Although Taiwan, Taiwan, is hot and smoky in summer, it makes people breathless, but in the middle of winter, when the inland air turns into clouds, and the dripping water turns into ice, people are shivering and shivering.If there is no cold current in Taiwan, it will be as refreshing and comfortable as spring and autumn in the mainland.Thirty years ago, Taiwan had just recovered, and before the Zhonghua Shopping Center was rebuilt along Zhonghua Road in Taipei, you could occasionally find men’s and women’s fur coats for sale on the street stalls on both sides of the railway. Ladies who come to Taiwan bring leather goods from the bottom of the box.Time flies, more than 30 years have passed, and in the past ten years or so, if you want to find some old leather goods in the Zhonghua Shopping Mall or the surviving clothing appraisal shops in Wanhua, it is like finding a needle in a haystack.

In the middle of winter in Taiwan, if there is a huge cold current coming one after another, it will still be icy and clear.Walking in the streets and alleys, although young men and women seldom go out wearing leather jackets, there are still quite a few of them who are old and weak, and wear leather jackets to keep out the cold! I remember that on Christmas Eve in 1950, the British Consulate in Tamsui held a special Christmas party when Taiwan and the United Kingdom had not broken off diplomatic relations.Just in the evening, small ice beads suddenly fell. Although they melted on the ground, the northwest wind blew on the face and it hurt a little. Such cold weather is really rare in Taiwan. The author took the fur coat at the bottom of the box that day Come out and put on a bright appearance for the banquet, and at the same time take this opportunity to let the leather jacket breathe.Unexpectedly, ladies and gentry from all over the world would come to the meeting with royal fox fur and mink jackets. Our invited guests Pu Xuefeng and Ren Xianqun also came wearing fur cloaks. When I brought it to Taiwan, it actually came in handy once.

In those days, some people in the interior were particular about wearing leather. In winter, they wore small wool first, and then changed to large wool in cold weather. They wore curly wool first and then straight wool.The Qing Dynasty had certain rules about what fur to wear in which seasons. The palace gates first set the date and announced to the subjects that everyone would change their clothes when it expired, which is called changing seasons.All civil and military officials who walk between the courts must abide by them without any confusion, otherwise they will be punished. The so-called curved wool is sheepskin. Most people know that old sheepskin is the most popular leather jacket. It is white and has no cloth surface or buttons. The waistline, although unsightly, is warm and neat, and it is a gift for hardworking friends in winter.Sheepskin is a special product in Northwest China, and it can be divided into two types: Xikou and Beikou, among which Ningxia products are the best.The wool head is dense and long, and the texture is soft and warm. The high-grade product is called "shredded radish beach skin".There is also a special product called "Bamboo Tubular Beach Skin". The whole long leather jacket can be rolled up in a thick bamboo tube. It is not hard to imagine how soft and precious this kind of leather is.

"Black and purple lamb" is also a kind of sheepskin. Its hair is black and shiny, and when exposed to the light of the mouth, it has a deep purple color on the outside and inside.Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang all produce purple lambs, among which the one from Kuqa in Xinjiang is the most famous, with thin and short hairs and tight fists.The Qing Dynasty ordered that all officials listed in the ranks wear purple and black jackets to participate in prostrations when they meet national mourning and mourning sacrifices. Therefore, everyone regards black and purple lambs as ominous mourning clothes, and even those who pay attention to fur collections are not willing to wear them. Collection of black and purple lamb.In the case of Dashang, everything is bought and made on the spot. In addition to rewarding people for clothing, the leather goods shop encountered such a good business, and dyed sheepskins were sold in large quantities.Due to the poor dyeing technique in the early years, the color will fade easily after being exposed to frost and snow. Of course, this kind of fake purple lamb is even less valuable for collection.There was a saying in the past that "the golden monkey is indispensable, the black and purple lamb is not on the spectrum". All collectors must have the golden monkey fur to collect a complete collection, but there is no purple lamb.

The hair of the golden monkey is more than one foot long, colorful and golden, and it is mostly used to make bedding and spread on the kang to keep warm.Legend has it that a local bunny teacher among the Beiyang warlords made a pair of trousers out of golden monkeys. Because the undercoat was too long, they had to be rolled up inside the trousers, and they naturally looked bulging when walking.Once he went to Zhonghai Jurentang to attend a joint meeting of the Zhifeng Army. The venue was heavily guarded. The guards saw that his military uniform was bloated and staggered, so he refused to let him go. Later, he found out why he was wearing leather chaps, and he was banned from everyone. He is the master of trousers.

