiful state of nails for 24 hours, the finger guard worn by nails will rotate between different materials during the day.

Then when you rest at night, you will take off your finger guard and put a layer of yellow satin on your nails to protect them from accidental damage during sleep.

This is the complicated nursing process of empress dowager cixi's nails.

The finger pads on the nails of Empress Dowager Cixi are small and exquisite. However, this is really a huge money-burning project. It is speculated that the consumption only spent on these finger pads every year is actually seven or eight thousand taels of silver. For example, the finger protector of Empress Dowager Cixi is extremely precious, hollowed out and inlaid with gold and silver. Only pearls, agates, emeralds and diamonds inlaid on it can be regarded as rare treasures with priceless value.

In a word, the long nails of Empress Dowager Cixi seem to be the product of a beauty-loving mentality and status symbol, but in fact they are a tedious and expensive gratuitous expense.

I have to say that in the turbulent situation of the late Qing Dynasty, domestic troubles and foreign invasion, the ups and downs, from the death of Emperor Xianfeng 186 1 to the death of Empress Dowager Cixi 1908, in the 48-year political career, in addition to Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi also disguised as a farmer and took Emperor Guangxu with her. In about a year and a half (65438+August 0900-65438+1October 0902 65438+1October), Empress Dowager Cixi bid farewell to the finger protector, which symbolizes honor and status, and she was deeply attached to it.

Eight-Nation Alliance captured Beijing, and Cixi reluctantly took off her finger guard.

Of course, in those years, not only did you protect your fingers? Ruthless? You can't take it away if you leave it in the Qing palace. Even the long nails accumulated for many years before Empress Dowager Cixi are the same? Cruel? The ground was cut off. Because in order to save her life on the way to the Western Heaven, she dressed up as an ordinary peasant woman with long nails, which obviously made people know at a glance that she was Cixi, and it was easy to expose her hidden identity, so she reluctantly cut it off.

As for the fact that Cixi cut off her long nails, all her ladies-in-waiting knew that at that time, Cixi's feeling of cutting off her nails was really as uncomfortable as giving up her pride. She said with great heartache. This is my hard work for many years? Then, I ordered people to put the cut nails in the box.

So, through this incident, in the view of Cixi, it was Eight-Nation Alliance who destroyed her long fingernails, which she was proud of and world-famous.

Later, after some negotiations with western powers, 190 1 in September, 2000, the "Xin Chou Treaty" was finalized with1/imperialist countries, and a series of reparations were compromised. In June of the same year, Empress Dowager Cixi led tens of thousands of people and sent 3,000 luggage carts.

Of course, the first thing Empress Dowager Cixi will do when she returns to Beijing is to put on her finger protector, which she has stayed in Beijing for a long time, and the elegant demeanor of a great empress dowager is back. Of course, at this time, the nails protected in the finger guard are no longer surprisingly long. Even today, you can apply for the Guinness World Record for long nails.

After that, until the death of Empress Dowager Cixi, Puyi sent ministers to specially wrap the two long nails scattered by Empress Dowager Cixi before her death and take them away in the coffin of Empress Dowager Cixi. It seems that Cixi lived all her life for her political life, and her long nails, which represent a sense of honor and status.

Empress Dowager Cixi spent most of her life with long nails and delicate finger pads that looked elegant. If she was Empress Dowager Cixi or even Empress Dowager Cixi, it seemed understandable. However, who is the person who really controls the fate of the late Qing Dynasty? The uncrowned king? Generally speaking, the fate of the dynasty and the current situation are at stake, and Empress Dowager Cixi still remembers the aristocratic treasure inherited by the decadent feudal dynasty. From this point of view, the fate of the late Qing Dynasty is doomed to be difficult to get rid of.

Empress Dowager Cixi's long nails, which have been carefully treasured for decades, were destroyed not so much because of foreigners, but as one of the luxuries that must be removed under her stubborn and conservative thinking.