In ancient times, no matter what kind of official you are, most people were busy giving and receiving gifts before the Spring Festival. On the surface, it looks lively, but in fact, it's full of the smell of corruption.
Giving gifts to each other during the Spring Festival has almost become a hidden rule in ancient officialdom. And the hidden rules of gift giving are not what you can get if you want to. In ancient times, when subordinates gave gifts to their superiors to get through the relationship, the first step was to get through the interpersonal relationship -- the gatekeeper. Although the doorman is only a doorman, his position and significance are very important. If you think about the doorman's refusal to let you in, how can you see his master?
In the Spring Festival, the gatekeepers of ancient famous families often earn a lot of money. 'you can't get through the door by ringing the bell and blowing the pipe. Thank you. The door is very expensive. 'it's really enviable and surprising that the post Han Dynasty book, the biography of Liang and Ji, records the scene of the doorman's tiredness. It can be seen that the ancient style of gift giving has long been popular.
Zhou Hui's "Jinling trivia" mainly records the stories of Jinling since the 38th year (1610) of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, involving the allusions of the state and celebrities, as well as the street talks and folk customs. Among them, there is a passage that records in detail the mighty gift giving scene in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
It is said that when Zhou Hui went out for a visit the day before New Year's Eve, he saw a huge group gathered in front of the Yamen of Bingma Department of Zhongcheng. Each of them held food boxes, which blocked the road. It turns out that these people are here to give gifts. Gifts cause traffic jams. I'm afraid it's also a kind of anecdote.
In the Ming Dynasty, the company was only an official in charge of the safety and health of the urban area. Its rank was quite low, which was equivalent to our current urban management staff. It can be seen that such small officials have so many people giving gifts, not to mention the scene of the big officials giving gifts.
During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, in order to rectify the extravagance, waste and corruption of the Spring Festival, the imperial court made a paper convention to prohibit the gift giving. At that time, officials of all sizes posted such a convention in front of their homes: "how can I have leisure and social intercourse with my colleagues and friends in the dynasty? Since the new year's day of Qihai in the 58th year of Kangxi, I have not celebrated my new year, nor celebrated my birthday, Nor visited visitors, nor received posts, nor entered the doorbook, nor answered my prayers.". As for relatives and friends from all over the world, those who visit, study or find a library to visit Beijing in vain will not accept the post, or enter the doorbook, or dare not answer the question. We hope to forgive them. "Although bound by the Convention, the trend of giving gifts is still prevailing because of insufficient supervision.