Speaking of Heizizi, there is another story.In the early years of the Republic of China, several French officials from the French Legation in Beiping Dongjiaomin Lane (it was not called the embassy at the time) suddenly became interested in black and purple lambs, and they searched for them in large quantities at major fur shops in Beiping.Gentlemen make hats and coat collars, and ladies make reverse coats and handcuffs. The supply exceeds demand for a while, so some fur shops with poor business ethics use sand sheepskin as fakes.This kind of dyed sand sheepskin looks like purple lamb at first glance, but it is suitable for viewing from a distance, not up close. If you look closely, the black is black, but the black is not purple, and the light is even worse.There is another thing, which is annoying, even if you wear it backwards, you will immediately have a slight smell when you walk into a heated room from the snow, so after a while of excitement, the habit of wearing purple lambs will disappear. Let go!I heard that brother Gai Xian Xia Yuanyu has special skills in dyeing leather, and the fake purple lamb dyed can be faked, but unfortunately the cobblers in the fur shop didn't know him back then.

"Pearl hair" is also called "Tibetan lamb". As the name suggests, it was produced in Tibet. This kind of lamb skin is obtained by caesarean section of the ewe before the lamb is born.The time to pick the fetal sheep must be accurate. If it is too early, it will only grow hair, and later the hair will not grow.There are two colors of pearl hair, black and white, and the output of black pearl wool is small, so the price of the two is quite different.In the cold autumn and September in the mainland, pearl fur is worn for only a short period of ten days or so, and caesarean section is too cruel. Some people would rather wear a fleece robe than a pearl lamb. This is the reason.However, those who are generally particular about playing with fur goods must at least have a waistcoat or mandarin jacket to complete their style, so that they can be considered as complete with their fur goods!

When I was a child, when I saw people wearing fur jackets during the winter season, my eyes became very hot. However, according to the family rules, children are not allowed to wear fur jackets until they reach adulthood.One is the fear of developing extravagant and flamboyant mentality since childhood; the other is that if the children do not exercise their muscles and bones, how can they resist the extreme heat and cold when they go out to work and travel around in the future?Later, my family made me a mandarin jacket with pearl hair, and when I went out to pay New Year’s greetings during the Spring Festival, I felt very complacent and proud when I wore it. Later, when I was really qualified to wear a leather robe, I realized that what I was wearing back then was a fake made of hemp silk, and it was nothing at all. Where is the Pearl Lamb!

When it comes to the straight fur category, it's all over the place!Probably all four-legged animals can be used to make fur coats or mattress pads and so on.The cheapest straight hair is dog skin and cat skin!Although the dog skin can't keep out the cold, the leather board is too hard and too heavy. It's good to use it as a mattress and spread it on the kang to keep warm. Most of the people who like to wear dog skin coats are the men who watch the night and guard the house.Cat fur is lighter and softer than dog fur, and martial arts practitioners used to wear cat leather chaps, we don't know why.In the changing room where the patrolmen lived, there was always a catskin mattress on the big kang. It is said that at night in winter, one had to drink two cups to drive away the cold. When the mice come, spread the catskin mattress, and the mice will hear the wind and dare not stroke the tiger's whiskers lightly!As for whether it is effective or not, the legend is so, let's just listen to it!

The common name of "raccoon velvet" is "Kandong raccoon". There are the most raccoon in Rehe paddock, because it likes to eat a kind of black-shelled beetle, and it often emits a strange smell from its body. Listed as top grade leather goods.Later, actresses of film and television dramas in European and American countries advocated wearing women's raccoon velvet coats backwards. After a while, the value of raccoon velvet immediately increased by a hundred times. There are two kinds of wolf skins: "ancient wolf" and "silver wolf".Ancient wolf fur is heavy, so if you wear it as a fur robe, it will keep you warm, but it is too heavy, so the ancient wolf fur is mostly used to make mattresses.As for the "Silver Wolf", also known as the "White Wolf", the armpits of the wolf are used to make fur robes, which can be regarded as high-quality fur goods.

