Speaking of the Warring States Period, the first thing that comes to mind is the endless war and the ideological situation of a hundred schools of thought contending. In fact, the Warring States Period, which was in the transition period from slavery to feudalism, was also an era of rapid development of material culture.
The material and cultural living standards during the Warring States Period were greatly improved compared to the previous Shang, Zhou and Spring and Autumn Periods. Improvements in production tools brought about changes in all aspects of clothing, food, housing and transportation.
The use of ironware was a major advancement in production during the Warring States Period. According to documentary records and archaeological excavations, iron tools were used before the Warring States Period, but in very small quantities. During the Warring States Period, the invention of iron smelting technologies such as cast iron smelting, cast iron casting, cast iron softening and carburizing steelmaking technology promoted the widespread use of ironware. The "Wuzangshan Jing" clearly records 37 iron-producing places, spread across the seven countries of the Warring States Period and even the Baiyue Land. The development of iron smelting technology and the extensive development of iron resources have greatly increased the possibility of using iron as a material for production tools. Various iron farm tools have become a symbol of the Warring States Period. In the era of agricultural civilization, the development of agricultural production was the driving force for progress in all aspects of society. Under the cultivation of iron farm tools, the material and cultural life of the Warring States period took on a new look.
In a hierarchical society, princes and nobles are always the top enjoyers of material wealth, and their lives best reflect this change. Food is the most important thing for people. No matter what era, food is always the top priority for people. The diet structure during the Warring States Period was not much different from that during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Cereals were still the staple food, and non-staple food included vegetables, meat, aquatic products, fruits, and of course some wild animals obtained from hunting. The food crops at that time included millet, rice, bean sprouts, etc. Millet was the staple food of northerners, while rice was the staple food of southerners, and was also grown in small quantities in the north. Shu is a soybean, and the classics of the Warring States Period often mention millet and Shu at the same time. This is different from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties where both millet and millet were given equal emphasis. It can be seen that during the Warring States Period, the status of soybeans in food increased. The grains that nobles usually eat are relatively fine, and grains like soybeans are not very popular with them.
The gardening industry during the Warring States Period was more developed, and the types of vegetables were relatively rich. The main ones that appeared in the literature include sunflower, hyacinth, sage, onion, leek, garlic, ginger, polygonum, mustard, etc. Among them, sunflower, hyacinth, sage, onion, and leek are the most common. Common, known as the "Five Dishes".
The livestock raised by people in the Warring States Period were mainly horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, and hogs (pig), collectively known as the "six livestock". Among them, horses and cattle were mainly used for farming and transportation. Therefore, the nobles' daily meat mainly consisted of small livestock such as sheep, chickens, dogs, and pigs.
In terms of eating methods, the Warring States Period was more particular than previous generations. The requirements for food of the princes and nobles reached a very sophisticated level, which can be seen from the large number of tableware unearthed in the tombs of nobles from the Warring States Period. In the tombs of the Warring States Period, archaeologists discovered exquisite cooking utensils and tableware such as tripods, woks, woks, 斝, 屜, 簋, beans, plates, fortresses, statues, pots, jue, spoons, daggers, forks, etc., made of bronze, Made of gold, silver, jade, bone, lacquer and other materials.
In terms of clothing, the Warring States Period still followed the wearing habit of tops and lower skirts. Yi is the general term for all clothing on the upper body, including robes, jackets, shirts, etc. The lower body is worn as Shang, including a close-fitting robe and hakama on the legs, which are similar to trousers. The materials and shapes of clothes vary according to rank and status. The clothes of the upper class nobles are mostly made of brocade, silk, silk, leather and fine linen. Their waists are decorated with ribbons, gold and jade, etc. There are different dresses for different occasions. The nobles, especially the nobles, were proud to wear white fur coats and brocade clothes.
In addition to the clothes for the upper and lower body, there is also clothing for the head and feet. The ancients had the saying "clothes and crowns", which shows that crowns were as important as clothes in the minds of the ancients. The crowns worn by people in the Warring States Period include ben, mian, hat, crown, scarf, etc. Different crowns must be worn at different ages and on different occasions. Although "rituals collapsed" during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, "guanli" was still valued. Before the age of 20, men only wear a scarf on their heads. At the age of 20, a coming-of-age ceremony is held, that is, the "Crown Ceremony". From then on, the children of the nobles begin to wear crowns, while the children of the poor only change their scarf into a turban.
