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Abstract
The cult of Confucius as practiced in Confucian temples had all the characteristics of a state religion, largely removed from the everyday lives of elite Confucians. In contrast, during late Imperial China, many Confucians cultivated private household ritual practices centered on the cult of Confucius and important sages and worthies. This private ritual practice differed significantly from the official cult of Confucius. First, it was far less rigid and more fluid. Second, because it was a private practice, there was greater autonomy in ritual practice. Thirdly, these ideas reflected a new understanding of Confucian identity in relation to both one's own bloodline and the genealogy of the Way. This articles addresses these issues in the context of descriptive examples of this ritual practice, along with an account of its significance with respect to ideas related to this private ritual practice, including ritual theory debates on incorporating images in the ritual, and the relationship between ritual and moral cultivation. To better understand this practice, this article will further provide some discussion of the intellectual context of the Ming-Qing transition.
Notes
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Miaw-Fen Lu
Miaw-fen Lu is a research fellow and the Director of the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica. Her major research interest lies in intellectual and cultural history in late imperial China. She is the author of The Wang Yangming School During the Ming Dynasty: History, Thought, and Practice and Ruling All under Heaven with Filial Piety: The Xiaojing in Late Imperial China (both in Chinese).