In the early years of the Republic of China, Beiping Ruilinxiang silk and satin shop suddenly displayed a few black bear skins for sale. The fur was thick and pure black, with no miscellaneous hair. Grassland bear) Maotou brilliance is simply incomparable.This kind of Mongolian brown bear has been processed and dyed black by skillful hair craftsmen in the fur factory. The fur dealer named it "Qing Kla Leng". No one can figure out what kind of beast it is. dyeing.A group of newly debuted drum girls in Tianqiao like to use "green clarified" as the leather collar of their coats. It looks black and bright from a distance, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to fade. It became half a beauty, and later everyone dared not use it to make leather collars!At that time, the Northeast black bear skins were all tanned in one piece and lucky to come to Peiping. The size was too large, and it was a pity to waste the material to make mattresses. Some people simply spread it on the carpet in the small living room to warm their feet, but it was very affordable. The skin of the "money leopard" is colorful and colorful, and the Chinese like to use it to make mattresses or kang mats.Since some people in several Nordic countries refurbished leopard fur coats, and then matched them with leopard fur hats and handcuffs, leopard skin has greatly increased in the international market. Until now, leopard fur coats are still very expensive in Europe! The tiger is the king of beasts. In ancient China, the throne of the princes and marquises was covered with a tiger skin. The Chinese military tent of the commander-in-chief of the three armies, the halogen book instrument, lithium red and red crown, and the commander's seat must be covered with a tiger skin. The armor is elegant and I am Wu Weiyang. "Squirrel" is also called green mouse, and it is produced in Changbai Xing'an Mountains, Jilin Province. It has a gray back and white belly, and is flexible in jumping.The light gray and white is the top grade, the dark gray is the middle grade, and the gray and red is the inferior grade.The leather jackets made entirely from the backs of squirrels are called gray backs. Because too many squirrels are used, the price of a gray back is two or three times higher than that of squirrels, so everyone is reluctant to use gray backs to make fur coats. Made into a women's overcoat, it is light, warm and elegant.Chinese and foreign celebrities all like gray back coats, especially in several Nordic countries, they value them more than mink fur! "Ermare", also known as stone mouse, is also a special product of Changbai Mountain. It lives in caves. Because of its silvery fur, it is extremely difficult for hunters to find it in the ice and snow. However, once they step out of the secret passage, it is not uncommon to catch thirty or fifty ermines in one net.However, although the ermine is white and pure, it is a pity that the skin is too thin and delicate. When the season is cold and the weather is not yet cold, a silver fur coat is worn on the body of a lady with a graceful appearance and creamy skin. It is really graceful and elegant. Not group. South America has a kind of "rabbit mouse", which is slightly larger than squirrels and ermines. Its hearing and vision are abnormally alert, and it jumps like flying.They live in alpine grassy caves above 10,000 feet, with gray in the coat color basket, and are generally loved by young European ladies.Last year at the Paris women's clothing show, a rabbit coat for women was between 40,000 and 60,000 US dollars, which is evident in its luxury. "Lynx grandson" is called lynx for short. It is a kind of beast between foxes and squirrels. It is produced in the Ural Mountains. It has a light body and can jump up and down on dead trees.Its ears are big and long, and its shape is similar to that of a fox, so some people say it is a fox, while others say it is a mouse. In fact, it is not a mouse or a fox. It is another animal (Xia Yuanyu said that it is a kind of big lynx native to the three eastern provinces). .The base of lynx leather is hard and soft, and the gun is wear-resistant. It is the best material for making leather robes. There are the most types of foxes, including "Xuanhu" (also called Yuanhu, commonly known as black fox), "green fox", "white fox" (also called silver fox), "Firefox" (also called red fox), "sand fox" , "Grass Fox" and so on.Xuanhu is also produced in the Northeast. The top-quality Xuanhu is pure black with white needles on its face. It was rare in the early Qing Dynasty.Anyone who hunts a black fox considers it a sign of national auspiciousness, and nine out of ten will list it as a tribute and enshrine it to the royal family.The royal family only wears Xuanhu gowns and gowns during the winter festival, and the rewards are limited to the prince.When the prince passed away, he had to return it immediately. Unless he was rewarded by order, he dared to take it back and store it.Therefore, the princes, relatives, dignitaries and wealthy families in those days regarded Xuanhu as the supreme treasure! "Green Fox", Tieling, Ang'angxi, Liaoning Province is the production area of ​​green foxes. The color is green with a slight blackish yellow.Although the fur color of the green fox is mottled and not very beautiful, but it is said that if Nurhachi was hunting in the siege, if he wore a green fox fur cloak, he must have hit a lucky shot and returned with a rewarding experience.From then on, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty regarded the green fox as a sign of auspiciousness, and later made it custom-made. Only