Tang Dynasty Crossing Guide: Chang'an and People's Life Manual

Chapter 19
For example, if you want to wear it on people from the Tang Dynasty, whether you wear it as a man or a woman, you must master the necessary skill of "riding a horse" in advance.From emperors and princes to peasant servants and maidservants in the Tang Dynasty, there are many opportunities to travel on horseback. Even the scenes of delicate little girls galloping on horses in the fields are very common.

Well, you close your eyes and wear it, and when you open your eyes again, you find yourself on the back of a galloping horse.There were whistling and shouting all around, and dozens of horses galloped and outflanked the sparse forests and mountains, driving the gazelle and rabbits to flee in panic—this was catching up with the most expensive sport in the upper class of the Tang Dynasty: hunting.

You grab the reins frantically, clamp your legs around the horse's belly, and bend forward slightly, trying to maintain your balance.After shaking for a long time, I finally got used to it, and I was secretly proud of myself, when I suddenly felt a hot and furry thing moving around on my lower back.Turning your head to look, you are facing a pair of big Huang Yingying eyes, staring at you without blinking, eyes full of doubt and vigilance.

Hey, what a cute big cat... cat... No, this size is too big, and there are money lines all over her body-help!A leopard jumped on my horse's ass!

Don't be afraid... Look, if you fell off the horse, this is the result of insufficient preparation.You said what about you, the lynx I raised since I was a child, and I still wear a collar around my neck. Seeing that after you fell off the horse, they also jumped off and ran to your side to lick your face.Yes, it hurts. Felines have a lot of barbs on their tongues... If you don’t want to be licked and break your skin, it’s better to turn your head away.

That’s right, it’s not a leopard, nor a cat. It’s a “lynx” in between. It’s also called a lynx cat and a lynx. Haven’t you seen people with pointed ears and tufts of long hair...( The lynx silently turned its face to show that it does not know you) The high-ranking officials and nobles in the Tang Dynasty liked to domesticate this kind of animal for hunting. They have short front legs and long hind legs, and are good at killing animals such as rabbits, mice, sheep and deer. Nimble, fast running, strong endurance, omnipotent in climbing trees and swimming, and the size is just right to be placed behind the owner on horseback to participate in hunting together.

You lie on the ground and look around, besides the lynxes on horseback, there are indeed bigger cats running on the ground... well, those are real leopards, and you see, they are responsible for hunting with leopards Yes, there are still a lot of barbarians with high noses and deep eyes.The rich and noble people in the Tang Dynasty also liked to raise cheetahs to show off. In addition to the domesticated cubs caught locally, many of them were "tributed" from various countries in the Western Regions, usually with "leopard slaves".

So what's the difference between the leopards from the Western Regions and the little leopards caught in the mainland?Well... exactly nothing different.They also have gorgeous golden and black spots on their bodies, slender, strong and powerful legs, round and short ears, green eyes, double tear lines, beards on both sides of the mouth, upper lip and cheeks twitch, revealing white canine teeth and bright red lip flesh...

Well, that's right, this leopard is coming towards you, and it probably regards you lying on the ground as his old man's prey.

At this time, if you (the one crossing the upper body) have a deep relationship with your domesticated lynx, the lynx may rush to the Savior desperately and bark its teeth at the cheetah for a while.However, the safest measure is to yell loudly yourself, tell the leopard trainer to come over and take care of his cats, don't just eat crossovers outside, what if you get Spanish cucumber disease?
The leopard has been pulled away, and the lynx is squatting next to you, lifting its hind feet and scratching its ears to see what other animals are around.Cough, the most common ones are all kinds of hounds.

Like the big one held by the hunter on the horse, the dog has a narrow and long head, a pointed nose, a slender and arched neck, a long and thin waist, slanted shoulders and thin legs, very similar to the "greyhound" in modern dog breeds , Good at catching rabbits.I also saw a smaller dog, also squatting behind the saddle, with drooping ears, short and dainty, probably some kind of beagle.

You said that big dogs are mighty and heroic, with face?Well, is the Tibetan Mastiff big enough and mighty enough?This kind of dog should have been passed from Tubo to Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty for hunting and showing off by princes and grandchildren.What else?German black back?This is really not there, you can go back to the Hitler era to find it.

