The Research On Guanzhong Funeral Customs Under The Agricultural History Vision

The Guanzhong area is one of the important grain-growing regions in ancient China, and it possesses extremely strong typicality and particularity in Chinese agricultural history. Through use and analysis of all kinds of historical materials, we can form a series of basic sense of the Guanzhong area from time and space. Meanwhile, it adopts many theoretical achievements including several subjects. From a view of agriculture, we can further discuss and analyze Guanzhong funeral culture, and explain profound social history background of Guanzhong funeral culture.Firstly, this article conducted a macro investigation of Guanzhong funeral culture from time dimension. It divides the development history of Guanzhong funeral culture to three different stages. The first stage is the pre-Qin period, and it makes the funeral culture‘s origin and the further development. So, it formed a relatively whole funeral cultural system between the process of communications. The second stage is Qinhan to Sui and Tang dynasties. In this stage, the National culture of Guanzhong funeral culture appeared, and the imperial mausoleum is the typical representative. It made Guanzhong funeral culture become a typical funeral culture system in ancient China. The third stage is from Song to modern times. In this stage, Guanzhong funeral culture obtained a regional develop. It received a lot of impacts such as traditional culture, religious activities, immigration and so on. The result is, Guanzhong funeral culture became a regional funeral culture system.Secondly, based on the utilization of the existing local records,this part will point out the similarities of the Guanzhong funeral culture mainly from the perspective of space. In general, the similarities are the major aspect of the Guanzhong funeral culture. Much attention has been paid to the inner and outer coffins and the standard of mourning apparel as well as the place of tomb on the view of material supporter. When comes to the etiquette patterns, most districts of the Guanzhong area value the process of funeral ceremony and a series of complex etiquette has been settled. The Guanzhong area are incline to an elaborate funeral in mental notion since this kind of practice was regarded as obedient to their ancestor. Therefore the descendants may improve the self-identify. Besides the ancient geomantic concept was also widespread in the Guanzhong area.Thirdly,this part will divide the Guanzhong area into three sections,that is the east section, the central section and the west section, based on the natural geographic conditions. There do exist some small differences between the three sections by contrast. Specifically speaking, more concerns has been paid to the etiquette patterns in the central section rather than the inner and outer coffins and the geomantic concept as well as the scale of funeral ceremony for this section was taken as national capital for a long time. Contrary to the central section, the east section pays much attention to the scale of funeral ceremony. In consideration of the economic condition, this section was relatively rich since it was close to Shanxi and Henan, consequently it would be much easier to trade with these two regions. As to the west section, it was inferior to the central section in the etiquette patterns and inferior to the east section in the scale of the funeral ceremony. However it values the geomantic omen much. Besides, the joint region of the Guanzhong area and Jiuzong Mountain has its unique feature. Both the the scale of funeral ceremony and the geomantic omen as well as the inner and outer coffins was not valued.On the premise of the above cognition, after viewing the funeral culture in the Guanzhong area from agriculture history perspective, we can see production method and life style, social moral standard, Social psychological state of mind about agricultural nationality have a profound impact on the formation, development, features of the funeral culture in the Guanzhong area. Specifically, the group characteristic which is reflected by production method and life style of agricultural nationality is a series of the basic reasons about common features that funeral culture of the Guanzhong area attaches great importance to the funeral scale,funeral form and complicated etiquette. Bottom characteristics that is the goal of social moral standard about agricultural nationality is the basic reason that the Guanzhong region pay much attention to Protocol specification, system of mourning and follow the traditional etiquette. Social psychological state of mind of agricultural nationality, like natural worship, ancestors respect, ancestor worship, makes funeral culture of Guanzhong area to show a series of common features, such as care about geomancy, choose burial, adopts coffin and so on.