The Study on the Revival of the Silkworm Goddess Rite in the Qing Dynasty
The silkworm goddess rite was a ceremony presided by the empress to worship the silkworm goddess in the imperial court of the ancient China's dynasties. Its origin can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties,but it did not develop into a regular practice until the Qing Dynasty,specifically during the mid-Qing period. The reign of Emperor Qianlong was a critical period for the restoration and development of the ritual. It underwent a transformation from being disregarded to gaining attention and finally to being highly regarded in the Qing Dynasty. Before Qianlong ascended the throne,the rite was ignored and not held. However,after his accession,he initiated the construction of the Silkworm Goddess Temple. From the third to the seventh year of his reign,the rite was officially held,but on a small scale and with low standards. By the ninth year of Qianlong's reign,its status had been greatly elevated. Significant changes occurred in the personnel presiding over the ritual. The empress began to preside over the rite personally. Accordingly,the specifications of the rite were improved and the sacrificial places was expanded. Subsequently,the rite became regular in the imperial court of the Qing Dynasty. Although the establishment of its status was a natural progression in the construction and improvement of state rituals,the deeper reasons might lie in Emperor Qianlong's favoritism towards Empress Fucha. Therefore,the paths for the study on the institutional history can be expanded,by examining the development process of the silkworm ceremony in the Qing Dynasty,and by considering palace politics,the relationship between the emperor and the empress,and socio-economic context in the period when the rite was established and developed.
the Silkworm Goddess RiteEmperor QianlongEmpress Fuchathe Silkworm Goddess Altar
万方数据
维普
