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CH INESE MUSIC. 25 RITUAL MUSIC. Under the name of Ritual :M:usic must be compi;ehended all music performed at Comt or at the religious ceremonies of the fi ?ix ( j u -chiao ), or " Sect of the learned," of which the Emperor is the chief. These ceremonies take pla<.;e at fixed epochs ; for instance, the winter solstice is the fixed date for the worship of Heaven, the summer solstice for that of Earth. Dming the spring and autumn lucky days are chosen for the worship of CONFUCIUS and the spirits of departed sages ; at other times services a.re performed at the temples of agriculture, of ancestors, of the sun, of the mpon, etc. Most of these ceremonies take place during the early homs of the morning, and are always terminated at sunrise. The Emperor is supposed to attend himself, but if for certain reasons he is unable to do so, he deputes one of the Princes or a high · dignitary to conduct the ceremonies in the name of the sovereign. Everything connected with them is minutely regulated : the number of rp.usicians, of dancers, of instruments, vases, and utensils of all kinds, of movements, genufl.exions, and even words, is rigorously fixed. As all the ceremonies are pretty much alike, I will illustrate only those p erformed at the temple of the great sage CONFUCIUS. - CONFUCIUS (in Chinese, K 'ung-Ju-tzu ), the great sage of China, was a native of the state of Lu (B.C. 550 ), the present province of Shantung, where his tomb can be seen at a place called Ch'i,i-fou . His life and writings have been made generally known b_v numerous translations into various foreign tongues,1 and therefore I need not explain how and why he l,ecame an obj ect of profound veneration for succeeding generations. CoNl!'UCIUS is now worshipped all over China by those who belong to the lettered class. l n every prefectme and sub-prefecture t here is a temple devoted to him, where ceremonies are performed with great pomp twice a year. The Confucian temple at Peking is a spacious and magnificent building, covered with a double roof of yellow glazed tiles, which is sustained by massive wooden pillars. Access to the temple is gained by passing through three great gates and traversing as mn.ny wide courts, where weeds are growing luxmiantly. Before the temple there is a broad, elevated, marble terrace reached by a, fl ight of steps, and gun.rded by handsome balustrades of olabora.tely carved marble. The temple has three great doors, which are wide open at the time of worshipping. Within, on the north side of the great hall and facing south stands the shTine with the tablet bearing the words : The Most Holy Ancient Sage CONFUCIUS. 2 Jn two other shrines, facing, one west and the other east, are to be seen the tablets of the four principal disciples of the sag-e, MENCIUS, Tzu-ssu-Tzu, TsQNo-Tzu, and YEN-TZU. 3 In two other large buildings lying east and west of the temple are placed, in the ordet· of merit, the t;ablets of ancient worthies. Before CONFUCIUS' shrine in the temple there are seve11al tables bearing offerings of meats of different. kinds, grains of all sorts, fruits, wine, incense, si\k, satin, etc. l See LEooi;;'s "Classics," among others. 2 3! ~ 1c Gili 1L =f . . s fili ~ ii: ::;,, ~ ~ f- ,!, ::;,, * ~ fi' ::;,, fir ~ 11 f-.