西汉宗庙刍议

A Tentative Discussion on the Ancestral Shrines of the Western Han Dynasty

The ancestral shrines were built by the ancient emperors and dukes to be used as special places to offer sacrifices to their ancestors . Based on some historical documents and archaeological materials ,the writers attempts to offer discussions on categories of the Westem Han ancestral shrines and its division of time. .Di( emperor) shrines:built for the emperors. 1.Jing( capital) shrines:built in the capital city Chang’an and within the city limit. 2 .Yuan (原 ) shrines:bulit another shrine for the emperor who had a main shrine in the capital. 3. Ling ( mausoleum) shrine:builtclose to the tombs of the shrine owners. 4.Jun( prefecture) ,Guo( state of duke) shrines:shrines built by Jun or Cuo for emperors. .Huang shrines huang here refers to the title assumed by an emperors father when their sons became emperors in the reign including Taishanghuang- father of Emperor Gaozu,Liu Jin - father of Emperor Xuandi,and L iu Kang- father of Emperor Aidi.Its Sub- categoriy is as above .Hou ( empress and imperial concubines) shrinesThese shrines were built for the empresses and concubines who were not buried togetherwith the emperorThe three stages of establishing and abandoning the Western Han ancestral shrines:The first stage covers the period of Emperor Gaozu ,Emperor Huidi,and EmperorShaodi. The characteristics of the shrines during this stage are revealed to be the successorsbuilding the shrines for their ancestors- the Huang and emperor.Stage two includes the times of Emperor Wendi,Jingdi,Wudi,Zhaodi,and Xuandi withthe characteristics of the emperors building their own shrines while still alive.The last stage falls after the times of Emperor Yuandi and Chengdi. The characteristicsshowed the beginning of the Western Han to stangdardize the systems of running ancestralshrines by observing Confucianism. However,the practice experienced constant prevailing andabandoning until Wangmang’s uprising which overtherew the Westem Han Dynasty.Summery of the discussion:1. The Western Han ancestral shrines were mostly built nearby theemperors’mausoleums.This kind of"mausoleum shrinesisdifferentfrom the traditionallay- outof shrines as is recorded in some historical books.Itis also different from the practice of buildingseveral shrines at the same spot shown in the Yongcheng Site of Satate Qin of the Spring andAutumn Warring State Period.2 .The Western Han ancestral shrines were scattered in a disorderly way.3.The Western Han Dynasty emperors,from Wendito Xuandi,allbuiltshrinesduring theirlifetime.4. In the Western Han Dynasty ,not only Emperor Gaozu followed the traditionalpractice of the Xia,the Shang,and the Zhou to build a shrine for his father,there were alsoemperors who built shrines for their parents who had never been in the reign.The characteristics of the Western Han ancestral shrines reveal that the rulers followed thetraditional practice building shrines ,but at the same time made changes in accordance with thesocial development of their own

The ancestral shrines were built by the ancient emperors and dukes to be used as special places to offer sacrifices to their ancestors . Based on some historical documents and archaeological materials ,the writers attempts to offer discussions on categories of the Westem Han ancestral shrines and its division of time. .Di( emperor) shrines:built for the emperors. 1.Jing( capital) shrines:built in the capital city Chang'an and within the city limit. 2 .Yuan (原 ) shrines:bulit another shrine for the emperor who had a main shrine in the capital. 3. Ling ( mausoleum) shrine:builtclose to the tombs of the shrine owners. 4.Jun( prefecture) ,Guo( state of duke) shrines:shrines built by Jun or Cuo for emperors. .Huang shrines huang here refers to the title assumed by an emperors father when their sons became emperors in the reign including Taishanghuang- father of Emperor Gaozu,Liu Jin - father of Emperor Xuandi,and L iu Kang- father of Emperor Aidi.Its Sub- categoriy is as above .Hou ( empress and imperial concubines) shrinesThese shrines were built for the empresses and concubines who were not buried togetherwith the emperorThe three stages of establishing and abandoning the Western Han ancestral shrines:The first stage covers the period of Emperor Gaozu ,Emperor Huidi,and EmperorShaodi. The characteristics of the shrines during this stage are revealed to be the successorsbuilding the shrines for their ancestors- the Huang and emperor.Stage two includes the times of Emperor Wendi,Jingdi,Wudi,Zhaodi,and Xuandi withthe characteristics of the emperors building their own shrines while still alive.The last stage falls after the times of Emperor Yuandi and Chengdi. The characteristicsshowed the beginning of the Western Han to stangdardize the systems of running ancestralshrines by observing Confucianism. However,the practice experienced constant prevailing andabandoning until Wangmang's uprising which overtherew the Westem Han Dynasty.Summery of the discussion:1. The Western Han ancestral shrines were mostly built nearby theemperors'mausoleums.This kind of'mausoleum shrinesisdifferentfrom the traditionallay- outof shrines as is recorded in some historical books.Itis also different from the practice of buildingseveral shrines at the same spot shown in the Yongcheng Site of Satate Qin of the Spring andAutumn Warring State Period.2 .The Western Han ancestral shrines were scattered in a disorderly way.3.The Western Han Dynasty emperors,from Wendito Xuandi,allbuiltshrinesduring theirlifetime.4. In the Western Han Dynasty ,not only Emperor Gaozu followed the traditionalpractice of the Xia,the Shang,and the Zhou to build a shrine for his father,there were alsoemperors who built shrines for their parents who had never been in the reign.The characteristics of the Western Han ancestral shrines reveal that the rulers followed thetraditional practice building shrines ,but at the same time made changes in accordance with thesocial development of their own times