Xiannongtan: The carrier of China’s farming and sacrificial civilization
Editor: Beijing Xicheng District Cultural Relics Protection Research Institute
Source: Selected from “Visiting the Central Axis of Beijing” (Beijing Compiled by Xicheng District Institute of Cultural Relics Protection, Beijing Science and Technology Press, December 2021 edition)
China is a large agricultural country with a long history. The worship of the God of Agriculture both occupies a very important position in traditional civilization. If you look carefully at the Beijing city map, you will find that there is the “Xiannong Altar” between the Temple of Heaven and Huanran Pavilion. Although it maintains a “low-key” attitude now, in history, as a place of respecting farmers with “properties first for the whole country”, it is not only a major component of the architectural system of royal altars and temples in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but also the central axis of Beijing that is currently on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of the 14 heritage sites. Xiannongtan has gone through more than 600 years of vicissitudes. What kind of history does it have? What is its connection with Beijing Yucai School? Jamaica Sugar Let us approach the Xiannong Altar tomorrow and learn about the story of farming and memorial civilization behind it.
The Xiannong Altar during royal memorial ceremonies in the Ming and Qing dynasties
Let us Jamaicans Sugardaddy first clarify the specific status and establishment time of Xiannongtan. Xiannongtan is located at No. 21 Dongjing Road, Tianqiao Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, in the northeast of Beijing’s central axis, corresponding to the Temple of Heaven on the east and west ends. Jamaica Sugar Daddy Xiannongtan was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, that is, 1420. After its completion, Xiannong Altar gradually became an important place for emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to hold sacrifices to the gods including Xiannong, Shanshui, Taisui, etc. Nowadays, all the cultural relics preserved in the Xiannong Altar are the cultural relics of the Ming Dynasty, and its architecture is also a masterpiece among the ancient buildings of the Ming Dynasty.
Xiannong Altar
What are the historical stories behind Xiannong Altar from the beginning of its construction to the present? This begins with Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, establishing the Ming Dynasty and establishing its capital in Jinling (today’s Nanjing). After the capital was established, the emperor ordered the construction of landscapes and altars and temples in Jinling City, among which the Xiannong Altar was one of them. Later, Zhu Di came to the throne and ordered the construction of the Beijing Palace in the fourth year of Yongle (1406), imitating the Southern Palace.Beijing’s architectural standards were used to reform the old city of Peking from the ground up. The project was completed in the 18th year of Yongle (1420), and Xiannongtan is one of them. Finally, the Xiannong Altar is not called the “Xiannong Altar”, but the “Landscape Altar”. Its important function is for the emperor to pay homage to various gods, such as “Xiannong”, “Five Mountains”, “Five Towns”, “Four Seas” and “Sidu”. “Thunderstorm” and so on. Why do we need to pay homage to these gods? We must first clarify what they refer to.
“Xiannong” refers to the Shennong family, also known as Emperor Yan, one of the originators of China. In modern Chinese legends, Shennong invented agriculture, medicine, etc., so people worshiped him as the god in charge of agricultural production, diet, and medicine. “Shen Nong” means “gods in agriculture”. China has been a large farming country focusing on agricultural production since ancient times, so the Shennong family plays a very important role in the minds of modern Chinese people. Chinese rulers began to pay attention to farming very early. According to the “Wu Li Tong Kao” record: “The emperor cultivated thousands of acres and personally cultivated the southern suburbs to share the prosperity of rice. Therefore, he respected the ancestors of heaven, showed integrity, and valued farming.” The general idea is that In order to develop agriculture, the emperor JM Escorts would personally farm in the southern suburbs and worship the ancestors of heaven to express their importance to agriculture. The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties used the grand Xiannong Altar to pay tribute to the ancestors, embodying the traditional concept that “the country is based on agriculture, and the people regard food as their first priority.”
The “Five Mountains” are Mount Tai in the east, Mount Huashan in the west, Mount Heng in the south, Mount Heng in the north and Mount Song in the middle. Ancient Chinese emperors have always claimed that the five famous mountains are the habitats of gods, so the five mountains have become important objects of worship.
The “Five Towns” refer to the five famous mountains in China that are as famous as the Five Mountains. Like the “Five Mountains”, the “Five Towns” are also divided by geographical location. The one in the east is Dongzhen Yishan, the one in the west is Xizhen Wushan, the one in the south is Nanzhen Kuaijishan, and the one in the north is Beizhen. Healing Wulu Mountain, the one in the middle is Zhongzhen Huoshan.
