Chapter 20 Section 6 Respect for the Elderly and Provide for the Elderly

Respecting the elderly and providing for the elderly is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation.In the ancient times when writing was not yet developed, cultural knowledge was mainly passed on from the older generation to the next generation by word of mouth.In ancient societies where agriculture was the main production sector, the production cycle was long and highly technical, and it took a certain age to master considerable knowledge and technology.In the complex scenes of politics and diplomacy, only people of a certain age can accumulate rich experience and use this political experience to play a huge role.In addition, experienced old people can not only control their children and teach common people, but also serve as teachers and advisors to emperors.Since respecting the elderly has the significance of governing the country, the ancient rulers incorporated it into the etiquette system. This system developed to its peak in the early and middle stages of the Zhou Dynasty, and most of the descendants followed it.

"Old" has two meanings in ancient times, one refers to the elders of the family, and the other generally refers to the elderly.The starting standard of the latter is either 50 years old (such as "Yili"), or 60 years old (such as "Zhou Li"), or 70 years old (such as "Guanzi"). The 10-year division is divided into several levels.The ancients believed: "Fifty is the beginning of decline, sixty is not full of meat, seventy is not warm, eighty is not warm, and ninety is not warm." ("Book of Rites Internal Rules") Therefore According to the regulations of the Zhou Dynasty, the elderly were raised in the village at the age of 50, raised in the country at the age of 60, and raised in school at the age of 70.As the life expectancy of the elderly is decreasing, it is necessary to make preparations in advance for the end of life, and make old clothes in advance. The 60-year-old prepares in years, the 70-year-old prepares in seasons, the 80-year-old months, and the 90-year-old in daily calculations. Preparation, only quilts, mattresses, hats, belts and the like are made after death.Even in ordinary activities, the grades are also divided into units of 10 years.For example, when holding a township drinking ceremony, "Sixty people sit down, fifty people stand and wait, to listen to government service, so Mingzun elders are also known. Sixty people have three beans (ancient food utensils), seventy people have four beans, eighty people have five beans, Ninety people have six beans, so it is also necessary to provide for the elderly." ("Book of Rites · Rural Drinking Righteousness")

The most solemn etiquette of respecting the elderly in ancient times was the ritual of three elders and five watchmen.The three elders are the elders of the country (elders with virtue and titles), and the fifth is the elders of the common people (the fathers and ancestors of the common people and those who died in loyalty to state affairs). An old man in charge.The ancients had different explanations for why it was named "three" and "five". One of them believed that they knew the three virtues (integrity, rigidity, softness) and five things (appearance, speech, vision, hearing, and thinking), so they were called the three elders. Fifth watch.There are differences in the procedures of the rituals of the three elders and the fifth watch, but an example can be used to get a general idea.In the second year of Yongping (59 A.D.) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Ming led a group of officials to support the three elders and the fifth in the university.At that time, the third elder selected was Li Gong, and the fifth was Huan Rong.On the day of salute, the three elders and the fifth were dressed in new clothes, and the three elders returned to the university with jade sticks in their hands, and entered the university by car.Then a banquet was held, and Emperor Ming personally set the table for the three elders.During the banquet, Emperor Ming also rolled up his sleeves and cut his flesh, persuaded him to eat and drink, and accompanied the music of King Wu of Zhou's defeating Zhou to heighten the atmosphere.In addition, a salary of two thousand stones was given to each of the three elders and the fifth watch, as well as a stone of wine and 40 catties of meat.During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the etiquette of the three elders and the fifth watchman was more prosperous, especially highlighting the etiquette of the three elders and the fifth watchman who regarded themselves as teachers and instructed the emperor.According to the regulations of the Tang Dynasty, every Mid-Autumn Festival, the emperor must hold a ceremony to support the three elders and the fifth watch in Taixue.This etiquette was not abolished until the Ming Dynasty with the expansion of imperial power.The holding of the three old and five watch ceremonies is the practice of the ancient rulers to establish a moral model, and it plays a certain role in promoting the social atmosphere of respecting the elderly and providing for the elderly.

