The year my grandma passed away, I searched all over Beijing and tried to burn a suitable Manchu robe for her. They are all in style, with large fins topped with plastic flowers. If you rent them, the price is 299 yuan, and you can only rent them for one hour. I stood among the piles of colorful costumes, and suddenly I felt very sorry for her. At the same time, I feel sorry for myself.
That night, I dreamed about my grandma. She was still the same as before, her hair was not messed up, and she was wearing the blue-gray robe that had been washed white. She was sitting cross-legged on the kang, and she didn't say a word, just looking at me like that. When I woke up, the pillow was very wet.
I started to get my camera. At first I was very stupid and didn't understand anything.
What do real Manchu costumes look like?
Those on the market are really unsightly. Things like big wings and flower pot bottoms are the kind that appear in Qing palace dramas. In fact, they are far from the real Manchus. The real flag uniform in the early days did not have a collar. The cuffs were connected to a length of horseshoe-shaped sleeves, called arrow sleeves. They were usually tied up and put down to protect the hands when hunting. Otherwise, the hands would have been worn out when pulling the bowstring.
It's not like in the TV series, the sleeves are wide enough to hide two heads.
There is also the so-called "Kunqiu", which is a kind of hat with two streamers on the back. In old photos, banner women wear it, which looks upright, good-looking, and not exaggerated at all. Who will remember Kunqiu now? I'm afraid even the Manchus themselves have forgotten it.
I went to find a master to make a copy of the robe. When he heard my idea, he didn't say anything for a long time, and finally said: Girl, this work is too slow. It only takes a year or two to embroider it. Can you wait?
I'll wait.
Why we can only imagine our ancestors through costumes
What’s strange is that when searching for “Manchu costumes” on the Internet, the pop-ups are all of the same style in photo studios. The revival of Hanfu is booming. The girls walking on the street are dressed in more Tang Dynasty style than the Tang Dynasty people. As for the Manchus, they are either used as backgrounds in Qing palace dramas or used as props in scenic spots.
Someone told me that you Manchu people are supported by TV dramas, which is not a loss.
I felt quite uncomfortable hearing this. What do you call holding on? That is rubbing the ancestor's appearance on the ground.
Something is engraved in the bones
Among the people of my grandma's generation, people slept on the kang with hairpins. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they had to set up a small table in the yard and wait for the moon to appear. After completing the worship, snacks will be distributed to the children, and it will be said that if they eat these things like those given by the Moon Palace Empress, they will be able to go smoothly in exams and find a job. I didn’t understand it at that time, but I just felt that the mooncakes were hard in texture and not delicious.
Now I want to take another bite, but it’s gone.
When I went to Chengde Mountain Resort to do video shooting, I had to wait for everyone in the venue to clear out, wait for the light to be in a suitable state, wait for the wind to stop completely, and follow the moving objects and shoot like a scene in the animal world. There was a tourist next to me holding up a mobile phone to take pictures of me. He probably thought there was something wrong with me, and he stood there motionless in this appearance.
Is it silly to make a long video in the era of short videos?
Who today would watch something that lasted 20 minutes? People from all walks of life came to advise me to keep it short, because if I can’t catch people in the first three seconds, they will leave.
I know they have good intentions for me.
But for some things, three seconds is not enough. It takes a year to embroider a robe, and a year to make a piece of jewelry. The accumulation of these hours is enough to constitute the "reality" presented in a shot. I really can't bear to switch screens.
The number of fans is not that large, but someone in the comments said that this is Manchu. I used to think it was like My Fair Princess.
Just this sentence, I feel that two years of hard work have not been in vain.
Full of embroidery, every stitch and thread carries body temperature
While I was making that robe, I went to see the Manchu embroidery master. The teacher said that Manchu embroidery is different from those in the south. Here it is practical. Pillow tops, purses and curtains are all items used in daily life. When your daughter is getting married, you can tell whether the girl's hands are dexterous by looking at the embroidery on the pillow top.
Who watches these now.
The teacher picked up the needle with a very steady hand. She said that in the past, Manchu girls started learning embroidery at the age of seven or eight. If they were to embroider, they would embroider until they were seventy or eighty. Now, once the machine is turned on, one day can equal a year in the past. However, the things embroidered by the machine do not have that charm.
I watched from the side and didn't dare to speak.
The so-called tradition may be my father’s writing brush.
My father likes to write calligraphy. He told me, don’t think so much, just pick up the pen and write. No matter what font it is, write every day. If you write for a year, you will naturally succeed.
Traditional culture is like this. You don’t have to go out of your way to learn it, you can just reach out and pick it up.
When I was a kid, I thought he was a nagging person. Now, I am starting to make a video by myself, and my eyes are dazzled while flipping through the information. Suddenly, I remember what he said. That's right, do it first and keep doing it, then you will succeed.
Saw some changes recently
Some people who are engaged in the same industry have begun to distinguish between the early stage, the middle stage and the late stage. In the past, they just put on the big wings and got things done. There are also photo studios asking me if they can borrow my clothes for photo shoots.
I said yes, as long as you call me by the right name.
Calling the right name isn’t too demanding, right?
As I write this, my eyes are getting hot again.
Grandma has been gone for ten years.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival that year, I was not able to see her for the last time at the right time. On the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, I plan to shoot a veritable Manchu moon worship activity. I will bring a small table, place it properly, put various fruits and melons on it, and quietly wait for the moon to appear.
After taking the photo, I ate a mooncake by myself. Hard and not tasty.
But as I chewed it, I felt that my grandma was watching me from the side.
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