The Court Historian

ISSN: 1462-9712 (Print) 2056-3450 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ycou20

Ming Court Histories from the Forbidden City

Luk Yu-ping

To cite this article: Luk Yu-ping (2016) Ming Court Histories from the Forbidden City, The Court
Historian, 21:2, 170-172, DOI: 10.1080/14629712.2016.1245411

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14629712.2016.1245411

Published online: 04 Nov 2016.

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Book Review
Ming Court Histories from the Forbidden City
BY LU K YU - P I N G

Li Zhenyu, Mingdai gongting xiju shi (Beijing: Forbidden City Press, ).

Meng Fanren, Mingdai gongting jianzhu shi (Beijing: Forbidden City Press, ).

Wang Guangyao, Mingdai gongting taoci shi (Beijing: Forbidden City Press, ).

Zhao Zhongnan, et al, Mingdai gongting dianzhi shi (Beijing: Forbidden City Press, ).

n , the British Museum presented a large-scale exhibition, Ming:  Years that

I Changed China, which highlighted the crucial role that courts, both at the capital and
in other centres, played in the development of culture and networks during the period
 to  in Ming-dynasty China (–). This exhibition and its accompanying confer-
ence reflect a significant growth in interest in the study of court culture and history of Ming
China in the past two decades, a development that is not limited to English-language scholar-
ship. Notably, the Palace Museum, Beijing, launched an ambitious research project in ,
which aimed to publish a twenty-book series in Chinese bringing together different experts
to systematically survey major aspects of Ming court culture and history. The first four
books were published five years later. They are on architecture, written by Meng Fanren ( pro-
fessor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences); ceramics by Wang Guangyao (Palace
Museum, Beijing); theatre by Li Zhenyu ( professor at Beijing Normal University); and
decrees and regulations in two volumes by multiple contributors led by Zhao Zhongnan
(Palace Museum, Beijing). Judging from the four books published at the time of writing this
review, the series will surely be an indispensable source of reference for students and scholars
of the field.
Printed in a plain soft cover, the books in this series are unassuming in their appearance.
Images are kept to a minimum and printed in black and white (although later volumes will
have some coloured images). The text is the focus of these books, and it is assumed that
readers would consult other resources for images as needed. The authors have been given flexi-
bility to organise their writings in their own way, rather than within a standardised framework.
The authors thus define their own parameters, and arrange material according to the state of
research in their respective subject areas. The books are, however, consistent in their recog-
nition of the need to integrate, where possible, textual research with the study of historical
sites and artefacts. There is also an interest in methods of production, material and labour
resources across the board.
In the book on ceramics, Wang Guangyao discusses ceramics made for the imperial court,
their production and dissemination, as well as government control over the trade of ceramics
and policies towards taxation of the ceramic industry. Wang demonstrates that kilns producing
wares exclusively for the imperial court were established in Jingdezhen, in southeast China, by
, and continued their role into the late Ming period. This book is particularly useful for its

© Luk Yu-Ping  

DOI ./..
 BOOK REVIEW

summary of recent ground-breaking archaeological discoveries related to imperial ceramics. In

