The Annual Service at Heaven's Altar
THE GREAT sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven, where the emperor o gave formal expression to his function of Supreme Intercessor, took S place annually at the summer and winter solstice," writes Juliet Bredon. "On the day before the ceremony the emperor left the palace by the Wu Men in a yellow sedan chair borne on the shoulders of sixteen carriers." "The Imperial cortège was a kaleidoscopic feast of color. There were mounted eunuchs in gorgeous robes carrying paraphernalia for the sacrifice, escorts of the Leopard Tail Guards, grooms in Imperialliveries of maroon satin, standard-bearers in velvet-trimmed uniforms with triangular dragon flags, quaint horsemen with bows and arrows led ponies with yellow saddle-cloths." Escorted by this brilliant retinue, the emperor passed slowly on his way to the "Great Lofty Shrine." In absolute silence, the sovereign made his journey to the place of sacrifice. None, even of the Chinese, were allowed to look upon the Imperial procession Shutters vere put up on all windows along the line of march, and side streets were closed off with blue cloth curtains, while all the people were ordered indoors. Passing through the central archway of the Kuan Li Men on the western wall of the temple grounds, the imposing procession halted, and the Son of Heaven, leaving his royal palanquin of jade, entered alone the deep recesses of the Hall of Abstinence. In this hall, known as the Ch'ai Kung, the emperor gave himself up to self-examination, "Encircled by a triple belt of solitude," under a roof of gorgeously glazed emerald tile, with no sound to break the solemn stillness, save the quiet murmuring of cypress trees "cooted on earth, but pointing towards heaven"—the Emperor-Priest waited in silence the "coming of that mystic hour before the daun, which was to assemble round him the spirits of his ancestors." "What an ingathering and giving forth of spiritual power," those somber walls "must have witnessed," exclaims A. E. Grantham, "when empire builders like Yung Le and Kang Hsi, or Ch'ien Lung stood there alone, thinking, longing, pondering, praying, resolving, with nothing to guide them but their own consciences and the silence of the long cold right They had fasted for two days, withdrawing their attention from every extemal object and turning it steadily within in the great effort to purge away every evil and weakness of the heart, to be able to hold it up clean and strong before the Spirit of Heaven, that His blessing should not be withheld from the subjects of His son" The accompanying plate shows a close-up view in full color of the glorious Ch'i Nien Tien, or "Temple of the Happy Year." For a further description of the Temple of Heaven services, see paqe 146.