those who have been promoted to Beizi Baylor are eligible to wear the green fox. In addition to being light and warm, "White Fox" is as white as jade and as crystal clear as snow. Wearing a white fox woman's coat and walking among the pearls, gold, emerald, silver clothes and Zhu shoes, she stands out from the crowd.Back then, for wealthy families, the white fox cloak was indispensable in the dowry dowry. Most people couldn't afford to accompany the white fox as a gift, so they had to get a fake white fox skin to fill the scene.The so-called Pegasus Skin is a piece of white hair under the belly of Sand Fox and Grass Fox. If the boards are skillfully put together and the flower heads are connected neatly, you can't tell the white fox and Tianma at first glance.But if you look closely, the fur of the white fox is long and smooth, while that of the pegasus is slightly short and astringent.The biggest disadvantage of Tianma leather is that it is afraid of camphor. You only need to sprinkle camphor powder or camphor balls when storing and packing, and take it out to wear in the next year, and the Tianma leather will gradually change from snow white to milky yellow. "Firefox" is also called red fox. As the name suggests, its red is like fire.The author once saw Qian Sanye, the chief scooper of Jingnan Green Forest, wearing a big Firefox leather jacket, which is a pair of leather jackets made of Firefox. Based on this, I infer that the length of the fox must be a famous Firefox to be able to use it.The fire fox is ruddy and firm, with golden strands gleaming, just matching the identity of a green forest tycoon.Some people say that the four tyrants on the outskirts of Beiping each had a rare leather jacket, but no one was willing to wear it to show off. "Sand fox" is also called grass fox.Those born in various mouths of the Great Wall, such as Gubeikou and Lengkou, are called sand foxes, and those born in the northwest grassland are called grass foxes.This kind of fox fur can be regarded as the most common fox fur. The only advantage is that it can suppress the wind. Friends who usually drive trains and pull camels in the mouth, when they encounter a series of whirlwinds, mules, horses, and camels will just lie on the spot. They follow the grass He wrapped himself in a fox coat with no head or face, and lay down in the pile of cattle, letting the wind blow.As soon as the wind died down, they rose to their feet, waved the sand, and hit the road without injury. There are many kinds of foxes, and the places where foxes are used to make fur clothes have their own names.The head is called "fox head", and the legs are called "fox legs", and they can be divided into straight legs and backward legs, as well as front legs and rear legs.The place where Hu Yun's shoulders and arms meet is called "armpit", which is very soft, which is what it says in "Historical Records": "The skin of a thousand sheep is not as good as the armpit of a fox." It can be seen that the fur of a fox armpit has been very valuable since ancient times. "Fox spine" is a kind of fox fur which is taken from the back of a fox. The fur is not thick, but the fur made out of it is particularly light and warm.In the 20th year of the Republic of China, the author was in Datong. The son of the local envoy Zhao bought a gray fox ridge skin to honor the old lady at the trading market.It is said that in their local village, if a son can buy a fox spine to honor the Master, it means that the family has produced a dutiful son, and he has a successful career and a prosperous career.The most valuable thing on a fox is the piece under its neck called "Fox Crow", which is the lightest and warmest fur on a fox.In the past, if there were fox crops in the family, the elderly must wear them first. If you are under sixty years old, you dare not wear them casually. When it comes to "sable", even elementary school students know the three treasures of the three provinces in the Northeast: ginseng, mink fur, and Uralia grass.Originally, the mountainous areas of Songjiang, Hejiang, Andong, Jilin, Nenjiang, and Heilongjiang in Northeastern provinces were all mink-producing areas. The mink fur produced in the colder and colder places is better and more heat-resistant.The largest mink is no more than three feet long, with unbalanced front and rear legs, short front legs and long rear legs, and thick and long tail hair like fox fur.The root of the mink produced in Andong Province in the south of the northeast is slightly off-white, and hunters call it "grass mink".Mink hair roots in the colder regions of Heilongjiang, Jilin, are called "sables". Hunters catching mink is a time-consuming and labor-intensive profession. The Northeast dialect calls them "catch old mink".Every year when the frost falls, the hunters lead the hounds, drive the sleds, and carry the winter food and cold-proof equipment into the mountain together.It is cold early in the Northeast, and at this moment, thousands of rocks and valleys are covered with fallen leaves, a piece of withered yellow, although minks do not hibernate, but before the auspicious snow closes the mountains, they chase north among the lush grass and dead leaves, looking for food.The hunters explored the places where the marten haunted from time to time, made secrets one by one, and then set all kinds of traps with crossbows and lassoes.The experienced hunters are all standing still at the moment, because the minks are vigilant, although they live in the tree cave in the dead wood cave, but they don't have a fixed nest for a long time.What's more, the weather is not too cold, and the