The Historical Perspective In Sacrifices Of Modern China

"The major issues of a nation are sacrifices and army."National sacrifices inChina is rich and profound with a long history. It's of typical theoretical meanings tostudy national sacrifices in the aspect of analysing the national characteristics and thetime's characteristics of traditional Chinese culture in modern history. It's of academicvalue to clarify the system and evolving law of traditional Chinese culture in modernhistory. And it's also of realistic significance for the great rejuvenation of our nation.This paper has explored and quoted a set of firsthand materials and has made useof theories of such disciplines as history, sociology, science of culture and culturalanthropology ect. to investigate the development of modern national sacrifices.Under the background of cultural conflict between modern China and Westerncountries, the national sacrifices system had been modernized, which mainly displyedin the following aspects: Firstly, the sacrifice to heaven had declined day by day in lateQing, although Yuan Shikai restored it temporarily. Secondly, the sacrifice toConfucius had come to highest-rank from middle-rank in 1906, and during the periodof the Republic of China, compared with traditional form by Benjing government,Nanjing government had used brand-new ceremony to offer sacrifices to Confucius.Thirdly, in late Qing, the sacrifice to emperors in the past dynasties followed thetraditional form. After the 1911 Revolution, the amount of emperors who were offeredsacrifices was reduced greatly and the symbol intension of sacrifices had changed,Nanjing government offered sacrifices to Sun Zhongshan grandly, and moulded himthe symbol of the Republic of China. Fourthly, during the end of Qing and the earlyyears of the Republic of China, the rites and the sacrifice had become nationalsacrifices again during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Fifthly, the sacrifice toGuan Yu had risen as middle-rank in late Qing. In period of Beijing government, thesacrifice to Guan Yu and Yue Fei were held in Guan-Yue temple jointly. Sixthly, thesacrifice to martyrs in modern China changed remarkably. The Qing ruler offeredsacrifices to the martyrs who sacrificed in the war against the internal revolt andoutside invasion, but its political function became weak constantly. ProvisionalNanjing government built a Han Martyr Temple for the martyrs who were dead in 1911Revolution. The sacrifice to martyrs by Beijing government ended without result.TheNanjing government adopted new-style ceremony to offer sacrifices to the martyrs whowere buried on Yellow Ridge and sacrificed in the War of Resistance Against Japansolemnly. Seventhly, the government of Shanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Region adopted...