The “Five Mountains” and the “Five Towns” are both the main places for worshiping the emperor in modern times, and the Five Towns are second only to the Five Mountains in location. The “Four Seas” is very easy to understand. The ancient Chinese believed that China’s territory is surrounded by vast oceans, so it is called the “Four Seas”. “All directions” refers to all parts of the country. Since China’s mountains are inhabited by various “gods”, are the rivers also important objects of worship? The answer is certain. “Sidu” refers to the four major rivers, namely the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Huaihe River and Jishui. In the belief of the ancients, “He Bo”, like the “Mountain God”, is an important “figure” who protects the country’s peace and prosperity. Emperors of all dynasties will pay homage to it. “Yes, it is a confession for the marriage, but the Xi family is not willing to Be that unreliable person, so they will act as a force first, spread the news of divorce to everyone, and force us blue people to do the important task of governing the country. The purpose of offering “wind, cloud, thunder and rain” is to pray for good weather.Ensure smooth agricultural production and avoid famine, natural disasters, etc. From this point of view, in the minds of the ancients, paying homage to these gods can bless the country and the people, and is a major plan for stabilizing the country.
After clarifying the important memorial objects of Xiannongtan, we continue to look at its long history. The Xiannong Altar was built in the fourth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1406). It was modeled after the Nanjing system and was eventually called the “Landscape Altar”. In the 11th year of Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty (1532), the “Landscape Altar” was renamed the “God Altar”. At this time, Xiannong Altar underwent a series of expansions, including the Taisui Altar, Tianshen Altar, Dizhi Altar, etc., and later developed into an important architectural complex of Xiannong Altar today. During the Wanli period, additional buildings such as Zhaigong and Shencang were built in Xiannong Altar. Since then, Xiannong Altar has been renamed from “God Altar” to what we now call “Xiannong Altar”. After that, Xiannongtan had an agricultural temple and worship department. Its scale became larger and larger, and its structure gradually improved. It became the personal sacrifice of the emperor’s “emphasis on agriculture”Jamaica Sugar Daddy‘s place. In the fourth year of Yongzheng’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1726), the emperor issued an edict to order all prefectures and counties across the country to build copies of the Xiannong Altar, and personally led the people to cultivate the fields and perform rituals to show their emphasis on agriculture. In the eighteenth year of Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1753), the imperial court made another large-scale renovation of the Xiannong Altar, and planted some rare trees in the altar to further enhance its beautyJamaicans EscortAesthetics. Due to its main place of worship, the Xiannong Altar is honored as “the first altar of Xiannong in China”.
One-third of an acre of the emperor’s land in Xiannong altar
In modern Chinese society, from the emperor to the common people, abundant food is regarded as an important symbol of social stability. Because of this, the emperor would personally Jamaicans Sugardaddy every year to pay homage to the god in charge of agriculture. From this perspective, Xiannongtan contains a special agricultural culture, of which the farming ceremony is a very important one.
The so-called plowing ceremony is a plowing ceremony held by the emperor from top to bottom to show the importance of agriculture and to pray for good weather and abundant harvests this year. . This is a very important ceremony in the modern palace, usually in February, before spring plowing. In the Qing Dynasty, the day before the farming ceremony was held, officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Rites and Shuntian Prefecture had to make various preparation tasks for the next day’s ceremony. The tools used for farming and the seeds of crops were first presented to the emperor for review. When the emperor thought they could be used, these items were returned to the official responsible for the matter, usually an official of Shuntian Prefecture. The responsible official will take these things,Crop seeds, etc. are placed on the Xiannong altar, thus completing the preparation tasks for the Jamaicans Sugardaddy ceremony. On the day when the memorial ceremony is held at Xiannong Altar, the emperor will lead his courtiers to the Jamaicans Sugardaddy altar. Before the ceremony was held in the altar, the emperor was led by the usher to the Jufu Hall to change his clothes. Then, under the guidance of the guide, the emperor came to the field and began to cultivate it himself. The emperor held the plow in his right hand and a whip in his left hand, plowing the ground three times. At this time, the officials accompanying Jamaica Sugar Daddy will take the green box and sow the crop seeds in the box. After the emperor completed the ceremony, he sat on the viewing platform and watched the princes and ministers farming. The princes and princes went back and forth five times, the ministers and officials went back and forth seven times, and the scholars went back and forth nine times. After that, the emperor sent an order to all states and counties to plow the land in time to complete the agricultural production tasks for the year. After the cultivation ceremony is completed, there are a series of activities such as tea giving, banquets, singing and dancing, etc., all of which are completed in accordance with the ritual specifications.