Shoes are what the people of the Warring States period called shoes. The shoes worn by princes and nobles were exquisite and lightweight leather shoes and finely woven magnolia shoes. The shoes were often decorated with leather strips or silk tassels of different colors. Socks also became a daily item of clothing during the Warring States Period. When entering a house, one had to take off his shoes outside the door and only wear socks when entering the house.
The exquisite jewelry and accessories owned by nobles during the Warring States Period also reflect the richness and variety of material and cultural life during this period, including hair accessories, earrings, neck accessories, arm accessories, finger rings, belt hooks, pendants, metal craft decorations, etc. A wide range of accessories.
Earrings during the Warring States Period were usually made of jade. Some jade ornaments were very simple and without lines, while others were carved into images of dragons and phoenixes. A yellow jade ornament with the head of a Kui dragon was unearthed from the Zhongshan National Tomb during the Warring States Period. Neckwear is a very popular decoration in primitive society, and people in the Warring States Period still retained the tradition of wearing neckwear. Among the necklaces unearthed from the tomb of the King of Zhongshan were two agate necklaces, composed of 222 and 74 tubular agates respectively. Yu Yuan is a kind of oblate ring-shaped arm ornament. The decorations of Yu Yuan during the Warring States Period became more and more complex, with the most common ones being the rim pattern and the cloud and thunder pattern.
Many clothes belt hooks were found in tombs during the Warring States Period. These belt hooks were made of valuable materials and had exquisite craftsmanship. The hook body is S-shaped and has different variations. Some bodies are like the belly of a praying mantis, some are pipa-shaped, and some are animal-shaped. The belt hooks are mainly made of gold, silver, bronze, jade, iron, etc., and are either gilded or inlaid with precious stones.
Jade is warm and hard, with beautiful color and clear sound. It is a symbol of a gentleman's character. "Book of Rites Tamamo" says: "A gentleman in ancient times must wear jade." The jade worn in the Warring States Period is also exquisite. In 1958, 10 painted figurines were unearthed in Xinyang, Henan Province, all of which were decorated with jade huangs, jade bis, colorful knots and colorful rings hanging from their waists. During the Warring States Period, there were also various decorative jade pendants, such as human-patterned pendants, animal-patterned pendants, bird-patterned pendants, dragon-patterned pendants, etc., with exquisite carving skills.
At this time, metal processing technology reached a new height, and people skillfully used various techniques such as inlay, gold and silver interlacing, gilding, hollowing, and welding mortise and tenon to create exquisite utensils. From a Warring States eagle crown unearthed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1972, we can imagine the superb craftsmanship of the artifacts at that time.
In terms of architecture, the level of the Warring States Period was also much higher than that of the previous generation. Many tall tile-roofed buildings were built and the bracket technology unique to Chinese architecture was developed. The Warring States Period has begun to use a large number of tiles. A large number of Warring States tiles, simple tiles and various tiles have been found in many places. The tiles are also engraved with beautiful patterns. The palace is the highest expression of the level of architectural art of an era. Mencius said that the palaces at that time were all "the halls were several ren high, and the inscriptions were several feet high." They were very grand, and the interior furnishings were even more gorgeous. Judging from the existing objects and materials, the buildings of the Warring States Period were magnificent and solid.
As for ordinary people, of course they cannot get these material enjoyments. They still live in a drafty thatched hut, and naturally they can't have a carriage with a pavilion or a canopy when they go out. Although the types of food they eat have changed, they are still often plagued by hunger and have to eat chaff. Meat was only the preserve of the upper class nobility, and it was difficult for ordinary people to eat meat. Those gorgeous clothes are not something that lower-class workers can enjoy, and some people have never seen them before. Ordinary workers wore short brown cloth and undecorated straw sandals and hemp shoes. They did not have the fur clothes worn by the nobles, only a pair of undershirts. Only the elderly had the opportunity to wear silk clothes.
Of course, the material and cultural life of the Warring States period cannot be compared with that of later generations. After all, its productivity level was still limited. However, changes in various aspects show that the science, technology and culture of the Warring States period have been much more advanced than those of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, indicating the possibility of transition to feudal society. sex.
