A Textual Research On The Funeral Routes Of The Royal Family From The 12th Year Of Shaoxing To The First Year Of Deyou In The Southern Song Dynasty

Holding a funeral procession is an indispensable link in the funeral activities.It completes the task of transporting the coffin from the funeral home to the cemetery or the shelter and plays a very important role in the process of the living saying goodbye to the dead.From the twelfth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty to the first year of Deyou,the emperor and queen died and the remains were funeralized from the capital Lin’an to Song Liuling.Based on a comprehensive collection of relevant literature and combining with the field investigation of the relics in Lin’an and Shaoxing and the visit of local residents,this paper discusses the funeral routes of the royal family in the Southern Song Dynasty from the twelfth year of Shaoxing to the first year of Deyou and focuses on the funeral route of the Song Gaozong.Except introduction,the paper has four chapters: the first chapter describes the dual influences of geographical conditions and geomantic omen on the choice of funeral routes for the royal family in the Southern Song Dynasty.The second chapter examines the funeral routes of Song Gaozong and other members of the royal family in the Southern Song Dynasty.This route is not clearly recorded in history books.According to the few words recorded in Zhou Bida’s “Records of Siling”,it can be inferred that Song Gaozong’s coffin was transported by water.The hearse boat departed from the Xinkai Gate of Lin ’an and crossed the Qiantang River to Xixing.Then the coffin of Song Gaozong was transported by land transportation to the entrance of the East Zhejiang Canal and boarded again.After crossing the canal to Qianqing Weir,passing Qianqing Town,Keqiao and then entering Shaoxing from Yingen Gate,taking the route of Shaoxing Huancheng River,exiting the city from Dusi Gate and entering the East Zhejiang Canal again to Dongjia Weir of the East Lake,it entered the Royal River and reached the tomb all the way.The funeral routes of other members of the royal family in the Southern Song Dynasty were basically the same.The third chapter sorts out the related material and intangible cultural heritage along the funeral route.The fourth chapter summarizes the significance of studying the funeral routes of the royal family in the Southern Song Dynasty.This paper takes a systematic discussion for the first time about the funeral routes of the royal family in the Southern Song Dynasty.By investigating the funeral route of Song Gaozong,this paper corrects the misunderstanding of the academic community and the public about the location and name of the Xinkai Gate of Lin’an and the misjudgment of the width of Qianqing River in the Southern Song Dynasty,which is helpful to understand the shipping conditions of the East Zhejiang canal and the traffic conditions between Hangzhou and Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty,as well as the rise and fall of towns along the way and other issues.It has certain reference value for the funeral and traffic research in the Southern Song Dynasty.