In addition to the three elders and the fifth watch, the Zhou Dynasty also set up special institutions for other elderly people to support them. "Book of Rites King System" contains: "There is a Yu family who raises the elders of the country in Shangxiang, and raises the elders in Xiaxiang. The Xiahou family raises the elders in the east and the elders in the west. Yin people raise the elders in the right Learning, raising the elders in Zuo Xue. Zhou people raised the elders of the country in Dongjiao, raised the elders in Yuxiang, and Yuxiang was in the western suburbs of the country." Here Xiang, Xu, Xue, and Jiao are all the names of Xuegong, which are actually similar In old school or nursing home.The elderly in the country are concentrated here, relying on the material support of the state, they can enjoy their old age in peace.It remains to be verified whether Yu's family and Xiahou's family really concentrated on serving the elderly as stated in the "Book of Rites". However, the Zhou Dynasty did implement the pension system.The reason why Zhou Tianzi did this was because he believed that "the court respects the elderly and the people are filial piety" ("Book of Rites·Fang Ji"), so by respecting the elderly, promoting filial piety and stabilizing social order.During festivals and major national events, the emperor of Zhou would conduct a school inspection, that is, he would personally go to the school where the elderly gathered to hold the spring and autumn sacrifices and the ceremonies for the elderly.At that time, they not only sang and danced, offered wine and food to the old people, but also talked cordially and asked the old people for advice on governance strategies.Usually, if the elderly are sick, there are full-time staff to visit them on a regular basis.After the Warring States Period, the pension system in the Zhou Dynasty was gradually destroyed, and many specific regulations were difficult to implement, but this practice of centralized support for the elderly has not disappeared.Until the Ming Dynasty, nursing homes were set up in various counties to adopt the "lonely elderly", and an edict was issued to adopt the "old, sick, lonely and poor" every time the "Yuan Reform or State-owned Ceremony" was held.In particular, Wanping and Daxing counties in Shuntian Prefecture received hundreds of thousands of people at a time. .

Respecting the elderly is not limited to caring for the elderly in life, but also means that the elderly who have reached a certain age can enjoy the treatment of exemption from taxes, corvees and even criminal penalties. "Book of Rites" such as "Royal System" and "Sacrifice" stipulates that no corvee will be served from the age of 50 (generally changed to 60 after the Qin Dynasty), and one son will not be allowed to perform corvee from the age of 80, and the whole family will be exempted from the age of 90. .The law also gives tolerance to the elderly. For "mao [mao trade]" who are 80 or 90 years old, "even if they are guilty, they will not be punished" ("Book of Rites · Qu Lishang").In ancient times, "doctors cannot be punished", so this kind of regulation actually regards the elderly in their eighties and nineties as people of the same level as doctors.

In ancient times, there was also a king's stick system for respecting the elderly, that is, the monarch gave a special walking stick to the elderly in the territory every autumn, called the king's stick.Old people can use this stick to support their bodies while walking, and can also use this stick to arbitrate civil disputes and punish lawless villagers.It can be seen that the king's stick is a symbol of the honor, status and privilege of the elderly.As for the size of the privilege, it is divided into different levels according to the age difference. "Book of Rites King System" says, "Fifty sticks are used at home, sixty sticks are used in the country, seventy sticks are used in the country, eighty sticks are used in the court, and ninety sticks. That is to say, a 50-year-old holding a stick can only show authority in one's own home, a 60-year-old man holding a royal stick is valid within the scope of his hometown, a 70-year-old man holding a stick has already occupied a position in a city, and an 80-year-old man can go in and out with a stick. The court has expressed its opinion.For the elderly who are 90 years old, even if the emperor has something to do, he can no longer call him. Instead, he needs to visit the door in person to ask for advice, and he must bring precious gifts.During the Western Han Dynasty, the "Wang Zhang Edict Order" was specially promulgated, stipulating that every year in mid-autumn, the imperial court will grant Wang Zhang to the elderly over 70 years old, and feed them rice porridge, and give additional rewards to the elderly over 80 years old.The king's stick in the Han Dynasty is nine feet long, with the image of a turtle dove carved on the top.Since then, the 70-year-old has been qualified to hold a staff. The "Edict of the King's Stick" also stipulates that the old man who holds the stick enjoys various social privileges, such as a local official whose social status is equivalent to an annual salary of 600 shi; whoever insults or beats the stick-holder shall be punished as treason and inhumanity; enjoy the exemption from taxes and corvee Great treatment, and more.The Wangzhang system was mainly practiced before the Han Dynasty. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, etiquette was relaxed, and only a few emperors practiced the Wangzhang ceremony. After the Tang Dynasty, the Wangzhang system gradually disappeared.

Longevity is everyone's wish, and the appearance of old birthday stars in batches is also regarded as a grand event by the rulers, which is worthy of publicity.Therefore, after the Wangzhang ceremony was abolished, the Song Dynasty created the etiquette of banqueting thousands of seniors, which was very popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The specific procedure is: the monarch ordered the ministers to announce that elderly people over a certain age (usually 70 years old) will participate, and a banquet for thousands of seniors will be held in the palace.On that day, accompanied by Zhonghe Shaoyue, the officials of the capital and the elders will sit side by side on the fixed seats facing each other, perform a kowtow ceremony, and drink tea in their seats; Kneeling in front of the throne, the monarch personally bestows a ㍮ [zhi branch, wine vessel] wine; then distributes food, and the recipients all bow on the seat to express their gratitude; The old man knelt down on his seat and kowtowed three times; then the monarch gave rewards to the old man according to his age and virtue; finally, all the old people bowed three times and kowtowed nine times outside the palace gate to express their gratitude.As the feast of the thousand old people prominently shows the respect for the elderly, every time it is held, it causes a social sensation, and sometimes the local officials are ordered to provide the old people with carriages and horses to go to Beijing, so each time there are more than a thousand participants.In the fifty-second year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1713), Emperor Kangxi held a feast of thousands of seniors to celebrate his birthday, which was even more grand than ever.At that time, more than 4,000 elderly people went to Beijing, including more than 570 people over the age of 80.In the 50th year of Qianlong's reign (1785 A.D.), more than 3,000 people participated in the Banquet of Thousand Seniors held in Qianqing Palace.Thousands of Seniors Banquet promoted the popularity of the custom of respecting the elderly among the people, but every time it involved a large number of teachers and mobilized people, it cost a lot and it was difficult to hold it frequently. It was gradually abolished in the late Qing Dynasty due to frequent wars.

