Why did the ancient watchman know the time accurately? What is the role of the night watchman?

Today, Bian Xiao brings you the ancient bellman. Why can you know the time accurately? I hope I can help you.

Although the old saying goes well: 360 lines, each line is the best. But smart people know that this is just a way to comfort people. On the surface, there are indeed different positions between different occupations, but from the perspective of dedication, there is no difference in human labor in any job. All people who take part in labor will develop society and make due contributions to social progress. They should tolerate and understand each other.

In ancient China, there was a special profession-Watchmen, which disappeared in the long history. The night watchman's job is mainly to make watches, which is a system of telling the time at night in ancient China. They beat gongs and drums and patrol at night. In A.D., the "Chang Classic Bridge" came from the mouth of the watchman. However, I believe many people will question the duty system. If the ancients lacked accurate time telling, why did they know the time accurately during the day? Isn't the role of the night watchman a little too chicken?

In fact, this idea is completely wrong. Although the ancients could use tools such as burning incense and dripping water to determine the time, they could also judge the time according to the position of the sun. However, the life rhythm of the ancients was slow and the daily life was very regular. They often work at sunrise and rest at sunset, and there are few cultural and entertainment activities in the evening. In addition to the fireworks display on holidays, people usually take part in one or two more days.

The ancients divided the night into five classes, with each class lasting about 2 hours, from 19 in the evening, from 19 in the evening to 2 1 in the evening. 2 1:00-23:00 is the second watch of Shihai; 3 o'clock to the next day 1 is midnight; 1 to 3 o'clock, ugly, four more; From 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock, this is Yin Shi's fifth duty. This shift constitutes all the work of the personnel on duty. If you miss any shift, the watchman will be severely punished. Not only will the salary be deducted by half, but it will even be dismissed.

The night watchman's job seems simple, but in fact it is extremely painful. Why did China play watches in ancient times? Besides telling the time, there are actually two unknown functions. The night watchman is employed by a private voluntary organization. Usually in pairs. After the night watchman, there will be two people patrolling the street. One is holding a gong, and the other is banging it. Two people will cooperate with each other, walk the streets in a certain rhythm, and don't rest all night. The night watchman's job, in addition to informing people of the time, is also responsible for "candlelight prevention" and "theft prevention", similar to the security of our modern society.

Watchmen, as one of the most bitter occupations in ancient times, not only had to work late into the night, but also stayed up all year round. Whether it's spring, summer, autumn and winter, it's windy and rainy, the bellboy has to work for ten years. Those humble watchmen who walk in the streets every night, with meager income, are doing hard work, which is really miserable. Before the Yuan Dynasty, watchmen were ordinary people employed in the market. Watchmen in the Ming Dynasty were appointed by beggars' gangs, mostly the old, the weak and the sick. But in the Qing Dynasty, in order to strengthen the management of the imperial court, the watchman was replaced by an official.

Due to the long-term social instability, the watchmen in the Qing Dynasty were often strong-bodied people, and the corresponding salaries were also improved. In the Republic of China, timekeeping objects such as clocks and watches gradually flowed into the society, and people no longer needed a watchman to tell the time, so the industry gradually declined.