What is even more interesting is that the common saying “one third of an acre of land” that we often mention is derived from this. This common saying is now mostly used to describe the small and insignificant territory, but it had a completely different meaning during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The land we just mentioned that the emperor cultivated personally was called “one third of an acre”. It is eleven feet long, four feet wide, and divided into twelve borders. Here “qi” is a unit of measurement, which refers to the neatly arranged areas surrounded by ridges of soil. The central part of this land was cultivated by the emperor, and the two sides were cultivated by princes and ministers to serve as a demonstration and example. However, don’t think that the emperor will cultivate crops seriously. In fact, the emperor will only demonstrate a few times and then return to the viewing platform to rest, and the ministers will do the rest. There is a “sacred warehouse” to the east of the “one-third of an acre”, which is used to store grains specially used for royal sacrifices. These grains are the harvest of this “one-third of an acre”. Now, this “one-third of an acre” has become a very famous tourist attraction in Xiannongtan. If you want to have a more intuitive understanding, you can also go to the Palace Museum to look for the “Yongzheng Statue Farming and Weaving Album”, which is titled The situation in the comic strip depicts the emperor’s farming and weaving.
Three routes for worship at the Xiannong Altar during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty
Although Xiannongtan has only one “tan” in its name, it is actually a complete community composed of many buildings. In the 19th year of Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1754), the Xiannong Altar was rebuilt and renovated into a new format. The main building is the Xiannong AltarJamaicans Sugardaddy, Gufu Hall, Taisui Hall, Guangengtai, Liuhe God Altar, etc. After the reconstruction, there were roughly three routes for the emperor of the Qing Dynasty to offer sacrifices in person or to send officials to the Xiannong Altar. .
The first route: The emperor may have enshrined the officials from the Zhengyang Gate (southbound) → the north gate of the outer altar of Xiannong Altar (westbound) → the north gate of the inner altar of Xiannong Altar (going west) Southbound) → Worship Hall → Taisui Hall
This route is for memorialJM EscortsThe most important place to worship Tai Sui is the Tai Sui Hall, which is the place where Tai Sui is worshiped. The objects of worship also include spring, summer, autumn, winter and other natural gods. Tai Sui Hall was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420). ), located in the middle of the overall building complex of Xiannong Altar, with Shengcang on the east side, Divine Kitchen on the west side, and Gufu Hall on the south side. The Taisui Hall complex includes the largest number of buildings in the Taisui Hall. Most of them are wooden structures, and their form is basically similar to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. Before the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, it was dedicated to gods such as Tai Sui, wind, cloud, thunder and rain, mountains and seas. After the Jiajing period, it was specially used to commemorate Tai Sui and the December General. Gods. Do you feel a little unfamiliar with the “December General”? According to legend, except Jamaicans Escort is on duty every year. “Tai Sui” JM Escorts, there is also a moon god on duty every month, that is, “Moon General”, there are “Jamaica Sugar Daddy”
Jamaica Sugar DaddyThe second route: Emperor. Perhaps the sacrificial officials went out from Zhengyang Gate → the south gate of the outer altar of Xiannong Altar (going west) → the east gate of the inner altar of Xiannong Altar (going west) → Guangeng Terrace (westward) → Xiannong Altar (going east after the sacrifice) → worship hall ( Go south) → Jufu Hall (go south) → Guangengtai (go east after Guangeng) → Qingcheng Palace
The main purpose of this route is to complete the plowing ceremony at the Xiannong Shrine Jamaica SugarThe altar was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420) as an altar to worship the God of Xiannong JM Escorts. altarThe southeastern part of the inner altar is adjacent to the Taisui Hall. It faces south, is square in shape, and is made of bricks and stones. It is very impressive. The Xiannong Shrine is about 15 meters long and 15 meters wide. The surrounding altar walls are about 1.5 meters high, and the building area is about 3 kilometers. 00 square meters, with eight stone steps on all sides leading to the altar. It is worth mentioning JM Escorts that there is a vicissitudes of ancient cypress not far from the Xiannong Shrine, like a patron saint, guarding A solemn and sacred altar. The entire altar is gray and white in color, rich and grand. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the emperor usually came here in person or sent officials to pay homage to ancestors in February. Before going to the palace, the emperor still needed to go to the dressing room, which is equivalent to what we call the dressing room now. It was the place where the emperor changed clothes before going to the palace. The Jufu Hall and the Guangeng Platform are buildings on the same axis, located southeast of the Taisui Hall and north of the Guangeng Platform. If the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties wanted to hold memorial ceremonies, they had to change their clothes first. After putting on “formal” clothes, the plowing ceremony begins. Therefore, the Jufu Hall was the main preparation place for the emperor and his concubines to hold sacrifices. When talking about the farming ceremony, we have to mention the important place of Guangengtai. The Guangeng Platform is the viewing platform where the emperor watched the ministers performing the plowing ceremony. The platform is 1.9 meters high, and there are nine steps on the east, west and south sides that can be climbed up. After climbing down the steps, you can find that there are stone railings carved from white marble around it, and there are dragon and cloud patterns carved on the capitals. Particularly worth mentioning is the Xumizuo on the Guangeng Platform. It is built of glazed bricks. The pattern of “dragon entwined with grass” on the top is very special. This pattern is unique to Xiannongtan in Beijing. If you have the opportunity to go to Xiannongtan, you can take a look at the beautiful “dragon wrapped around grass” pattern. Dragon entangles grass”. The last stop on this route, Qingcheng Palace, was the place where the emperor rested and rewarded the ministers who accompanied him after holding the field ceremony.
