The Ming Tombs Museum possesses a jade tablet from the Chenghua era,two stone chests,and a stone chest lid.Based on oral information,Daozang(Daoist Canon,道藏),and archaeological discoveries,it can be confirmed that dragon-shaped objects,jade bi-discs,metal rings,ropes as well as other jade tablets and stone chests were unearthed at the Changlingyuan village in the Ming Tombs region in Beijing.These objects,rich in variety and quantity,were used at a set of Daoist ceremonies known as toulong(投龙).Among them,the standing golden dragons and the stone chests as containers have never been discovered before and are of high academic value.Toulong activity was always conducted near significant mountains and rivers,yet it is unknown by far that it also took place in the imperial mausoleum area.This research suggests that in the Ming dynasty,toulong near imperial mausoleums was praying to the lingshan(陵山,the mountain on which the mausoleum leans),from the chaoshan(朝山,the mountain towards which the mausoleum was orientated).After going through Daoist rituals for the deceased emperor or empress,a toulong ceremony was required to establish a connection between the mountains and the deceased.In addition,lingshan was included in the Ming state sacrificial system along with other significant mountains,rivers,and seas,and ranked belowyue(岳)and zhen(镇 ),thus giving itself the conditions to be worshipped and to become venues for toulong activities.
Imperial mausoleum of Ming dynastylingshanjade tabletstone chestDaoist toulong ceremony
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