The Debate over Ritual Protocol: Deciphering "Ming Tang Pei Xiang" and the Zongfa Dilemma in the Song Dynasty

Introduction

"Ming Tang Pei Xiang" (the system of accompanying sacrifice in the Ming Tang) was a core issue in the state ritual ceremonies of ancient China. Specifically, it refers to the institutional controversy over whether a specific ancestor's spirit tablet should be placed in a secondary position to accompany the sacrifice to the Supreme Archon (Hao Tian) in the Ming Tang, and which ancestor should be chosen for this role. In the Song Dynasty, this seemingly purely ritualistic issue actually reflected deep tensions regarding imperial succession, the orthodoxy of the clan system (zongfa), and political legitimacy. Li Xinchuan, a Southern Song historian, revealed in his Extended Zizhi Tongjian (Continued Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government) how the scholar-officials attempted to construct political legitimacy through the interpretation of classics, by recording the repeated debates on Ming Tang rituals in the early Southern Song period.

Core Concepts

In Confucian ritual law, the Ming Tang was the hall where the Son of Heaven promulgated policies and also a place for sacrificing to heaven. The Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou) prescribed sacrifices to heaven at the round mound, with no fixed record of who should accompany the sacrifice. Since the Han Dynasty, it was common to have Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang) or Emperor Wen accompany heaven. By the Song Dynasty, this tradition faced significant challenges. The uniqueness of the Song Dynasty lay in the complex lineage relationships between the founder Zhao Kuangyin and emperors like Zhenzong and Renzong. According to clan law, the accompanying ancestor had to be the "primordial ancestor" or the "founded emperor." However, there was a legal gap between the Song Dynasty's recognition of its "primordial ancestors" (such as Zhao Kun, Zhao Ting, etc.) and the founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin.

The essence of the "Pei Xiang" (accompanying sacrifice) debate was: Who is the highest source of the Song clan law? If Zhao Kuangyin was chosen, it emphasized that imperial power came from the founding merit of the empire's creator; if a distant ancestor was chosen, it emphasized pure bloodline and the transmission of the Mandate of Heaven. In the early Southern Song, due to the court's southern migration, ritual systems were reconstructed. This triggered the great debate on "Ming Tang Rituals" lasting decades, concerning whether Emperors Huizong and Qinzong should enter the temple for accompanying sacrifice, and whether Emperor Gaozong should accompany preceding emperors.

Connection to the Extended Zizhi Tongjian

As a privately compiled chronicle of the Southern Song, the Extended Zizhi Tongjian details the ritual debates during the Chunxi period of Emperor Xiaozong to the Jiading period of Emperor Ningzong. The book points out that two major schools debated fiercely at the time: one advocated "sacrificing to heaven alone," while the other advocated "accompanying heaven with an emperor." Li Xinchuan quoted the Book of Rites and annotations by classical scholars in the book, emphasizing that "when the Son of Heaven resides in the principal temple, it is because his virtue accompanies heaven."

In the context of the Extended Zizhi Tongjian, this controversy was not merely academic textual research, but a political indicator. For example, the book records that court divisions over the accompanying sacrifice issue directly affected the appointment and dismissal of grand councilors and the stability of the political situation. By organizing these events, Li Xinchuan revealed how Southern Song scholar-officials utilized the right to interpret the ritual protocol of "Ming Tang Pei Xiang" to maintain the orthodoxy of the Song imperial rule and reshape the political narrative of "the Mandate of Heaven's destination" during the period of partial peace in the south.

Conclusion

The debate over "Ming Tang Pei Xiang," while appearing as a detail of ritual etiquette, is actually a typical case in Song political culture of defining "law" through "ritual" and proving "politics" through "classics." Through the records in the Extended Zizhi Tongjian, we can not only see the evolution of ritual systems but also glimpse the historical efforts of Song scholar-officials to consolidate political legitimacy by reconstructing clan genealogies during the crisis of dynastic continuity. This process profoundly reflects the central position of Confucian ritual governance in national administration.