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This was the field in which the emperor opened the agricultural season by himself turning several furrows. Chavannes discussed the derivation and meaning of this word; cf. Mh II, 463, n. 2. The Commentator Tsan whom he mentions is Fu Tsan (fl. ca. 285). Cf. also Maspero, La Chine antique, p. 231-232.
Ying Shao, in a comment to HS 4: 9b, says, "Anciently the Son of Heaven plowed 10 mou of the sacred field for the world." Wei Chao adds, "藉 is to borrow. He borrows the strength of the people to cultivate it in order to uphold the ancestral temple and moreover to encourage and lead the empire, causing them to emphasize agriculture." Wang Hsien-ch'ien says that, anciently 藉 and 籍 were interchanged; according to the comment of Ying Shao on HS 4: 9b, his text had the latter character; Wei Chao's comment (197-273/4) shows that his text had the former. The Official ed. has the latter character at that point. The word should be written correctly as 耤. In the Shuo-wen under this last character "it says, `The emperor's Sacred Field [contains] 1000 mou. In ancient times [the government] employed the people like borrowing them. Hence it was called 耤, from 耒 [to plow] and 昔 giving the pronunciation.' Under 耤 [the Shuo-wen] says, `The sacrificial pad [made of Myriophyllum 藻 or Imperata 茅, on which an offering was placed].' It also says, `Grass which is not plaited is a wolf's litter (i.e. in great disorder) 草不編狼藉.' Under 籍 it says, `An account book.' " Then Wei Chao's interpretation, which Chavannes rejects, is correct.
HS 65: 10b says, "The Ku-ch'eng Temple is distant, with no place for sojourning; moreover [the place is entirely] occupied by catalpas, bamboos, and the Sacred Field." Fu Ch'ien [ca. 125-195] comments on a sentence on 4: 12b [cf. p. 249], "The Ku-ch'eng Temple was south of the city of Ch'ang-an." Wang Ch'i-Yüan (xix cent.) says, commenting on 4: 9b, "This was the fixed place of the Han [dynasty's] sacred field. Emperor Hsiao-wu plowed [the sacred field] in the Shang-lin [Park; Emperor] Hsiao-chao plowed [the sacred field] in the amusement park [within the Wei-yang Palace] of the Intendant of the Imperial Palace Parks. Hence the annals especially record it [because it was not the usual practise. HS] 24 [A: 12a] says, `The Emperor was impressed by the words of Chia Yi to open the sacred field the first time.' " But from the dates in Chia Yi's memorial (24A: 10b), this latter statement seems incorrect.
Tu Yu (735-812) in his T'ung-tien, ch. 46, has a long historical account dealing with the practise of plowing the sacred field, beginning with the Chou and ending with the T'ang dynasty. We append a translation of his account dealing with the first two dynasties: "[According to] the regulations of the Chou [dynasty], `the Son of Heaven in the first month of spring selected [the day] of the first conjunction [of the sun and moon] and, himself carrying the plow and plowshare, placed them in the right [side] of his chariot. Leading the great ministers of the first and second ranks, the nobles, and the grandees, he personally plowed in the sacred field of a thousand mou in the southern suburbs [of the capital]. With his [ceremonial] cap with vermillion cap-strings, he himself held the plow, and the Son of Heaven [turned] three furrows' [the foregoing sentences are taken from the Book of Rites, Bk. IV, sect. I, pt. I, par. 13] in order to use it to serve Heaven, Earth, the mountains, the streams, the gods of the land and of the grains, and the deceased rulers, using [its products] to make sweet wine, rice or millet wine, millet, and sacrificial grain. Thereupon these products were taken to the Neichai [the superintendant of the inner apartments in the palace] and `an imperial edict [summoned] the Empress to lead the persons in the six palaces [within the imperial palace] to make the late and early [varieties of] seed to grow in order to present them to the ancestors' [these sentences are taken from the Chou-li, cf. Biot's trans. I, p. 148]. She ordered the ladies of the harem to store the seed to grow it again. The Tien-szu [the officer in charge of the laborers] `put himself at the head of his subordinates and tilled and hoed the King's field, and in season brought [to him its products]' [this sentence is also taken from the Chou-li; cf. Biot's trans. I, p. 84].
"Under the Han [dynasty], the decree of Emperor Wen reads, `Agriculture is the foundation of the world. Let the sacred field be opened. We Ourself lead in plowing in order to provide millet and grain offerings for the [imperial] ancestral temples.' The [Han-] chiu-yi [composed by Wei Hung, fl. 25-57, pt. II, p. 6b, 7a] says, `In the beginning of spring, [the Emperor] himself plows in the sacred field east [of the capital]. The officials sacrifice to the God of Agriculture. (The God of Agriculture is Shen-nung, Emperor Yen.) They offer one ox, one ram, and one pig. The many officials all follow him. The Emperor [plows] three furrows, the three highest ministers [plow] five [furrows], the assistants to the three highest ministers and the [other] ministers [plow] ten ]furrows], the gentlemen and the common people [finish plowing] the entire mou. [The Emperor] grants to [the people of] the three [capital] commanderies within 200 li, to the Filially Pious, Fraternally Respectful, and Cultivators of the Fields and to the San-lao, cloth, silk and ten thousand hu of seeds of all kinds of grains, in order to establish for them the granary of the sacred field. He establishes a Chief and Assistants for the granary. The grains are all used for the grain offerings at the worship in the sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, in the ancestral temple, and to the many spirits of mountains and rivers.' The Emperor Ching's imperial edict said, `We Ourselves plow to lead the world [in plowing].' The Emperor Chao, when young, ascended the throne and plowed in the amusement park of the Intendant of the Imperial Palace Parks [within the Wei-yang Palace]."
The ancient word for the Sacred Field implies that this field was one which `borrows' the forces of the people for its cultivation. The Emperor himself only plowed a few furrows, the actual cultivation was done by others. In Han times, the Imperial Sacred Field was located at the Ku-ch'eng Temple, south of Ch'ang-an, although, on occasion, other places were plowed. The products of the Imperial Field were used for sacrifices in the imperial ancestral temples.
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by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003
by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia |
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