Reveal the origin of the ancient candle

The ancient candle was mainly divided into yellow wax and white wax. Yellow wax is beeswax, originated in the han dynasty, is really a luxury, only wealthy aristocrats will a room a candlelight dinner what

Insect wax

Ash is secretion of the ash on the survival of a wax scale insect, have a kind of insect, parasitic in the trunk of a tree and thick branches, this bug is called “a wax scale insect,” this tree is hence the name “ash”, this is China’s speciality.
In this kind of tree, the ash worm lives on the surface and forms a piece. It eats tree juice and secretes white wax. When it’s time to harvest, slice it off, heat it up a bit, and the wax separates.

This kind of white wax was used in ancient China. This kind of white wax is a natural product. It originated in the tang dynasty and began large-scale farming in the song dynasty, so candles became cheaper in the song dynasty.

beeswax

Beeswax, which appeared in the third century, may be the earliest form of the candle seen today. In the west, there was a time when the temples kept bees to make their own wax. According to the existing literature, the production time of honey wax in China is roughly the same as that in the west
Animal fat is indeed a kind of candle material, but that is not a candle in the strict sense. Because animal fat is far lower than the wax melting point, so during the eastern han dynasty lamps a lot in animal fats as raw materials, mixing some wax or coated with a layer of a fixed shape, make it cheaper shanzhai candles. The shape is not as long as the real noble candle, but short and thick.

As for why the poor children can’t afford a candle, this has very little to do with the price, the poor children can’t afford to buy a candle and remote rural today before with no electric light, did not solve the food and clothing, there is no spare cash to buy you buy oil candle light bulb.

In modern times, candles are generally believed to have originated from the torches of primitive times. The primitive people spread things like fat or wax on bark or wood pieces and tied them together to make torches for lighting. There is also a legend in the pre-qin ancient times, people put mugwort and reeds into a bundle, and then dipped in some oil lighting lighting, then people took a hollow reed, cloth wrapped, wax on the fill light.

About in the third century BC beeswax is likely to be the prototype of the candle, seen today in the west, there is a period of time, the temple of beekeeping, used for homemade beeswax, this is mainly because the Catholic thought beeswax is the symbol of a virgin conception, so the beeswax as pure light, sacrifice on the altar of the church. According to the existing literature, the production time of honey wax in China is roughly the same as that in the west. Japan introduced this kind of candle from China in the era of nara (710 ~ 784 AD). The popularity of the candle has experienced a long historical period, the xiking miscellanea, records, the han dynasty when the south Vietnamese to gaudi tribute tribute of candles, version believed at the time when cold fire ban king reward to the marquis of above top officials, officials to candles, the candle is rare at that time. In the northern and southern dynasties, candles were slightly more popular, but they were mainly used in the upper class, rather than in ordinary households.In the tang dynasty, it was also recorded that there were candles among the tributes in the state of jin, and that officials in the tang dynasty set up an official to manage the imperial candles. The song dynasty recorded that candles were used in the frontier trade with the western xia. Candle is a kind of thing that foreign trade, foreign exchange, show although use at that time more common, but still compare precious. When he got to the Ming and qing dynasties, the candle to gradually entered the ordinary people, people is used in everyday life, but the general lamps and lanterns, like a lamp, torch still cannot and candles.