These are the three most common hunting pets that pop up in the grass.You lie on your back, lift your chin and look up at the sky.There are many kinds of birds, big and small, flying in the sky.Are these prey, or domesticated hunting pets?

There was a chirp in the air, and a big white bird stretched out its paws, and pierced straight into your face with a pair of wandering eyes.When you get close, you can clearly see that this bird is slightly bigger than a pigeon, its wings are spread wider than your shoulders, and its yellow beak and gray hook are like iron pecking down fiercely.Ah, look no further!It's important to roll and avoid it!
The lynx classmate next to you roared angrily, straightened up, and slapped it with a slap, and successfully pulled away the one who came to take advantage of you and attack you... What's the name of that flat-haired beast?

As you remember, the small-sized one is called "harrier", which is a short-winged bird. People in Tang Dynasty raised it to catch quail and some small bush birds.Strictly speaking, this bird is also a hawk, but it is much smaller than a real falcon. Thanks to this, His Majesty the "Tian Khan" revered by the people of the Tang Dynasty was spared the tragedy of breaking his intestines.

The thing is like this: His Majesty Li Shimin, who was born in a military noble family and loved riding horses, fighting cocks, hunting and playing birds, got a good kite one day and was playing with it on his arm when he suddenly heard the announcement that Mr. Wei Zheng had come.In order to avoid being nagged and smashed by Wei and Tang monks, Comrade Li Shimin hurriedly stuffed the kite into his arms and hid it (the robes of the ancients were wide...).Originally, I hoped that Old Wei would leave after finishing his speech. Unexpectedly, Old Comrade Wei had sharp eyes. He had seen Li Shimin move around with a living thing under his robe.

I tell you to play!Monk Wei and Tang played at a super level, chanting out of control like a flood of the Yellow River, ignoring His Majesty's face turning blue and turning red and turning pale, as if he was in a hurry, and kept reading until he had had enough of his addiction, then Shi Shiran left.Li Shimin quickly took out the kite to see that he was suffocated to death. ①
① From Kang Pian's "Ju Tan Lu Qu Jiang".

This story, in various retellings, is often misrepresented as "Li Shimin hid a falcon in his arms", but if it is really a big and ferocious falcon instead of a kite, then the story and ending will be different. It became like this: "Taizong got the eagle, which is extremely handsome. He held it in his arms privately. When he saw Zheng Gong, he hid it in his bosom. The public knew it, so he went to the funeral. Because he said the ancient emperor Yiyu, he used a little satire. After talking for a long time, the eagle went crazy. Seeking to survive, soliciting words from time to time, Taizong's belly collapsed."

If you travel to the palace during the Zhenguan period, you will not only be able to watch the scene where the animal killers Li and Wei suffocated the harrier, but you may also see another famous big bird kept by His Majesty Li Shimin, a white bird named "General". falcon.

"Falcon" is a falconer one size larger than "Harrier", with black eyes and long feathers, used to catch big birds such as herons, wild ducks and waterfowl.This "general" of Li Shimin, covered in white, is called "Greenland falcon" in modern times, and it may be a tribute from the north.The specialty of this bird is that it is very good at flattering and asking for rewards. It often chases and drives its prey to the palace where Li Shimin lives, and kills hunting birds in front of the owner. It is said that Li Shimin named the palace "Luoyan Palace" for this reason.

①The allusion comes from Liu's "Sui and Tang Jiahua".

In an even more amazing legend, the "General" will also deliver letters for its master. Li Shimin tied a letter to it in Chang'an, and the bird flew straight to Luoyang and landed in front of Li Shimin's beloved son Li Tai, the king of Wei. Send the letter back to Chang'an to Li Shimin for Li Tai, and I can go back and forth several times a day. ① (Li Shimin: No phone, no mobile phone, no E-mail, no QQ, don’t use this bird, what do you want me to use?)

In fact, the Tang Dynasty was relatively poor during the Zhenguan period, and there were few things to play.If you want to appreciate the real rich and romantic atmosphere, you should go back to Xuanzong's Kaiyuan and Tianbao years. Li Longji, the prodigal son of the rich eight generations, is the one who knows how to play and dares to play.A "raccoon slave" like you who domesticates a lynx can easily make a living in the royal "stable".

The "free stables" include five workshops, including the "Goufang" mentioned above that specializes in breeding dogs, as well as the "Harrier Workshop" and "Falcon Workshop".What are the remaining two squares?One is "Eagle Square".