Gathering thousands of old people to hold a banquet to celebrate the grand scale is difficult for non-emperors; but celebrating the birthday of only the elderly of the family is in line with the norms of respecting the elderly and easy to do. Therefore, the etiquette of "making birthdays" on the birthday of the elderly is widely popular among the people. .Birthday celebrations generally begin at the age of 50 (before 50 is called "birthday"), and the birthday of the elderly aged 60 or over 80 is called "big birthday".Most of the folks celebrate birthdays at home, and usually set up a birthday hall, burn birthday candles, and tie birthday gifts.The birthday hall is generally located in the main hall, which is a place for birthday worship.If the birthday star is an old man, the "Hundred Shou Picture" embroidered with red satin (see Figure 6) or the giant "Shou" spelled by the Eight Immortals are hung high on the front of the hall.On both sides are longevity couplets, the content of which is mostly "Fulin's birthday star's family, spring stays in the elderly family";In the middle is for the "Shouxing" (the Antarctic Canopus), or for the three stars of "Fu", "Lu" and "Shou".Candles, flower tubes, incense burners and other decorations that pay attention to prolonging life are displayed in front of the case.There are also longevity peaches, longevity noodles, longevity wine, birthday cakes and other items on the table.If it is a birthday celebration for an old woman, the colorful "Five Blessings (bats) holding a birthday picture" (see Figure 7) will be hung on the front of the hall, and a "Magu (a legendary fairy, see Figure 8)" will be offered in the middle, and the rest will be the same.Guests are invited to entertain guests on birthdays, and those who come to congratulate them often hold birthday gifts, among which birthday peaches, birthday curtains, and birthday couplets are the most common.At the beginning of the birthday ceremony, the birthday star is dressed in a new dress, and sits in the hall next to the confession case according to the man on the left and the woman on the right, accepting congratulations from relatives, friends and juniors.As usual, birthday worship is two bows and three bows, and the younger generation bows on their knees.In case of birthday greetings of the same generation, those who receive the congratulations must stand up and ask the other party to excuse themselves.If an underage child among the younger generation kowtows, some money must be given.If the person receiving the congratulations still has elders who are still alive, the elders must be allowed to sit on the reception table.In addition, all immediate family members pay birthday respects before the birthday banquet in the morning.Distant relatives or friends come and worship at any time.The juniors of the congratulators must line up on both sides of the birthday hall, and return the salutes one by one to the kneelers who came to celebrate the birthday.After the salute, set up a banquet, drink birthday wine and eat birthday noodles together.After that, the birthday star will bring his whole family to worship the "Shouxing" or "Magu" in the birthday hall.In addition, some people have to "light the lantern flowers" at the end, that is, use a batch of lamp panels, put a lantern flower twisted with colored lantern paper on each lamp panel, dip it in sesame oil and light it.The number of lanterns must be the same as the age of the birthday star, one for the first year of life, and two more at the end, which are called one for the "birth year" and one for the "extended life year".Then the birthday star offers incense, and his children, relatives and friends kneel down and salute in turn.At the end, the birthday worshippers each hold a lantern tray and line up to "send off", which is called "send lantern flowers".To the outside of the gate, burn the "God Code", "Worship God Money and Food", etc., and the birthday ceremony is completed.

In short, respecting the elderly, especially respecting the elders of the family, is the most basic moral code in Confucian culture, and it was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in ancient society.Even the hero Li Kui in "Water Margin" who killed people without batting an eyelid on the battlefield is a dutiful son who is more docile than sheep in front of his mother.Someone in the Yuan Dynasty collected the legends of filial piety from 24 ancient people, from Yu Shun, Zeng Shen, Emperor Wen of Han to Ding Lan, Meng Zong, Huang Tingjian, etc., and compiled it into a book "Twenty-Four Filial Piety Pictures", which reflects the etiquette and customs of filial piety of the ancients. "Qing Barnyard Banknotes · Filial Piety" also contains many examples of filial piety to the elderly who resigned to support their parents, did not marry to serve their fathers, and used themselves as a pledge to redeem their fathers.This kind of filial piety often has a strong feudal color and should be criticized analytically, but it is indeed a true reflection of ancient social etiquette and customs.