What kind of posthumous honor was being entitled to the Ancestral Temple in ancient times? Will it be of any benefit to future generations?
Although in ancient times, it was a very honorable thing to be entitled to the Ancestral Temple, but in essence, it would not play a very useful role for his descendants. The reason why the ministers at that time tried their best to squeeze into the quota for the Ancestral Temple was for honor, to be superior to others, and to be one head taller than others.
The Ancestral Temple
The Ancestral Temple was a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties paid homage to their ancestors. It was the family temple of the royal family at that time, just like the ancestral halls built by many big families. The Imperial Ancestral Temple was built by Emperor Chengzu of Yongle, Zhu Di, in the 18th year of Yongle. At that time, Chengzu wanted to pass on the incense of his family, so that the incense would continue after his death. According to expert statistics, the Imperial Ancestral Temple covers an area of more than 200 acres. In terms of scale, it is very large and impressive, and it shows the royal momentum well. And when building the Ancestral Temple, we were very particular about it. After all, this is the ancestral hall of the royal ancestors. Not only in terms of Feng Shui, but also in the selection of materials, they were very particular. They strictly followed the traditional etiquette of ancient China? Respecting the sky. Built by Fazu.
Inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the ceiling and pillars are decorated with red gold flowers. In addition to these, every design here relies on extremely fine craftsmanship and craftsmanship. , whether you look at it from an ancient perspective or a modern perspective, the layout is extremely luxurious and luxurious. Moreover, on both sides of the main hall, there are fifteen auxiliary halls on each side. On one side are the rankings and spiritual tablets of the meritorious royal family, while on the other side are the spiritual tablets of the heroes of the opposite sex of the dynasty.
Behind the main hall are the middle and back halls, where there are buildings such as the divine kitchen, the divine storehouse, and the livestock management room.
After talking about the meaning and decoration of the Ancestral Temple, let’s talk about the function of the Ancestral Temple. The Imperial Ancestral Temple was a place used by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship their ancestors. At certain times of the year, certain ancestor worship activities were held here, which makes the Imperial Ancestral Temple of great significance.
What is the role of being entitled to enjoy the Ancestral Temple?
The emperor gave his ministers the opportunity to enjoy the Ancestral Temple. In fact, it was just a so-called "honorary title". In ancient times, it did not have much effect. It is not as good as being granted a title, official title, or kingship, which brings a certain level of status improvement, and it is not as good as giving money, grain, or household, which has certain specific benefits.
The reason why the ministers of the current dynasty all wanted to strive for such opportunities was actually a kind of ideological indoctrination in ancient times. This kind of ideological indoctrination was "fame" and "fame". Most people in ancient times attached great importance to their own reputation, others' opinions of themselves, and their own abilities. This is why some scholars became officials, and some scholars wanted to work hard to gain fame, just to be able to The purpose of displaying one's own strength is to let the world know about his abilities and his achievements. After all, a person's talent cannot be seen through a person's body and needs to be proven through some practical things.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many people focused their minds on fame when they were civilians. After becoming officials, they wanted to do something bigger, but After they became big, they wanted to become the emperor's celebrities. After finally becoming the emperor's celebrities, they wanted to enter the imperial temple dedicated to the emperors of the past dynasties and accompany the emperor.
From a young age, being able to pass the exams, obtain an official position, make the official position bigger and more popular, and finally enter the Ancestral Temple is a way to realize one's own value and be recognized by people in one's hometown. Praise enhances one's own value; and from a larger perspective, the establishment of the Ancestral Temple is actually a means to encourage ministers to continuously realize their value. After all, when they were scholars, in order to make a splash, they often wanted to pass the imperial examination. After obtaining all this, in order to become high-ranking officials and famous ministers, they continued to work hard. This satisfied the "honor" of the courtiers to a certain extent and also enabled the courtiers to work efficiently for the emperor.