"Eagle" is slightly larger or almost the same size as "Falcon". The difference is that "Falcon" generally has black eyes, while "Eagle" has yellow eyes, also known as "Goshawk", which can catch pheasants and rabbits.The best eagles are either black or white. The good eagles raised by Xuanzong's nephews are called "jueyun'er".

The most important areas where falcons were produced in the Tang Dynasty were the Northeast of my country and the Korean Peninsula.During Xuanzong's reign, the "Bohai Kingdom" and "Silla Kingdom" there often paid tribute to Chang'an with various eagles and falcons.Dou Gong of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem "Silla Enters the White Eagle": "The royal horse rides on the Jinyuan in autumn, and the white eagle comes from Haidongtou. The emperor of Han has nothing to go hunting, and the snow is chaotic to fight for the golden arm."

This kind of eagle falcon "from Haidongtou" was later called "Haitongqing", and became famous after Tang Dynasty.The last of the five workshops is the "Carving Workshop", which is the largest of all falcons. How big is it?Please read the martial arts masterpieces "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" to start your imagination. (Hey, don't bring such a lazy...)
I said, have you been lying on the ground enough?Time to get up and work?If the ribs are not broken, I advise you to get up quickly, hold the cat on the horse, and rush to the original destination to surround the prey.Otherwise, in case the besieged prey break through and escape from the link that should be guarded by you, those princes and grandsons who come to hunt will not be angry. Just whipping you is considered a light punishment, and maybe any violent one will directly greet you with a knife .

What are you talking about?Don't know what "hunting" is?Alas, I have watched too many TV dramas again, thinking that nobles hunt like poor people in the mountains. They bring some tools and dry food by themselves. When they go into the mountains to find the footprints of wild animals, they follow them alone, digging pits, setting traps, spears, and knives. , when to catch it, and when to finish it.Wealthy men don't have the time and energy. What they pay attention to is to produce a large number of victories in a short period of time, so they can only use "crowd tactics".

First survey the terrain, choose a place with dense forests and grass and many wild animals, and at the same time scatter dozens or even hundreds of thousands of people and horses, and surround the area in their positions.Everyone listened to the order, beat gongs and drums, flew eagles and lackeys to drive the prey in the middle, until a large number of panicked beasts were concentrated in a narrow area (such as a ditch).At this time, the rich men came out, showing off their skills at the dense prey.It is not impossible to kill three hundred rabbits that day if you have a shotgun.

Did the Tang Dynasty have firecrackers?Of course not, everyone should shoot arrows and swing knives honestly.

The above mentioned are all the animals that people in the Tang Dynasty could see when they were hunting.After the princes and grandsons returned home with a full load of prey, they could also see many small animals in the inner bedroom, most of which were pets kept by women and children.

① The allusion comes from Zhang's "Chaoye Qianzai".

For example, some overseas countries have always liked to pay tribute to various parrots in Chang'an.During the Zhenguan period, a country in Southeast Asia paid tribute to His Majesty Li Shimin with a "five-color parrot", claiming that the bird could speak human language.Li Shimin asked someone to bring the bird to the hall, excitedly expecting to hear it shouting "Majestic Tang Dynasty" and "Emperor Wannian", but it opened its beak and said, "It's so cold! It's so cold! It's so cold! Chang'an is so cold! It's cold! It's cold..."

Li Shimin said: "Forget it, return this ancestor to the envoy and bring him back to his country..."①
In contrast, during the reign of Xuanzong, a white parrot raised by Concubine Yang Gui was more well-behaved and loved ones.Concubine Yang named it "Xueyi Niang" and taught the bird how to chant scriptures.But its greatest use is to help Li Longji rely on chess.When His Majesty Li Longji was playing chess with his brothers and close ministers, when he saw that something was going wrong and he was about to lose, Xue Yi Niang flew onto the chessboard and kicked wildly, messing up the game so much that it was impossible to play again, and Lai Cheng ended up in a draw.Who is not convinced?Still want to arrange the chess pieces and put them back to the original game?I peck your hand...②
Doing the same job as Xueyi Niang, there is also a white Jingba, which is also held in the arms of Concubine Yang all day long, and she throws it on the chessboard when Xuanzong is about to lose.