addition to excavations of the official kilns at Jingdezhen, it addresses findings in Cizhou
(Hebei province), Juntai (Henan province), both in northern China, and Longquan
(Zhejiang province, southern China) that is known for its celadon wares. Evidence shows
that these kilns also produced wares for the imperial court until  when Jingdezhen
began to monopolise production. These archaeological discoveries have significantly
widened the scope of the category ‘court ceramics’ in China.
On architecture, the focus of Meng Fanren’s discussion is primarily on the two Ming imper-
ial palaces, their development and relationship. The first palace was established in Nanjing, the
initial capital of the Ming dynasty, whereas the second, known as the Forbidden City
(Zijincheng), was constructed from around  under the Yongle emperor (r. –) when
the capital was transferred to Beijing in the north. The palace in Nanjing no longer exists,
except for its foundations, while the Forbidden City continued to be the seat of imperial
power in the subsequent Qing dynasty (–) and was transformed into the Palace
Museum in . Meng also discusses the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, founded under the
Yongle emperor, although the current buildings date to the Qing dynasty, as well as the
Ming imperial tombs located on the outskirts of Nanjing and Beijing, of which some of the
above-ground structures remain intact. The relatively narrow focus of this book enables it to
provide valuable in-depth information about the development and organisation of the Ming
imperial palaces in Nanjing and Beijing. For future studies, the discussion could be broadened
to include architecture commissioned by the imperial court, especially religious buildings such
as the temple complex at Mount Wudang, Hubei province, and evidence of royal courts estab-
lished by princes who were enfeoffed in different parts of China.
Theatre at the Ming court is a fascinating but little known topic, so the inclusion of this
subject in the series is particularly welcome. The author Li Zhenyu discusses the connection
between theatre and court ceremony, and its more informal manifestation as performances
for the imperial family within the inner court of the palace. Li takes a chronological approach,
tracing the development of court theatre in the early, middle, and late Ming periods. The early
Ming imperial court inherited a preference for northern Chinese ‘variety shows’ (zaju) that
involved recitation, dance, singing and mime. Over time, a shift towards dramas from southern
China, namely from Zhejiang province, can be observed. Dramas from the south were charac-
terised by dialogue in singing and stylised recitation, and complex stories and interpersonal
relationships between characters. The book also includes sections on the sites of performances,
the sources of performers both male and female, and types of dramas. Many interesting details
can be gleamed, such as the personal participation of the Tianqi emperor (r. –) in thea-
trical performances during the late Ming period.
The fourth book in the series published so far is on ‘decrees and regulations’, which is a
rough translation of the Chinese term dianzhi. The principal focus of the book is on the organ-
isation of ritual order. This is an enormous and complex topic that is directly or indirectly con-
nected to virtually every aspect of court life. Published in two volumes and involving many
writers, the book embarks on the daunting task of summarising the vast ritual protocols of
the Ming dynasty and their major changes over time. The rituals are loosely divided into
five main categories: () rites for auspicious occasions, mainly sacrifices and offerings; ()
rites for inauspicious occasions; () military decorum; () etiquette for guests; () rites of good-
ness ( jiali), which encompasses a variety of court rites including investitures and marriages.
The book also addresses the objects and spaces used in ritual, court dress, and the official


LUK YU-PING

compilation of ritual codes. Significant reforms are identified under the Yongle and Jiajing (r.
–) reigns which are linked to crisis in succession and the need to legitimise rulership. This
unprecedented attempt to bring together major aspects of Ming court ritual in one publication
provides a strong basis for future research.
These four books by themselves are already important accomplishments for the study of
Ming court culture and history. Their strength lies in their firm grasp of primary sources.
The content of the books, as well as the selection of topics in the series, are an indication of
the state of research and scholarly focus in China. Some topics may be of common interest
to court studies in other parts of the world, but some are culturally specific and shaped by par-
ticular historiographies. For instance, court ceremonial is framed as ‘decrees and regulations’ in
the Ming context, with an emphasis on ritual models founded upon Confucian ideas of social
structure that can be traced back to the Western Zhou dynasty (– B.C.E) in China. The
devotion of an entire volume to ceramics is an indication of the long-standing importance of
this material in China for everyday use and ritual purposes in the courtly context, as well as
the extensive connoisseurial and collectors’ interest in this area. It is interesting to consider
what topics might be chosen if an equivalent book series was proposed for court studies in
another part of the world. Clearly, there is much room for comparative research, which may
facilitate further reflections upon assumptions, methodological approaches and conceptual fra-
meworks. Efforts are being made to bridge this gap through multi-disciplinary publications and
conferences. One hopes that this will lead to a truly international field for the study of court
cultures and histories in the future.

Luk Yu-ping
Dr Luk Yu-ping is Curator of Chinese Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum,
Department of Asia. Previously, she was Project Curator of the exhibition Ming:  Years
that Changed China at the British Museum. Her book, The Empress and the Heavenly
Masters: A Study of the Ordination Scroll of Empress Zhang (), was published by the
Chinese University Press, Hong Kong, in . She is also one of the contributors and
editors of Ming China: Courts and Contacts –, published by the British Museum in
.

 For instance, Jeroen Duindam, Tülay Artan and Metin Kunt (eds), Royal Courts in Dynastic States and Empires: A
Global Perspective (Leiden, ). The Palace Museum, Beijing, organised a conference focusing on comparative court
histories in October .

