Why did ancient people grow such a long beard? Why don't modern people have beards?

There are often scenes of ancient people growing beards in TV dramas, and Guan Yu is probably the most famous. Although Guan Yu is a general, he is going to the battlefield, but he still has a long beard and doesn't feel any sense of disobedience when he looks at it. On the contrary, he feels good. Not only Guan Yu, many images in ancient times had long beards, but in modern times, people with such long beards are rare. Even many people don't have beards, so they shave them off. Why?

Let's talk about why the ancients grew beards. In fact, this is the same as the long hair of the ancients. The ancients believed that "the skin of the body is influenced by parents", and everything on the body is given by parents and must not be easily damaged. In ancient times, there was a penalty of tattooing on the face. The prisoner would wear this mark all his life and live in the eyes of others all his life. This is very cruel, even more devastating than those tortures, so the ancients would not cut their beards easily. This is an ideological and moral reason.

There are other reasons, in fact, just like modern people don't have beards, aesthetic concepts. Ancient people's aesthetics are different from modern people's. In fact, any era has its own unique aesthetics, such as women's makeup. When we look at the makeup in the Tang Dynasty, we will feel exaggerated and ugly, but it was a fashion at that time. If people in the Tang Dynasty saw our makeup, they might feel ugly. So growing a beard may also be a kind of beauty pursued by the ancients.

There is a saying that "Yan value is the primary productive force". Although it is straightforward and ridiculous, it cannot be denied that most people look at the face value first. After all, the first thing they see when they see a person is his appearance. If it is Pang Tong, it is estimated that many people won't take a second look. But if it's Pan An, everyone will want to watch it every day. Beard is a part of the face value of ancient men. Isn't there often a "beard" in novels? Explain that the beard looks good, and the overall face value of this person has also improved.

Moreover, although it is only a simple "beard", the ancients subdivided it, and the names of beards growing in different positions are not the same. For example, the beard on the upper lip is called "moustache" and the beard on the lower lip is called "moustache", both of which are beards, but the ancients' attitude towards beards can be said to be no less than their own faces. People with long beards will certainly take care of them often to keep them beautiful, which will not only look good, but also increase their self-confidence.

Not only that, there is also a word called "beautiful boy" in ancient times. Let's put aside its profound meaning. The word ostensibly refers to some men with delicate faces and fair skin. There is no derogatory meaning at this time. Imagine, if a person's face is very white but has a beard, is it a bit disobedient? Therefore, there is a deep meaning in the small white face, that is, living by women without making efforts, which is also the expression of ancient values and brought about by the social status of men and women.

As for why modern people don't grow beards, it is of course a matter of aesthetic trend. When no one around has a beard, how many people can have a beard? But any era has its inclusiveness, even if it really has a beard, so what?