fur is not thick enough, so they call it hunting mink.In the winter solstice, the snow is deep and the temperature is about 40 to 50 degrees below zero. At this moment, the martens are fat and strong, not only thick undercoat, but also full of oil and water. Catch them, and everyone will return with a reward.Some people say that mink catchers use bitter tactics. The method is that the mink catcher eats a little arsenic (arsenic) first, and then takes off his shirt and lies naked on the snow infested by mink. Warm, the hunter took the opportunity to capture the mink.The author once asked my friends in Northeast China. Although they have never caught mink, there are relatives and friends who are good at catching mink. It is said that the climate is minus 40 to 50 degrees. I froze when I was young, and even if the martens were really overwhelmed, I didn't have the strength to catch them. Even if they could be caught, they would only catch one or two, which was not worthwhile.Although there is such a legend, I am afraid that there is no such fact! Among the straight fur products, mink is lighter, warmer and fits the body without looking bloated than any other valuable fox fur.There is a kind of "sable kernel" leather belt, the whole leather belt is made of a piece of skin from the forehead of the mink, and it is like wearing a ten-patch cotton gown. It is not only light and warm, but also fits neatly.Just imagine how many minks are needed for a piece of mink kernel skin, and is the price still frighteningly expensive?According to the system of the Qing Dynasty, only civil servants of the third rank and military officials of the second rank were eligible to wear sable gowns.Wearing mink gowns on the opposite side pays attention to "Miao Ling eyes". This is a flower head that looks like a peacock's feather eyes, which is digged out by a leather goods processing craftsman, commonly known as Mao Erjiang, and looks particularly graceful and luxurious when worn on the body.Beijing officials also have exceptions. Although Hanlin bachelors wear blue hats, they can wear sable gowns backwards, which can cost several hundred taels. How can a poor Hanlin afford such an outfit?So at that time, there was a false market of "Hanlin mink". The so-called Hanlin mink was actually dyed with cat skin, and skillful craftsmen could imitate the bottom velvet gun, making it hard to tell the real from the fake.This kind of Hanlin mink can be purchased for a few tens of taels of silver in those days. The mink coat with the top feathers, worn with bare feet, has been used among public officials and scholar-bureaucrats.But in the Republic of China, although the outer coats of Diao Lingyan were no longer useful for heroes, they were dismantled and changed into small and expensive coats worn by famous ladies and ladies. Mrs. Yan Yintong, the former teacher, once served as the Consul General in Tashkent, Russia. It is said that there is a wild "sable" in Russia that is more valuable than the Chinese sable.This kind of mink is also called "Russian weasel". It is born in dense forests and highlands. Its fur is thick and flexible, and it cannot be blown away by blowing.Moreover, the insulation is extremely strong. Anyone wearing mink fur coats and hats who have snowflakes on their bodies must pat them off before entering the house, otherwise they will immediately melt into a piece of snow.Because of the high value of sable fur, the Russians tried to breed it artificially. Of course, the fur is not as thick and durable as wild mink, but the price is still amazing. Last year at the Paris Autumn/Winter Fashion Show, an Antarctic mink women's coat appeared, which was very similar to our Northeast sable. The current price was around 40,000 to 50,000 US dollars. The real Russian pure wild sable was three times more expensive than the Antarctic. There is no market. , A women's jacket costs more than one hundred thousand dollars, isn't it staggering. In addition, there are marmots, otters, and sea otters that specialize in leather hats and collars. Among the three, sea otters have the best thick undercoat and oily water, while marmots are the worst.Those who are good at connoisseurs know how to thread sea otters with needles, which can be called high quality and low price.There is another kind called "Hailiu", which is also a type of otter. The color of the fleece is similar to that of an otter.As for Hailong, its color is darker and brighter than otters, and it has white stitches. Whether it is a fur hat or a coat hat, it does have a different style, but it must be worn by a tall and burly person to fit properly.If you have a thin and withered torso, wearing a four-tile hat of a sea dragon and a coat with a sea dragon collar, you will look like a kind of muddy thing in Peking-a child's pot, not only does it not look good, but it looks ridiculous. Mr. Kong Yongzhi had in-depth research on all kinds of leather goods during his lifetime. According to him, in the coldest winter in Central and Southwest China, he still needs to wear leather clothes to keep out the cold. Line go nitrate.If this happens to the leather clothes, send them to Shanxi immediately and ask a friend in Shanxi to keep them for one winter or two winters, and then wear them again.Some people believed it and tried it according to Mr. Kong's statement, and it really worked, and the stiff leather board was still flexible.If someone from the mainland brings some leather goods to Taiwan, if you find the above situation, you may wish to send these leather goods to Shanxi for testing in the future, and you will definitely be satisfied!