Study On Royal Guards Of Honor In Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty is not only a dynasty connecting the preceding and the following in Chinese feudal society,but also a period of full development of feudal ritual system.On the basis of inheriting the etiquette system of Tang and Five Dynasties,the Song Dynasty established a relatively complete feudal etiquette system.As an important part of the ritual system,the honor guard of the Song Dynasty is also in constant development.In terms of the overall development track,in the period of Taizu and Taizong,the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty,the state rose,mostly following the system of the ritual of the Tang and the Five Dynasties.Later,the emperors followed the system of the ritual,and the scale continued to increase,reaching Dingfeng in 1078AD-1085AD.After the war,the ritual was reduced.There were various types of royal guards of honor in Song Dynasty,including palace honor guards and driving ceremony.There are four kinds of palace honor guards in the palace:Huang Hui's big flag,Huang Hui's half flag,Huang Hui's horn flag,and Huang Hui's thin flag.Driving ceremony is the instrument for driving,including Palace guidance,imperial tour honor guard away from the capital,elements of a procession.Royal guards of honor are the instrument guards used by the royal family in Song Dynasty when they hold etiquette activities,and they are the main body for the smooth progress of etiquette activities.The guards of honor in Song Dynasty were mainly the sanitation officers,the left and right Jin Wu and the Sixth Army honor guard.According to the different etiquette activities,they also sent musicians,imperial guards and pro subordinate officers to participate,sometimes accompanied officials participated.In general,the Taichang ceremony courtyard(Taichang Temple)formulates etiquette regulations and determines the number of the honor guard personnel required for the etiquette activities.The military department is responsible for the dispatch of the honor guard personnel.During the offer sacrifice,the five envoys will be appointed to manage the instrument guard personnel,with more detailed functions and more clear responsibilities.Royal guards of honor need to rehearse before the ritual activities to ensure the orderly progress of the activities and the effect of the honor.The rehearsal place varies with the activities,and the rehearsal period is generally between one day and two months due to the different etiquette activities and the proficiency of the honor guard personnel.In the Southern Song Dynasty,there were occasionally three months of rehearsal for musicians recruited from the folk,which should be a special case.During the period of participating in the activities,the guards of honor will be subject to the corresponding punishment rules in addition to a certain amount of money and material rewards.The royal guards of honor in Song Dynasty were huge,unprecedented and beyond the reach of other dynasties.In line with the large scale,compared with other dynasties,the personnel composition of Song Dynasty is complex and diverse.The Royal Guard of honor is closely connected with the fate of the Song Dynasty.The rulers of the Song Dynasty hope to achieve the purposes of "communicate with Gods,being stabilize the community" and "being full of guard of honor and showing dignity",which also reflects the function of the Royal Guard of honor.