In the Tang Dynasty, Jingba Dog was called "Fulin Dog" or "Yizi". "Fulin" was the name of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome) at that time.As the name suggests, this kind of dog was originally a tribute to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty through Turpan (Gaochang) from Turkey today during the reign of Wude in the early Tang Dynasty.It is said that this dog is very smart, very friendly, easy to train a lot of skills, and rare is the most expensive, so it was very popular in the upper class of the Tang Dynasty. Forest Dog" together to show off.

Later, this kind of dog in the Middle East and Western Europe was almost extinct in its original place, but survived in China from generation to generation.In modern times, Westerners introduced the breed from Beijing and reproduced it in Europe and the United States, so the ancient Chinese "Flin Dog" became the modern "Peking Dog" in the West.

I have talked a lot about the pets that people in the Tang Dynasty loved to keep.However, I am not lazy as a small salesman. The Tang Dynasty was popular all over the country and was sought after by everyone. It is the kind of animal that best represents the aesthetic orientation and the spirit of the entire era. I basically didn’t talk about it in this article. Let’s talk about it when we have a chance .

① The allusion comes from the 140th chapter of the "New Book of Tang" biographies.

②The allusion comes from Zheng Chuhui's "Miscellaneous Records of the Emperor Ming".References & in-depth understanding recommendations for this article:
(US) Edward Shaffer, translated by Wu Yugui. Alien Civilizations in the Tang Dynasty. Xi'an: Shaanxi Normal University Press, 2005
"My lord, can I invite you to dance?"

Noble Men's Dance Culture
Everyone said that time travel is good, the ancients were mentally retarded and easily deceived, the terraced fields made gunpowder, and the cross-stitch technique was also skillful, the spring snow in the Qinyuan garden shocked everyone, the tap dancers were coquettish, the east wind broke and the hair was like snow, the emperor looked under the table, mahjong Double button new entertainment, Qinhuai Fengyue Leisure Club is the old bustard.If you really go through it and look again, the frog in the well makes people laugh!
Traveling through time is a technical job, and the ancients are not as serious, rigid and boring as some people imagine.In ancient times, being a son of an aristocratic family required a lot of skills to be practiced. If nothing else, you could go to a banquet in the Tang Dynasty and try it out. The talent show sessions one after another can drive you crazy crashed.

Don't you believe it?Then let's go to a banquet today.

The host of the treat is a highly respected official of the third grade or above.As for you, the quality of this time travel is relatively high, and you have become a prince of the county kingdom.The servants entered the main hall like a cloud, bowed to each other, and then took the seat, occupying the distinguished guest seat, looking around the room full of guests and friends, feeling quite superior to others.

In order to show importance, besides the domestic prostitutes he raised, the host specially invited a well-known geisha lady in the city to accompany the guests.This prostitute is full of pearls and emeralds, and she is sitting beside you drinking wine radiantly. The fragrant wind blows in, making you distracted, all you want to do is to show off your ability as a time traveler.

Let’s keep the opening ceremony of the banquet, the food and drinks served on the table, and gossip later. Anyway, these have little to do with you, you just watch in silence and follow the crowd.

But when the drums are playing in unison and the geisha prepared by the host start playing, singing, and dancing, then you can't keep your head down and say nothing.As the main guest with a noble status, you have to comment on the art program carefully prepared by the host, otherwise it will be too rude.

Look at the beauties who are leading the dance in the hall, combing nine riding fairy buns, wearing peacock emerald clothes, wearing seven treasure necklaces, twirling with their hands down, sending them away in a beautiful way, and the dancers are slanting their skirts, like flowers and clouds.As the rhythm of the melody accelerated, their dance steps became more and more passionate. At the end of the melody, there was a sound of four strings, and the soft dance ended like a phoenix closing its wings.

There was applause and applause in front of the table in the hall, and you nodded frequently, praising: "This peacock dance is not bad, it is almost catching up with Yang Liping..."

The master's face froze for a moment, and the famous prostitutes around you covered their mouths and laughed, and whispered in their ears: "Mr.

"..."

Well, I can't blame you, after all, it wasn't Yang Yuhuan who led the dance in front of you, and there wasn't a big fat man surnamed An who slammed the drums to break the dance music.The banquet venue is too simple, there is not even an electronic screen to play lyrics, introduce the name and content of the program, how can I blame you, a time traveler, for being ignorant and ignorant.

(End of this chapter)