The Hall of Light: A Study of Early Chinese Kingship

This book is a close examination of Chinese traditions concerning the ancient Chinese institution known as the Ming T'ang, rendered in the title as the "Hall of Light", and the sacrificial rituals connected with it. Soothill does not offer a mere summary of the Chinese accounts of the Ming T'ang but an interpretation of those in the light of comparative anthropology and of the history of ancient astronomy. This is the culmination of the life-long study and research on China of a leading British sinologist, The Hall of Light illuminates traditional Chinese ideas about monarchy, religion, worship, ritual, sacrifices, customs, and all aspects of early Chinese culture, which have influenced the thought and behaviour of the Chinese for well over two millennia. This is a study that will be of value to sinologues, anthropologists, and students of comparative astronomy and religion, as well as anyone with an interest in Chinese tradition and thought.

Table of Contents:
Editor's Preface List of Illustrations Foreword by G.F. Hudson, M.A. Introduction by Professor W.E. Soothill, M.A., F.R.G.S., etc. 1. Virtue and Passivity 2. The Ancient Records 3. The Book of Rites 4. The Yueh Ling: Part I: The Month's Observances 5. The Yueh Ling: Part II: The Ritual of Spring 6. The Yueh Ling: Part III: Summer, Mid-Season, Autumn, Winter 7. The Calendar 8. The Hall of Light: Its Origins 9. The Hall of Light: The Significance of its Names 10. The Hall of Light: Site and Structure 11. The Hall of Light: In the Chou and Later Dynasties 12. The Skyward Tower 13. The Jade-Ring Moat 14. The Early Sacrifices 15. Worship in the Chou Period 16. The Nature of the Sacrifices 17. Shang Ti, Heaven, and Earth 18. The Son of Heaven 19. The Dragon 20. Robes and Regalia 21. The Performance of the Ritual 22. The Principle of the Ritual 23. The Roman Regia and Other Parallels Appendices I. The Hsia Calendar II. The Song of the Sky Pacer: or the Sky Poem of Steps in Astronomy III. The References to Ti and Shang Ti in the Five Canons and Four Books IV. Ancient Music and Instruments V. Chinese Texts (a) The Hsia Calendar (b) The Song of the Sky Pacer Author's Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Reverend William Edward Soothill became Professor of Chinese at Oxford University. He was missionary of United Methodist Church at Wenchow and President of Imperial University of Shansi Province. He is also the author of: A Mission in China (1907), The Analects of Confucius (1910), China and West (1925) and China and England (1928) .