The Minister On Rites And The Township Official--Research On Huo Tao (1487-1540)

This thesis tries to research on Huo Tao based on the identities of minister on rites and township official. This thesis has four main parts.In the first part, on the background of the important political affair named the Great Ritual Controversy in the Ming Dynasty, it tries to deliberate that Huo Tao disputes the opinions of Yang Tinghe and his staff , which reveals the role of Huo Tao in this affair. Specifically, in this affair, Huo Tao expresses to separate the terms of descent and throne succession. By giving the example from far ancient age, he claims against the opinions of Yang Tinghe and his staff. His claims were presented as the evident for Emperor Shizong to confer HuangKao on the prince Xingxian.In the second part, as the extension and development of the Great Ritual Controversy, dispartment of sacrificing Heaven and Earth is conformed with Emperor Ming Shizong taking action on the Reforms of Sacrificial Rites. Huo Tao who was a minister on rites also participates in this issue. However, he does not stand by the Emperor, while he insisted on the combination of sacrificing Heaven and Earth. In regard of the traditional rite system and the current social and economic conditions, Huo Tao gives out his four viewpoints against the dispartment of sacrificing Heaven and Earth: The first one is that the idea of the dispartment of sacrificing Heaven and Earth is not reliable in the Classic of Zhou Rite; The second one is that the ideas of Confucians in the prior dynasty are not acceptable; The third one is that the rite system designed by the founder of the Ming Dynast shall never be abandoned; The last one is that the separating sacrificial rites would cost too much in term of finance and labour.In the third part, Huo Tao has carried out a series of ritual reorganizations when he took charge of the Minister of Ministry of Rites of Nan Jing. On one hand, he rectifies the etiquettes for the officials in their casual meeting and that for the sedan based on the ranks of officials. He strengthens out the morale among the students of Imperial College, who are considered as the candidates to the officials on the court. On the other hand, he takes efforts on the morale in Nan Jing, especially emphasizing on the corrupt customs in the Buddhist temples and among the common people. As a result, the local morale in Nan Jing turns out better and better. In the part four, the focus is on the contributions of HuoTao, who acts as a township official and lead his family member to organize and advance the lineage. Huo Tao buys a lot of land to encourage the advance of industry and business for his lineage to extend its economic strength. As well, he takes a lead on the establishment of great ancestral hall and family school and family motto. All these measures fasten the kinship of all Huo-family member, while accelerating the development of Huo family and the permanent influence of the Huo family in the local place.