Cixi photo joke

1860s, cameras had already entered China. This thing can print itself on paper in an instant, and people at that time felt terrible. It is rumored that taking photos will take away people's souls, and taking photos will make people look like a walking corpse without a soul. Because of diplomatic needs, Prince Gong was forced to take photos. Prince Gong was frightened. After repeated persuasion, Prince Gong sat in front of the camera in fear and trembling.

Later, the Qing court directly banned cameras from entering the Forbidden City. Because it is rumored in the palace, don't look at taking pictures at that time, as long as you take them with your soul, you will fidget, get a strange disease, or have an accident in the next few decades. Guangxu's favorite imperial concubine is young and loves beauty, and is easy to accept new things. She secretly got a camera and played various selfies with Guangxu. Cixi was furious and destroyed all these photos. As for later, Cixi took many photos by herself, all of which were taken by Cixi for others to see.

The above example seems ridiculous, but it was a very serious political issue at that time, which was related to the survival of the country and the nation and the stability of society. Or it can be said that the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China were ignorant, because the contemporary modern civilization was very popular in the West, but it was unheard of in China. Of course, ordinary China people should not be blamed for their fear of modern civilization. It can only be said that the rulers of the Qing Dynasty closed the people of China for too long, just like being locked in a dark cage. When a bright light suddenly comes in, their eyes will of course be uncomfortable.