清代宗族祖坟述略

On the system of clan graves in Qing Dynasty

清代宗族的祖坟,被视为安放祖宗体魄之所,地位崇高;虽为民间之事,没有像皇家山陵那样的体制,然也多所规范,墓穴空间布局,在理想的条件下遵行昭穆制、房支葬区制和坟丁护坟制。宗族视维护祖坟为重大事务和重要活动内容,成为宗族建设的重要环节,培土护林,竖立碑石,绘制坟图,载入族谱,反对盗卖坟山田地林木,不惜破财打官司;感念祖宗功德遗泽,设置祀田,进行持久不懈的墓祭。祖坟的存在令族人由观念上的祖宗认同,进到组织上的建立清明会之类的团体,令族姓的天然血缘事物变成为宗族社会群体,成为宗族的一种载体,与祠堂、祀产、族谱共同构成宗族实体元素;祖茔还能为宗族编纂族谱提供实物史料。北方宗族不被学者看重,若给祖坟以应有的地位,以之为视角观察宗族史,可知它是北方宗族存在和活动的特点。

In the Qing Dynasty, there were some institutional norms of ancestral graves, such as taking measures to protect graves, buried area according to the Zhao-Mu system or the clan＇ s branches. So as to safeguard the clan graves for the major af- fairs, some clans＇ building included forest earth, steles were erected, the grave map were drawn included in the family tree, and punishment of selling forest and land of the grave, setting up Si Tian （land for ancestor worship）, lasting ancestor worship in the grave were in vogue. As a result of existence of graves, Ching-Ming Club became an establishment of such groups. And it made clan to turn into an ancestral worship production with ancestral temple, clan＇ s property, and family tree. Ancestral grave can provide historical data for clan genealogy compilation. Especially from the perspective of the clans＇ history, we can easily study that the existence and characteristics of Chinese north clans, whose often were paid a few little attention to.