Since ancient times, Chinese have attached great importance to family culture, whether ancient or modern, and have a tradition of cultivating family trees. In folklore, genealogy is often called"Genealogy", and in the royal family, it is called"Jade Saucer"。
Since the Tang Dynasty, jade dishes have become a custom, revised every ten years. This system went through the Song Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty continued it, and since the thirteenth year of Shunzhi (1656), the jade disc was continued every ten years, and it was divided into Manchu and Chinese scripts.
From the beginning of the Qing Dynasty to **11 years, about 300 years, a total of 28 jade plates were revised. According to the distance of blood relationship, the Qing royal family is divided into the clan and Jueluo, the clan wears a golden belt, and Jueluo wears a red belt.
The Zongren Mansion will register the relevant affairs of the clan and Jueluo reported by the prince and the flags, such as childbirth, knighthood, etc., and the clan will be recorded in the Yellow Book and the Jueluo will be recorded in the Red Book.
The main line in the Chinese genealogy is undoubtedly the emperor, and the strict revision of the jade disc in the Qing Dynasty highlights the supremacy of imperial power and the hierarchical system of dignity and inferiority. In the jade plate of the clan, the emperor is placed in the first place, and is arranged in order of generation, with the imperial lineage as the system.
When compiling, the emperor's name would be covered with a small yellow silk as a sign of awe, and in most cases, the emperor's year name or temple name would be used instead. The jade plate is divided into large and small volumes, with the large format being 90 cm to 45 cm and the small size being 54 cm to 31 cm.
With the increase of later emperors, the number of pages and weight of the jade disc also increased, and the jade disc compiled and repaired by the Guangxu Dynasty was 85 centimeters thick and weighed about 90 kilograms, which may be the largest genealogy in China.
After the formation of the jade disc, there are still a series of rigorous ceremonial procedures that need to be carried out. First of all, it must be carried out"Respectfully submitted", although it is only a formality, the respect for ancestors, ancestors and emperors is very reverent.
Books are first awarded at the Bohol Temple, and then celebratory gifts are received at the Taihe Temple. The ceremony is both grand and complex. First of all, the Qintianjian ** will determine the auspicious day of the zodiac, and the Ministry of Rites will set up the jade dish incense case in Taihemen, and the Zongren Mansion will set up a color pavilion.
From the Jade Plate Pavilion, respectfully hold the jade plate and put it into the color pavilion, then walk to the Taihe Palace, put it on the case of the Zhonghe Palace, unfold the jade plate, and ask the emperor to ascend to the Zhonghe Palace"Read the jade disc respectfully"。
In the etiquette of welcoming and sending off the jade plate, the inner guards will lead the front and protect the back, and at the same time, there are yellow covers, dragon flags, and imperial battles as the guide**, and the Manchu and Han civil and military officials will dress up and kneel to welcome and kneel.
After the ceremony, one set of jade plates will be sent to the Imperial Palace, and the other set will be sent to the Zongren Mansion for temporary storage so that they can be sent back to Shengjing.
The Qing Dynasty jade disc was compiled and rebuilt many times. The last compilation was completed between 1905 and 1907, and then in 1915, the Zongren Office again proposed the task of compiling the jade disc.
However, due to financial problems, it was not until 1920 that a jade disc office was set up to be responsible for the compilation task, with four sections: editing, sending and receiving, proofreading, and accounting, with Zhang Jing Puhou as the general office and Zhang Jing Dingxiu as the conference office, responsible for all the affairs of the jade disc office.
The original of this compilation of the jade disc is in accordance with the size and style of the original in the Shouhuang Palace, and the copy is in the style of the jade disc in the Zongren Mansion. After more than two years of hard work, a total of 54,000 taels of silver were spent, and the compilation work was finally completed in 1922.
After completing the final repair of the jade plate of the Qing imperial family, the original was sent to the Qianqing Gate by the Zongren Mansion, and then sent to the Qianqing Palace by the eunuchs in the palace and placed on the yellow desk. Then, a solemn ceremony of Gongjin jade disc began, and after Pu Yi finished reviewing it, the jade disc was placed in the dragon cabinet.
And the copy of the jade disc is still stored in the Zongren Mansion according to the custom.