One of the earliest characters written on oracle bones was 美(literally: beautiful), whose original significance was "pleasant to look at".
In Imperial China both men and women would adorn themselves and wear jewelry. Older men often wore jade bracelets and long bead chains. It was also customary for men to hold a folding fan and this did not have any feminine connotation.
The Chinese emperors attempted to imitate the appearance of their ancestors. Eyebrows were considered ideal if they looked like those of the legendary Emperor Yao 尧 (from the 3rd millennium BCE) and eyes were considered ideal if they looked like those of the legendary Emperor Shun 舜(also from the 3rd millennium BCE). Scholars were expected to have feminine facial features. Fat men were not considered handsome, though the smiling Buddha is fat. He does not represent ideal beauty, however, but cheerfulness.
There were six patron gods responsible for beautifying women. The first one was associated with ointments and perfumes, the second – with the color for the eyebrows, the third – for face powder, the fourth – for a substance that makes the face shine, the fifth – for jewelry, and the sixth – for gowns. While beautifying themselves, women would call upon these gods, each in their turn, according to the relevant component of beauty.
Since time immemorial the Chinese people have attributed supreme importance to female beauty. Women used to powder their faces with rice starch. Bronze mirrors were in use in China
Women were associated with beauty, but significant changes have occurred in what is considered to constitute ideal feminine beauty throughout Chinese history. In traditional China
In the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE - 24 CE) there was a dancer named Zhao Feiyan 赵飞 燕who was considered the most beautiful woman of her time. Emperor Cheng Di 成帝 was attracted to her graceful slender body and she, who used her beauty to gain power, became his concubine. Her nature reflected strength and self-confidence, both considered virtues at that time.
A series of women's biographies 列女传, edited by the Confucian scholar Liu Xiang 刘向 (77-6 BCE), narrates the biographies of prominent virtuous women. The intention was to promote the approach that perceived nobility and morality as essential components of beauty. This literary work was a kind of attempt to warn women against using their beauty to gain power, as Zhao Feiyan had done. In these stories, external beauty is presented as a reflection of an internal beauty. The book comprises biographies of ugly women too, who in spite of not being beautiful married emperors and became empresses thanks to their noble character and inner beauty.
During the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), at the beginning of the eighth century, a slender woman was still considered beautiful. However, the perception of ideal feminine beauty changed in the middle of the eighth century, and plump women, whose waists were hidden under their voluminous dresses, began to be considered beautiful. This perception of beauty derived from the personal taste of the emperor, who saw in the plump look a reflection of happiness and privilege. Aristocratic women aspired to this ideal, which is reflected in works of art of the period. Thus, plump faces, but with delicate facial features, characterize the noblewomen who are depicted in these works of art. Likewise, plump women are represented participating in sportive activities such as horse riding.
A woman who was considered the most beautiful during the Tang dynasty and one of the most beautiful in the history of China, was Yang Guifei 杨贵妃(719-756 CE), the concubine of Emperor Xuan Zong 玄宗 (712-756 CE). She was heavyset and strong, and the chroniclers of the period described her gentleness and white skin.
During the Tang dynasty, the simple kimono-shaped clothing worn by both men and women was a result of the aspiration to return to a simple life along with the ideals of the Confucians. Peace and economic security encouraged intellectual activity and greater emphasis was placed on the mind than on external things. Women were expected to present their virtue by means of their external beauty. They adorned themselves with earrings, rings, chains and bracelets. Especially popular were jade, pearls, feathers and magnificent hairpins. There was also a custom among women to paint ornamentation on their cheeks, chin and forehead, in red, yellow, black and other pigments, in various shapes such as the moon, coins, birds, insects, flowers, leaves, etc. This custom had originated in the 2nd century BCE, but became especially fashionable in c.700 CE. In the 7th century it was popular among women to pluck their eyebrows and repaint them higher up on their forehead. This custom had originated in the Sui 隋dynasty (581-618 CE), but became fashionable in the 7th century. The pigment used for this purpose was derived from seashells.