Third route: The emperor or the sacrificial officials may go out from Zhengyang Gate → go to the south gate of the outer altar of Xiannong Altar (going west) → pass through the outer palace gate of Qingcheng Palace (turn south) → enter Enter the Tanmen (southbound) opposite to the outer palace gate of Qingcheng Palace → Tianshen Altar and Dijitan Gate (eastbound/westbound) → Tianshen Altar/Dijitan.
This route ending with the Heavenly God Altar and the Earthly Altar is specially designed to worship the gods of wind, cloud, thunder, and rain in the sky and the five mountains, five towns, five mountains, and four seas on the earth. Four blasphemies to the gods. The two altars are located directly south of the Taisui Hall, the Tianshen Altar in the east and the Dizhi Altar in the west. The Tianshen altar faces south and is square in shape with nine steps on all sides. There is a red brick wall around the Tianshen altar. There are four stone niches in the north of the altar. The stone niches are decorated with clouds and dragons, representing the four gods of wind, cloud, thunder and rain respectively. The Dizhi Altar is just opposite to the Tianshen Altar, facing north, rectangular in shape, and surrounded by six steps. The Diji Altar also has a red brick wall and five stone niches on the south side. Three of the five stone niches are carved in the shape of mountains, respectively worshiping the Five Mountains God and the Five Town GodsJamaicans Sugardaddy, Five Mountain Gods; there are two sculptures with water patterns to commemorate the four sea gods and the four blasphemous gods. The purpose of worshiping these gods is to pray for good weather and good agricultural harvests. In addition, there is a pool above the stone niche, and the water slowly flows out along the stone niche, which is unique. There are also two stone niches on the east and west sides of the altar, carved with mountains and rivers, representing the Gyeonggi Mountains and Waters God and the National Mountains and Waters God respectively.
Xiannongtan and the Birth of New China Teaching
After the Republic of China, Xiannong Altar lost its original memorial significance and gradually declined. After that, many buildings were demolished, and the Xiannong Altar was greatly damaged. It was not until 1916 that Jamaicans Escort the new construction of Chengnan Park inside the altar allowed Xiannong Altar to regain its former vitality. In 1936, the Peiping Stadium was built on the original site of Xiannongtan Altar, and later the stadium was renamed Xiannongtan Stadium. In 1949, North China Yucai Primary School, the predecessor of Beijing Yucai School, officially entered Xiannongtan. After that, Taisui Hall, one of the important buildings of Xiannongtan, was returned to Yucai School for use. In 1997, the Jifu Hall, which had been used by the Institute of Pharmacy of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, was vacated and used as the library of Yucai School. As a result, the Xiannongtan, the royal garden that has gone through many vicissitudes of life, and the Yucai School, the cradle of education for talents in the new era, have produced thousands ofJM Escorts Inextricably linked.
Yucai School is closely related to the birth and growth of primary school education in New China. In 1937, Yucai School was born in the reactionary holy land of Yan’an. Its founder was Xu Tingba. At that time, our party’s cadres and soldiers were fighting bloody battles on the front lines of the war, and their descendants and orphans of martyrs had no one to take care of them. In order to eliminate the worries of the frontline soldiers and to better take care of the orphans, Comrade Xu Tingba proposed, A school for junior cadres has been established, where students are introduced by the Central Organization Department and receive supply-based treatment. Later, due to Hu Zongnan’s army attacking Yan’an, under the leadership of the school leaders, the students crossed the Yellow River eastward and crossed the Taihang Mountains, creating an amazing Jamaicans Escort Lamented at the miracle of the “Children’s Long March”. This also laid the foundation for the outstanding school spirit and excellent revolutionary tradition of not being afraid of dangers and overcoming difficulties for the subsequent Yucai School.
