A Study On The Emperor 's Field

Emperor, as the head of a imperial state, typically casts his political impression by rites. Tang dynasty has a developed ritual system, and the Rites of Kaiyuan set a standard for aftertime. The problem that rites made in Tang dynasty had been applied or not, and developing process of these rites, has been paid attention to by many researchers. Emperors of Tang Dynasty hunted frequently, and the Rites of Kaiyuan saves the rite of emperor’s hunting. The researches of this thesis on hunting ceremony, practical huntings, and political meaning, in order to promote research of ritual system in Tang dynasty a little.Modern researchers rarely identify the property of a single hunting, this thesis takes ritual or not as a important scale in the research.Chapter one of this thesis studies basises of ritual making in Tang dynasty, “classics”, Confucian classics and their explanations; “history”, former ritual practise; “yizhu”, former ritual specification, are the most important. Among “classics” the rite of emperor’s hunting pays attention to Dasima from Zhouli Xiaguan and Wangzhi from Liji, ignores Yueling from Liji, this is the same as the official classical thought of Tang dynasty, which is represented by Wujingzhengyi.Chapter two focuses on details about the yizhu of imperial hunting, trace the process that imperial hunting rite from Han to Tang dynasty. The rite of emperor’s hunting of Tang dynasty was originated in Northern Qi and Sui dynasty, but the creation, rite of military training by emperor from Rites of Zhenguan, and Rites of Zhenguan finalized, made the yizhu of imperial hunting independent and complete. The core procedure of hunting rite is “sanqu”, which means driving wild animals three times before emperor’s symbolic shooting, another explaination in Southern and Northern Dynasties is driving from three sides, is shown by surrounding on three sides. According to the casualness of imperial huntings, institutionalized sacrifice would not use capture in imperial huntings, unless the capture was dried for sacrifice, or offered by the rite “jianxin”.After clarifing imerial hunting rite in Tang dynasty as a symbolic ceremony, Chapter three of this thesis studies two condition of imperial huntings in Tang dynasty, hunting field and hunt-supporting falcons, hounds, and leopards. Imperial hunting field In Tang mostly beyonded imeprial garden, many earlier huntings were during inspection tours, hunting fields shrink to places around the capital after An-Shi Rebellion, and recovered to suburb during Emperor Muzong and Emperor Wuzong’s reign. We can’t find hunting-supporting animals In The rite of emperor’s hunting, attitudes of both emperor and chancellors were negative through the whole Tang dynasty, those huntings with falcons of hounds must be entertainments.Chapter four is based on above ritual study and two two condition of imperial hunting, separates imperial huntings of Tang dynasty into four periods by taking ritual or not as a important scale: indulged entertainment period of Gaozu; imeperial hunting rite of Tang dynysty shaping and extablishing period of Taizong, Gaozong, and Xuanzong; form changing period of Dezong; weakening entertainment period of Xianzong and later emperors.Chapter five digs in the significance of imperial hunting in Tang dynasty from two aspects. Emperors participated in hunting to bond with generals and troops during the reign of Gaozu, Taizong, and Xuanzong; only Dezong bulid ties between imperial guards and generals with rites. After Dezong, imeprial hunting rite degenerated with its military significance. Taizong, Gaozong, Xuanzong also build friendships with tribal leaders from periphery prefectures by practical hunting.In conclusion, although yizhu of imperial hunting in Tang dynasty was finalized, imperial huntings in Tang dynasty were mostly entertainment, only three records of hunting rites left in history. Imperial huntings in Tang dynasty disjoints the ritual system. Political significance of Imperial hunting in Tang dynasty were mostly shown in hunting entertainments, Dezong focus on rites more than entertainments, afterwards, imperial hunting in Tang dynasty declined with its military and diplomatic significance.