A custom that began during the Tang dynasty and was considered as beautifying for women, was that of foot-binding. The feet of young girls, at age 6 or even earlier, were wrapped in tight bandages to stop their normal growth. The result of this was that the bones would break and the feet would become highly deformed. As the girl reached adulthood, her feet would remain small and dysfunctional. The idea was to emphasize female tenderness and fragility in comparison with male strength.
During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 CE), when China
In traditional Chinese literature it was customary to compare beautiful women to flowers 花 such as peach blossom 桃花, lotus 莲花, pear blossom 梨花, orchid 兰花, etc. A woman's shiny[1] hair was described as "cloud-like hair" and considered especially beautiful. In descriptions of female beauty, the description of the hair appears first. Watermelon seeds were used as a poetic metaphor to describe a girl's teeth.
From the writings of the Chinese poet Li Yu 李漁 (1611-1680), known also as Li Liwang 李笠翁, we can learn about the perception of ideal feminine beauty during his time, a perception that is still valid in present-day China. Hair that appears to be floating above the head was especially admired. An ideal face resembled an egg in shape. The ideal forehead was high and the ideal eyebrow was rounded like a willow leaf. According to Li, the most beautiful women were those of Suzhou Hangzhou
According to one modern-day Chinese newspaper, the ideal feminine beauty includes eyebrows rounded like willow leaves, a mouth as small as that of a fish, eyes resembling lichee fruit or almonds, and teeth that are white and balanced like pomegranate seeds. Small and unbalanced teeth are called "rat's teeth", and teeth that protrude are considered especially repulsive. Blue eyes are considered ugly because among the Han people there are no blue-eyed individuals.
During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 CE) that began with the victory of the Manchurians over the Ming dynasty, there was an unsuccessful attempt to ban the custom of binding women's feet, which was prevalent among all social classes.
Since 1911, when Sun Yat Sen 孙中山(1866-1925) became President of the Chinese republic, and following the May 4th movement in 1919, China China
From 1976, with the death of Mao, a new age of consumer culture began. Influenced by the West, the Chinese established a beauty industry. Breast augmentation operations, face lifts, rhinoplasty and eyelid operations became popular. Chinese women in present-day China China
*
情人眼里出
Beauty lies in the lover's eyes
*
香消玉殒
The fragrance disappeared and the jade perished
Beauty faded.
*
花木瓜，空好看
The papaya flower is most beautiful when its fruit is empty
Beauty does not guarantee good character.
In Hebrew they say:
אל תסתכל בקנקן, אלא במה שיש בו (מסכת אבות, ד, כ"ו).
Literally: Do not look at the pitcher but at what it contains (Pirkei Avot, 4, 26)
花木瓜，空好看
The papaya flower is most beautiful when its fruit is empty
Beauty does not guarantee good character.
In Hebrew they say:
אל תסתכל בקנקן, אלא במה שיש בו (מסכת אבות, ד, כ"ו).
Literally: Do not look at the pitcher but at what it contains (Pirkei Avot, 4, 26)
.
各花入各眼
Different flowers look good to different people
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
*
貌美而无德，犹如花之无香
Beauty without virtue is like a flower without fragrance
*
如果你有两块面包 请送一块给穷人 卖掉另一块 再买来风信子花
If you have two loaves of bread, give one to the poor, sell the other, and buy a hyacinth (flower) [to feed your soul]
*
貌美而无德，犹如花之无香
Beauty without virtue is like a flower without fragrance
*
如果你有两块面包 请送一块给穷人 卖掉另一块 再买来风信子花
If you have two loaves of bread, give one to the poor, sell the other, and buy a hyacinth (flower) [to feed your soul]
*
Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes straight to the bone
[1] The natural hair color of all the Chinese is black.
No comments:
Post a Comment