Since its establishment, Yucai School has trained many outstanding talents for the country, and party and state leaders have placed high hopes on it. Yucai School has carried out many education reform experiments and successfullyIt is the cradle of the birth of New China’s education. Teachers and students of the National Sports Talents carry forward the glory. Well, how do you say it? He couldn’t describe it, he could only metaphor it. The difference between the two Jamaica Sugar is like a hot potato and a rare treasure. One wants to throw it away quickly, while the other wants to hide it and keep it alone. Honoring the revolutionary tradition, striving to forge ahead, pioneering and innovative, echoing the calmness and simplicity of the Xiannongtan in the school site, becoming its unique school-running characteristics. More than 600 years ago, Xiannongtan was a material representation of the importance of agricultural production and work, from the emperor to the common people. Labor, as the most basic foundation, has promoted the progress and development of human society; more than 600 years later, as the cradle of cultivating outstanding talents, Yucai School, from all school leaders to every teacher and student, insists on practicing “starting from scratch” in their study career. , the main concept of hard work”. “Combining teaching with productive labor to cultivate social masters” has become the school-running characteristic and consistent tradition of Yucai School Jamaica Sugar Daddy. The school not only inherited the work spirit of primary school labor education in the Yan’an period, but also carried forward the long-standing labor production tradition of the Xiannongtan and institutionalized labor education. Every year, middle school students in the school go to the school-run factories and orchards to participate in production work, learn labor skills, and even participate in building roads, playgrounds, etc., to exercise their hands-on skills and cultivate their hedonistic energy.
As a model school on the central axis of Beijing and located in the Pioneer Altar, a world cultural heritage, Beijing Yucai School has given full play to its geographical advantages and integrated labor education and revolutionary traditional education. It penetrates into all aspects of teaching career and has unique characteristics in running a school.
From Xiannongtan to Beijing Modern Architecture Museum
The ancient building of Xiannongtan has been attracting the attention of people from all walks of life since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In the early 1980s, it was announced as a cultural relic protection unit by the Beijing Municipal Government. Later, under the call of Shan Shiyuan, Zheng Xiaoxie, Ma Xuchu and others, who are well-known domestic experts on cultural relics and ancient architecture, the Beijing Modern Architecture Museum was officially established in 1988. In 1990, the inner altar of Xiannongtan was bounded by the line from the East Gate to the West Gate, with the Yucai School in the south and the Beijing Museum of Modern Architecture in the north, forming a new situation of “coexistence of culture and education”Jamaica SugarPosition.
At present, the museum’s important exhibitions include the Chinese Modern Architecture Exhibition and the Xiannongtan Historical and Cultural Exhibition. The reason why Beijing Modern Architecture Museum is located in Xiannongtan is because there are many buildings in Xiannongtan.The ancient building complex has unique characteristics and represents the higher level of modern Chinese construction technology. It is also to better protect the main cultural heritage and endangered cultural relics in Xiannongtan, and to better display its unique cultural value to the whole country. Even the world. The Chinese modern architecture exhibition in Beijing Modern Architecture Jamaicans Escort Architectural Museum mainly includes the development history of Chinese modern architecture, Chinese modern architectural construction techniques, Taisui Temple It is composed of five departments: restoration display, appreciation of modern Chinese cities and appreciation of Chinese modern architectural types. The third part, “The Restoration and Exhibition of Taisui Altar” is closely related to the history and culture of Xiannong Altar – the content is to pay tribute to Taisui (Taisui Altar). The Xiannong Altar was once called the Taisui Altar, so in this part of the exhibition, it is important to restore the memorial ceremony at the end of the Qingguang period, that is, after 1900. Tai Sui scene. The Xiannongtan Historical and Civilization Exhibition provides a detailed introduction to the historical evolution, architectural style, and modern agriculture-sacrifice civilization of Xiannongtan. Through the exhibition, we can experience the essence of China’s modern agricultural worship culture, and also have a deep understanding of the world’s agricultural god worship culture. It is a rare and excellent classroom on agricultural civilization. With the advancement of Beijing’s Central Axis application for World Heritage, the cultural relic protection task of Beijing’s Xiannongtan Ancient Altar Area has entered a new historical period. The Xiannongtan Ancient Altar Area will become a base for the exhibition of Beijing’s altar and temple civilization. The Ming and Qing DynastiesJamaica Sugar The memorial culture of Jingtan Temple will be fully displayed here.
As the main carrier of traditional Chinese farming civilization, Xiannongtan stands on the side of the central axis of Beijing city with its long history and unique agricultural civilization.
Editor: Jin Fu