Chapter 15 The fourth sedan is a special vehicle

The sedan chair is a special means of transportation in ancient my country.Some people say that a sedan chair is a car without wheels, which is not without reason. "Sui Shu Etiquette System" contains: "Today's chariot is like a cart without wheels, and it is carried by people." A "car" without wheels is carried by people. This is a sedan chair.Therefore, we put the sedan chair here for a brief introduction.According to historical records, the embryonic form of the sedan chair existed as far back as the Xia Dynasty. In "Shangshu·Yiji", it is recorded that when Dayu controlled the water, he said: "I ride for four years, and publish wood with the mountains." Among the "four years", the original sedan chair is included.In this regard, there are similar records in "Historical Records Xia Benji". In 1978, Sancheng Jianyu (the ancient name of sedan chair) was unearthed from the ancient tombs of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States excavated in Hougudui, Gushi County, Henan Province.They are quite exquisitely made, including roof-top and umbrella-top types, which shows that Jianyu has had a long development process before this.

From the pre-Qin period to the Jin Dynasty, the ruling class mainly went out by car.Although sedan chairs were not popular at that time, a small number of people in the royal family still liked to use sedan chairs more and more.Gu Kaizhi of the Jin Dynasty vividly described the scene of Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty and Ban Jieyu riding in the same car in the "Picture of Admonitions for Women's History" painted by him.From a regional point of view, the popularity of sedan chairs is faster in the mountainous areas with inconvenient transportation in the south than in the plains in the north.But until the Tang Dynasty, in addition to the emperor's ride, the shoulder car was generally only enjoyed by women and old, weak and sick officials.Yan Liben, a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty, had a "Picture of Walking Chariot", which is the scene of Tang Taizong riding a sedan chair.In the picture, Tang Taizong sits on a "walking chariot".It is carried by two maids and supported by maids at the four corners. "Old Tang Book·Xuanzong Ji" records: Tang Xuanzong once had a feast for hundreds of officials in Dongzhou, Shangyang, and the drunks were given mattresses.At that time, there were many people who took the sedan chair, but the sedan chair was a gift from the emperor after all, and the sedan chair was not a common means of transportation in society.It is worth noting that this shoulder is used more in mountainous areas.When Wu Zetian went to Yuquan Temple in Wan'an, because of the dangerous mountain path, he wanted to use the prepared shoulders to go up and down, but was stopped by Wang Fangqing.This proves that someone used the Jianyu to go up the mountain at that time. "Old Tang Book Lu Cheng Biography" said that when Lu Cheng went to Jinyang Palace to confer the title of empress dowager, "the mountain road was dangerous and he sat on the shoulder".After Bai Juyi, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, retired at an old age, he formed an incense club with a monk who was as famous as Xiangshan, and "talked about each other" ("Old Tang Book·Bai Juyi Biography").This shows that the use of sedan chairs is becoming more and more widespread.

As a means of transportation, the sedan chair was more popular in the Song Dynasty.In the famous "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival", there are many sedan chairs traveling on Bianliang Street in the prosperous Northern Song Dynasty.Although these sedan chairs are similar to the sedan chairs of the Han and Tang Dynasties, two people still carry the pole, but the materials are well selected, mainly hardwood, and the flying dragons are carved on the top, which is beautiful in shape.The appearance is roughly the same as that seen in modern times.In the Southern Song Dynasty, the use of sedan chairs was further promoted. "Song History Yufu Zhi" said: "ZTE conquered the east and the west, blocked the danger with roads, and ordered all officials to take sedan chairs...".In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, even the small and medium-sized landlords were "everyone was small, and there was no one riding a horse" (Ming Gu Qiyuan, "Guozuo Yuyu").During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the sedan chair was developed to be carried by four or eight people.The reason why princes and nobles are more and more fond of sedan chairs is because sitting on this special means of transportation is safe and comfortable without the suffering of cars and horses.Wang Yuyang, a literati in the Qing Dynasty, said in a poem: "When you walk to the front door and the door is not opened, sit in the sedan chair and eat betel nuts." At this time, the sedan chair has become a relatively common and important means of transportation.

There are roughly two shapes or types of sedan chairs in ancient times, one is a cool sedan chair without a curtain, also called a bright sedan chair or a visible sedan chair, and the other is a warm sedan chair with a curtain, also known as a dark sedan chair.Different official products have strict distinctions in terms of the shape and type of sedan chairs, the materials and colors of curtains, etc.For example, the general officials in the Ming and Qing Dynasties had to use blue or green cloth as curtains for their sedan chairs, so they were called "blue cloth official sedan chairs" and "green cloth official sedan chairs".In addition, sedan chairs have different names according to their different uses: those used by the royal family are called Yujiao; those used by high-ranking officials and nobles are called official sedan chairs; sedan chair.There are more or less people who carry the sedan chair, usually two to eight people, and most folks carry the sedan chair by two people, and the sedan chairs used by officials can be carried by four people or eight people.For example, according to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, all Beijing officials with a rank of three or more can ride on a "four-person lift" in the capital, and when they leave the capital, they can ride on an "eight-person lift"; The imperial envoys take the "eight people's car" and so on.As for the sedan chairs carried by the royal relatives, there are as many as 10 or even 30 people carrying them.In addition, there are some other regulations about taking a sedan chair, which everywhere shows the strict hierarchy in feudal society.

Those who ride the sedan chair are safe and comfortable, but those who carry the sedan chair are miserable.In feudal society, bearers, like other exploited and oppressed working people, were at the bottom of society.The labor of the bearers is hard and tiring, they are beaten and scolded, and they often have traffic accidents.Carrying a sedan chair requires steady lifting and fast walking, so good bearers have undergone special training and long-term exercise.Especially the four-person and eight-person official sedan chair bearers must have superb skills and sufficient physical strength. Now, people generally do not use this means of transportation that uses manpower instead of walking.With the overthrow of the feudal society and the continuous advancement of science and technology, except for some rare bridal sedan chairs that can still be seen on special occasions, such as some traditional wedding occasions, this backward means of transportation has been eliminated by the times.