Appearances Mattered in Ancient Times Too

Since ancient times, people have placed significant importance on facial appearance. To what extent? It might seem surprising, but even during the Ming Dynasty, members of the royal family wore makeup when meeting others. "The Continuation of the Tea Fragrance Room" refers to Ming Dynasty texts stating that while it was believed the emperor's hat was decorated with jewels, it notably lacked jade. However, during celebrations in the prince's family, the princes wore headpieces adorned with jade flowers. Upon questioning the eunuchs, it was revealed that the emperor also wore flowers in his hair within the inner palace. Shen Defu, in his work "Wild Records of the Wanli Era," noted that upon arriving in the capital and conversing with the eunuchs, they recounted how the emperor would apply powder to his face and neck before court sessions to appear more solemn. The reason why powder was associated with solemnity wasn't explained, possibly because Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't considered handsome, leading his descendants to enhance their image.

Conversely, there are those who don't mind having a darker complexion. For instance, the renowned Wang Anshi. One day, his friend Lü Huiqing pointed out, "You have dark spots on your face; I have a remedy for that. Wash with coriander, and it will clear up." Wang Anshi casually replied, "It’s just my natural complexion, not spots." Lü Huiqing persisted, "Coriander can remove darkness as well." Wang Anshi laughed and said, "My complexion is natural; coriander won't change that."

While a darker complexion might not be a major issue for men, having a pockmarked face can be challenging. In ancient times, facial scars from chickenpox were called "pox scars," with the elegant term "heavenly tattoo." A Ming Dynasty scholar, Xu Wei, composed a praise for a portrait featuring such a "heavenly tattoo." Xu Wei had to creatively compliment someone with such features. He cleverly wrote: "A gourd or bottle, fair and smooth, serves only for decoration; a pine tree’s trunk is rugged, yet it stands as a pillar." Thus, your appearance suggests you aren't just decorative but strong like a pine tree... Is there a more inventive way to compliment someone?

Tattooing was a punitive measure where characters were etched onto the faces of criminals. This was particularly common during the Song Dynasty, as depicted by characters like Song Jiang and Lin Chong in "Water Margin." Wei Tai’s "Records from the Eastern Pavilion" tells of Lu Dong, a judge in Suzhou who also served as governor. He exiled a criminal and inscribed characters on the person's face: "Specially sentenced to a certain state's prison."

After this was done, his subordinates objected: "Sir, there's an issue here. The character 'special' implies an exception, suggesting the punishment wasn't deserved but enforced due to circumstances. This isn't the case; this person was to be exiled regardless. Including 'special' could lead to questions from higher authorities."

Frightened by this, Lu Dong promptly recalled the criminal to amend the tattoo, changing "special sentence" to "regular sentence." This unfortunate individual endured a second punishment. Subsequently, when someone suggested promoting Lu Dong, his superior recalled him as "Lu Dong? Oh, I remember. He’s the one who made that error with the criminal's tattoo in Suzhou."

In military scenarios, the face of a general can be crucial; a lack of strong features might hinder battlefield performance. "Records of the Music Bureau" and "Miscellaneous Records of the Music Bureau" highlight stories about facial importance. To summarize, during the Northern Qi period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Emperor Gao Huan's grandson, Lanling Wang Gao Changgong, was renowned for his courage, always leading charges in battle. However, his somewhat effeminate appearance could undermine his presence in combat. Gao Changgong addressed this by crafting a large mask for battles, enhancing his formidable appearance and achieving numerous victories. This marked the genesis of mask usage—eventually, performers in certain musical acts requiring an assertive presence began wearing masks. For example, Tang Dynasty court drummers donned masks during performances.

The four great beauties of ancient China are also quintessential examples of the historical emphasis on appearance, a theme that persists in modern society. (Adapted from "Watching the Blue Sky")