In ancient China, the ID card was called "Fu"-it was not a "magic spell" drawn by charlatans to exorcise ghosts, but a small object made of wood or metal. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the earliest "identity card"-"fish symbol" appeared in China. This "ID card" is shaped like a fish, divided into two pieces, left and right, with hanging holes on it. The "fish symbol" is a unique "identity card" of officials, and ordinary people have not received this treatment. The "fish symbol" is engraved with the name, official position, yamen and rank of the official holding the symbol. The material of the fish symbol varies with the level of official rank: the fish symbol used by princes and senior officials above the third class is made of gold; Silver fish symbols for officials above level 5; Officials below Grade 6 use tong yu operator. In order to facilitate officials to go out and carry fish symbols, the court also customized a "fish bag" for officials, which was used to hold fish symbols. The requirement was that "the symbols should not leave the bag, and the bag should not leave the symbol". When officials meet the emperor, meet colleagues and go out on business, they have to show their "fish symbols" to "identify themselves" in order to get recognition and acceptance from the other side. Therefore, at that time, there was a "person who possessed a fish charm, which was called high and noble."
As the saying goes, when the emperor gives the order, the monk can't escape. When the emperor changed, the fish symbol changed its face. When Wu Zetian was in power, the "fish symbol" was replaced by the "turtle symbol", and its use remained unchanged, but its shape and material changed. Later, "turtle elephant" became "tiger elephant" and "forest elephant" one after another. The shape and material of the symbol have changed, and its "function" has also increased: in addition to proving identity, there is an additional authoritative function: when the symbol in your hand is lit, you can mobilize and command the army and appoint and dismiss officials. In the final analysis, "symbol" is also a symbol of status: high status means great power.
In the Ming Dynasty, the metal symbols were probably too heavy to carry. In order to reflect the new atmosphere of regime change, all the metal symbols in the hands of officials were replaced by "tooth cards". The texture of the tooth card is ivory, animal bones, wood and so on. The tooth card is slender like a water board, engraved with the name, position, resume and unit of the holder, and the details are similar to those of today's oversized business cards. In 2004, archaeologists found Zheng He's "identity card" at the dock site of Ming Dynasty Bao Shipyard in Nanjing. This is a special ebony tooth card made by the imperial court, which has a hole on it to hang around the waist, so it is also called "waist card".
Archaeological studies in recent years have found that since the Ming Dynasty, "identity cards" have spread from officialdom to society, and some dignitaries in society have begun to regard holding "tooth cards" and "waist cards" as a kind of glory. Lu Rong, an Amin, recorded in Miscellanies of the Garden: "Anyone who goes in and out of the inner government, regardless of rank, will be listed to avoid suspicion." It is conceivable that in that era, "Tooth Card" was admired by the whole country, just like today's smart phones and laptops.
In the Qing dynasty, there were fewer dental cards and more waist cards, and the personal information on the waist cards was more comprehensive: name, age, unit, occupation, official title, etc. The senior waist tag is actually engraved with the five senses of the holder! Even if the waist tag is lost and found by others, you can't use it fraudulently! The height of its "anti-counterfeiting means" can be seen.
It is worth mentioning that by the Qing Dynasty, great changes had taken place in the identity card system. Speaking from the waist tag, it is mentioned that an official above the head invented another kind of ID card besides the waist tag, which is the hat bead. This is of course related to the costumes of the Qing Dynasty. The top materials are gems, corals, crystals, jade, metals and so on. Different classes, the material of hat beads is naturally different: a high official, hat beads are red top; Rural scholar, hat bead is copper top; Ordinary people have no grades and products, so they tie a hat knot on their heads with satin. Therefore, when people meet in the street, they know their "identity" as soon as they see each other's heads. In order to raise their status, some wealthy businessmen "donated" their money as a token and set up fake "identity cards", which led to the titles of "red-topped master" and "red-topped squire" in some film and television works.
Conclusion: ID card is not a patent of modern people, and its history can be traced back to thousands of years ago. We need not be surprised. As social people who witness historical changes, we should keep our curiosity to explore China's long history and culture.