A Research On System Of Conferring Calander In Ming Dynasty

The Method of Li(??)is one of the most important aspects in the research of the ancient China history of science. For a long time, however, the researches by an internal approach focus on the scientific achievements and progresses made by the Method of Li. On the base of the fruity researches by previous scholars, this dissertation shifts the focus to the ultimate product, Book of Li(??), which was calculated by ancestors and the Method of Li about the problems of the Lunar Leap Month(??), the first day of every lunar month(??), solar term and so on. Clarifying the producing, conferring, using, and the impacts through these processes may reflect the ancient social vista more truthfully. Conferring a Book of Calendar and granting a time table to all the people by a government was an act of state, which had great significance in terms of politics,economy and sociology. And also, conferring calander played an important role in the ancient Chinese ritual civilization. The investigation on the system can help modern people understand the Chinese tradition more completely and thoroughly.Every real Book of Calendar is the fundamental of Chapter 1. Demonstrated with Books of Calendar and history mutually by the author, the characteristic of Shi(?)granted during Conferring a Book of Calendar by government is investigated. The annual chronology form(???) in a Book of Calendar were first investigated systematically in the Section 1. With the typical exemplification of the changing the first year of a period in Ming, the origin and the meaning of are clarified. The meaning of the annual chronology system was used to clear the legitimacy of an emperor or a dynasty. In Section 2, day and night timing system(??????)is firstly discovered.Not only the connection between the change of the timing system in Da Tong Calendar and Tu-Mu Crisis(????),but also the problem of day and night timing system in Books of Calendar are revealed. The third Section in this chapter appropriately re-define of Conferring ZhengShuo(???), which used to be confined as the problems of the extra month, the first day of every lunar month, solar term, as an official timing system. At last, the issue of monopoly on conferring a Book of Calendar is demonstrated, and its meaning for the carrying out by government is clarified.Chapter 2 is a research about the Conferring ceremony annually in Ming Dynasty. First, the Conferring format had a process in the early period of Ming. There were some originals from pre-Ming Dynasty. The process in the beginning of the Hongwu period(????) had four steps, while final process in the Hongwu period(????) had nine. The change of the process had strengthened the rule of the emperor. The Conferring ceremony which belonged to Praise-Ceremony(??) played an important role in the political life of Ming Dynasty.Chapter 3 discusses the issue of Conferring to different kinds of people. After distinguishing and concluding the kinds and characteristics of the existing Ming's Datong Calendars(???), the author points out that there are two kinds of Da Tong Calendar: Princes'Book of Calendar(??)which was conferred to Princes, and Popular Books of Calendar(??)which was conferred to common people. On the focus of the commentary system of Da Tong Calendar, the evolution of the commentary reveals that the order idea about institution of enfeoffment(????) in Hongwu period penetrated to the commentary system. Compression of the Conferring process which applied to Prince also reveals the Princeship's up and down.Conferring Books of Calendar to the Kingdoms which subordinate to Ming, such as Korea is discussed in Chapter 4. As to the final stabilized institution of Conferring to Korea, there was a process from Hongwu period to Yongle period. There were two typical formats: asking for a Book of Calendar from Korea, and Conferring a Book of Calendar by an emissary from Ming. Korean printed Books of Calendar all by themselves, this behavior was thought illegal,but meanwhile they also accepted Books of Calendar from Ming Dynasty. Ming dynasty Conferring Books of Calendar was important in the Korean calendar affairs, and the influence lasted to Qing dynasty.Supply and financial problem of Books of Calendar are discussed in Chapter 5. Government monopolized the transactions of Books of Calendar from Song to Yuan dynasty. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang released the cost of Books of Calendar which should be paid by people in the beginning years. But people should tribute real things or pay a tax as substitution. Conferring Books of Calendar were controlled by privilege, not every family could get a Book of Calendar every year. Using the Books of Calendar as gifts was a custom in Ming dynasty. There were more than ten provinces could get the right to print Books of Calendar, including Zhili region(??). But in the 10th year of Xuande period, the government cut the Zhili's printing amount. As a result of supply shortage, thousands of Books of Calendar from other printing points circulated to Zhili privately. To stop the abnormal, the policy in the 7th year of Jiajing period was that the short supply of Books of Calendar in Zhili should only be circulated by government. But this policy degenerated into a bribable approach gradually.The innovation after the middle of Ming couldn't solve the problem in supply of Books of Calendar.The conclusion in Chapter 6 is a deeper analysis based on the preceding discussions. On the point between science and social life, Conferring Calendar system and its connectional culture contexts were the approaches in which Method of Calendar impacted social life. On the point between state and society, Conferring Calendar could manifest the authority and control the fundamental society more efficiently.And the general characteristics of the Conferring system in Ming dynasty is that idealism in the Hongwu period, and a limit and gradual realization based on the ancestor's institution after Hongwu period, especially after the middle of Ming.