The Hongwu Emperor (Hongwu being the reign (CE 1369-1398) of the first Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) emperor), whose given name was Zhu Yuanzhang but whose name after his death was Taizu (his ancestral temple bears this name), was the first to establish ancestral temples representing all of the emperors of all past dynasties in the capital city, Beijing.ĭuring the period of the Ming emperor Jiajing (1521-1567), ancestral temples were built inside the Fucheng Gate of Beijing to worship the entire lineage of deceased emperors, thirty-six in all. The next rank in the feudal social hierarchy, the feudal kings (corresponding to dukes in the European royal hierarchy), had five ancestral temples, senior government officials (dafu) had three ancestral temples, while academicians (shi) possessed only one ancestral temple.Īlthough human sacrifice had been abolished during the Han Dynasty, cemeteries and ancestral temples continued to be built in honor of the emperors of past dynasties. The ancestral temple was the edifice that was erected to house the deceased during their sojourn to the next world.įor persons of importance, the ancestral temple was a separate edifice, or group of edifices, depending on the individual's rank in society, with ordinary folk being consigned to reserve a small shrine area in the home in honor of their ancestors.Īn emperor had seven ancestral temples. The practice of ancestral worship in ancient China was a product of the close linkage of the present to the past, via familial lineage.

Temple of the Earth in Beijing Ancestral Rituals Ancestral Temple Worship The etiquette of earth worship also includes the worship of mountains and rivers, the worship of the soil god, the worship of the millet god, etc. However, after the installation of the Han Dynasty, this practice was abolished (it had earlier been roundly criticized by Confucius (BCE 551-479), but to no avail). The worship of earth from the earliest times in China was associated with human sacrifice. She was said to be the goddess who conferred blessings on human beings. During the Han Dynasty (BCE 206 - CE 220), the god of the earth was called Mother Earth. It is the northern border counterpart to the Southern Border Sacrifice, thereby completing the religious-political Border Sacrifice ceremony. The Summer Solstice marks the day dedicated to the worship of the earth. Temple of the Heaven in Beijing The Worship of Earth The Worship of Heavenly Bodies ritual - as well as its earthly counterpart, the worship of the emperor - came to an end with the close of the Qing Dynasty (CE 1644-1911). In this sense, the Worship of Heavenly Bodies ritual was a political event. Therefore the emperor was considered divine in ancient China, much as the king was considered divine in Europe in earlier times.

The emperor was seen as the earthly embodiment of the creator of the universe, Shangdi. In ancient times, Chinese people attached great importance to the worship of the heavenly bodies - the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars, and also the earth. The sacrifice was to Shangdi, or the Supreme Ruler of the universe (the heavens), the Supreme God of the ancient Chinese, and was held on the day of the winter solstice. Worship of Heavenly Bodies, which can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (BCE 1027-221), is also referred to as the Border Sacrifice, specifically, the Southern Border Sacrifice, as it took place on the country's southern border. Religious Rituals The Worship of Heavenly Bodies So they did what they thought was good for their fortune and avoided those which were thought bad for them. Home Chinese Culture Rituals and Practices in Ancient ChinaĪncient people believed certain practices would bring them good or bad luck.

Ancient chinese feudal kingdoms