中国古代乡饮酒礼的四期流变

The Four-stage Evolution of Community Wine-drinking Ceremony in Ancient China

从先秦到清代,乡饮酒礼在整个中国古代得到了绵延不绝的推行。先秦是经典乡饮酒礼的形成时期,其实施限于基层行政区域。从东汉以后,乡饮酒礼受到了皇权的支持和干预,许多地方官也自发举行乡饮酒礼,并同教育兴学更多地结合起来。魏晋南北朝时期,乡饮酒礼衰落。及至唐宋,乡饮酒礼得到了皇权的更多干预,在科举制背景下,乡饮酒礼融入人才选举仪式,“鹿鸣宴”盛行一时。到了明代,乡饮酒礼政治意味更浓,朝廷不仅利用饮酒礼宣扬忠孝道德,更是通过酒礼入律加强对社会的控制。清代在继承明代制度的基础上,继续通过饮酒礼倡导守法、尊老、重德的统治理念,此时成为乡饮酒礼的总结期。中国古代乡饮酒礼从一开始就超越了饮食活动,其历代礼仪以先秦经典仪节为基础进行损益变通,成为国家推行政治教化的重要活动载体,故能够长盛不衰。

The community wine-drinking ceremony is a time-honored ancient Chinese tradition that had been vigorously implemented all the way from the pre-Qin period(before 221 BC)to the Qing Dynasty(1636-1912 AD).The pre-Qin period(before 221 BC)was the formation period of the classic community wine-drinking ceremony,and its implementation was limited to administrative areas at grass-roots levels.Since the Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220 AD),the community wine-drinking ceremony was supported and modulated by the imperial court.Under such circumstances,many local officials also spontaneously held community wine-drinking ceremonies,many of which were combined with promoting educational undertakings.The Wei,Jin,Southern and Northern Dynasties(220-589 AD)saw the decline of the community wine-drinking ceremony.In the Tang and Song Dynasties(618-1276 AD),the imperial court intervened more frequently in the community wine-drinking ceremony.Under the background of the imperial examination system,the community wine-drinking ceremony was integrated into the process of talent selection.More prevailingly,the Banquet of Auspicious Omens or literally the Deer-cry Banquet(Luming Yan鹿鸣宴)was oft given to a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level.In the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644 AD),the community wine-drinking ceremony was tinged with more political overtones.The imperial court not only used the ceremony to promote the Confucian doctrine of loyalty,filial piety and fraternal duty,but also strengthened its control of the society through the codification of the ceremony.On the basis of inheriting that of the Ming Dynasty,the Qing Dynasty(1636-1912 AD)continued to advocate the ruling concepts of abiding by the law,respecting the elderly,and promoting morality,et cetera,through drinking ceremonies,which became the summary period of the community wine-drinking ceremony.From the very beginning,the ancient Chinese community wine-drinking ceremony went beyond the scope of catering activities,becoming an important carrier for the state to carry out moralization or political education.