Echoes of the Court : Palace Music in Historical Documents

In Chongxiu Taijun Ge Jianzhu Tushuo (Illustrated Architectural Compendium of Taiwan Prefecture Renovation), Vols. 36
Qianlong period (1736–1795), Qing dynasty
平圖021005

Yi dancing, divided into civil and martial dances (or eight yi and six yi dances), was an integral part of sacrificial ceremonies at altars and temples, performed during the initial, secondary, and final offerings. According to the Illustrated Statues of the Great Qing (Vol. 58), six yi were used for ritual dances at Confucian temples, and all three offerings featured civil dances.

An illustration of the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony to Confucius shows yi dancing. The dancers hold a yue in their left hand and a di in their right. The accompanying diagram explains the following: “There are 10 distinct postures for holding the yue and di… Some sources say that Confucian temples used eight yi, others say six; this illustration shows 96 dancers arranged in four lines. This follows the 12th illustration from the Manual for Sacrifices at State Academies, which presents the form of the dance rather than the actual number of yi.” From this, we can infer that the illustration’s 96 dancers exceed the formal standard; the correct number for a six yi dance in Confucian temples was 36 dancers.”

In Yüezhi Yüedian (Music Chronicles, Music Canon), Vol. 9
Compiled by Yu Kun, revised by compilation official Zhou Yuanzou
State Historiography Institute edition, Qing dynasty
故史002514

In various banquet settings within the Qing court, the traditional qinglong dance—a hallmark of Manchu cultural expression—was regularly performed. This dance evolved from the Manchu mangshi dance and was officially renamed the qinglong dance in 1743. The dance consisted of two parts: the martial dance (i.e., the yanglie dance), which was performed first, followed by the civil dance (i.e., the xiqi dance). According to the “Treatise on Rites” in Draft History of Qing, the ceremony is described as follows: “The banquet proceeds as before. After the wine is served, the qinglong dance commences. Ritual music officials chant, and masked dancers wearing horse-costumes (artificial horses strapped to the waist, similar to stilt-dancing) perform the yanglie dance. Stringed instruments such as xian, zheng, ruan, jie, and bian are played sequentially. For the xiqi dance, ministers dressed in court robes enter, perform three bows, and dance in formation to the music. After the song concludes, reed instruments sound, and musical ensembles from various ethnic groups perform. The Imperial Household Department also presents Korean performers as well as Hui and Jinchuan boys performing acrobatics—this is the only variation in the performance.”

The musical instuments for the qinglong dance, particularly during the three grand celebrations, were standardized as follows: 8 pipa, 8 sanxian, 1 xiqin, 1 zheng, 16 jie, 16 pai, and 16 bian. Musicians wore robes of stone-blue silk embroidered with the character “longevity” in golden color and were draped in leopard-skin outer garments. For the yanglie dance, 16 performers wore yellow cloth costumes, and another 16 wore black sheepskin costumes, all donning masks. The xiqi dance featured 18 ministers dressed in formal court robes.

In Qinding Daqing Huidian Tu (Imperially Endorsed Illustrated Statutes of the Great Qing), Vol. 56
Compiled on imperial order by Kungang et al.
Lithographic edition by the Zongli Yamen, 1899, Qing dynasty
贈善037067

In the lithographic edition of the Qinding Daqing Huidian Tu (Vol. 56), published in 1899 by the Zongli Yamen (Office for the Management of Foreign Affairs), one can find illustrations for the “Qinglong Dance,” “Yanglie Dance,” and “Xiqi Dance.” These depict performers in mock-horse riding attire and black leather costumes, on stilts shooting bows, and striking poses holding fu while singing.