天朝大燕――太和殿筵宴位次圖考

The Grand Banquet of the Heavenly Kingdom: Re(-dis)covering the Hidden Seating Chart for the Imperial Banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony

清代紫禁城中的太和殿是皇帝御極天下、展示天朝權威的重要場域。舉凡朝會、慶賀、傳臚與冊封等國家大典，率皆在此舉行。其中以元旦、萬壽與冬至等「皇帝三大節」的慶典最為重要。按照禮制規範，三節受賀後，皇帝依例賜宴：「以饗燕之禮，親四方之賓客」（《周禮•大宗伯》）。太和殿的筵宴佈局不僅止於大殿之內，還包括殿外的丹陛以及整個丹墀。換言之，整個太和殿與殿前廣場儼然成為天朝的筵宴空間。中央研究院歷史語言研究所館藏原內閣大庫檔案中，適有一幅手繪太和殿筵宴位次圖，然未見封面、標題，亦無相關附件註明該圖為何時所繪、用處何在。該圖與現存各種《大清會典圖》與《禮部則例》所錄之相關附圖間有差異，圖上並有數處塗改痕跡。藉由紅外線掃描的輔助，筆者嘗試還原修改之前的原圖，幾經對比，發現這一份檔案的底層還有一份被遮掩的檔案，可視為一檔兩案，分別涉及兩場性質不同的朝廷盛宴；圖裡有圖，宴外有宴。而被掩覆的原圖又恰為研判這兩場筵宴的時機與年代，提供了關鍵的線索。質言之，原圖所佈置的位次安排，本是為籌辦一場特定因緣的饗宴：慶賀皇帝大婚。而原圖後經修改，則應是用於籌辦隨後另一場同樣重要的國家慶典。在判讀這幅圖中圖、宴外宴的同時，本文也探討筵宴的時機與入席的賓客，以及位次佈局的象徵意涵：天朝筵宴席次的安排，展現的不僅是朝廷中政治倫理的位階，更是盤點皇朝「建極綏猷」所掌控的天下秩序。藉由考察歷朝三節筵宴的制式規範與實際施行間的落差，本文也印證：制度性的規範其實會因應時空條件的異動，有所調整甚至轉化，必須檢視動態的歷史脈絡，才能貼切地掌握每一次規範在落實時的具體細節。每一場表面上行禮如儀的筵宴，其實都可能含藏著關鍵的細節標註其獨特之處。

During the Qing dynasty, the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City was the primary venue for the emperor to demonstrate his supreme and absolute authority over everything under the heavens. Major events of state were held here, including the annual session to receive civil and military officials at court, the announcement of the palace examination results, and investiture ceremonies. The events of state known as the “three major days of the emperor,” namely New Year’s Day, the winter solstice festival, and the emperor’s birthday—were the most significant. In observance of the etiquette rituals, the emperor would then host a banquet following receipt of birthday congratulations from imperial princes, court ministers, and diplomatic envoys of vassal states. This imperial banquet was held in a spacious area comprising the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the entire stepped platform, and grounded square in front of the hall, and it was in all likelihood the largest in scale in Chinese history. In this paper, I examine a hand-drawn diagram, housed in the archives of the MingQing Grand Secretariat at the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica, which depicts the seating arrangement of an imperial banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. However, the diagram does not have any heading, note or accompanying document explaining the specific occasion for which it was drawn up. To determine the occasion, I compare this diagram with similar diagrams in the official records, such as the Illustrated Compendium to the Collected Statutes of the Great Qing and the Regulations of the Board of Rites. Despite obvious similarities between the diagrams, several noteworthy differences indicate that the diagram in question was not used for one of the events depicted in the Illustrated Compendium or the Regulations of the Board of Rites. Significantly, this diagram contains traces of revision. An examination using an infrared line scanner allows me to recover the original diagram prior to revision and to show that it was originally designed for a special and very rare occasion: an imperial wedding banquet. The emperor’s royal wedding was a rare ceremony throughout the Qing dynasty because it was only held for unmarried emperors-in-waiting prior to accession to the throne. I examine various works and related documents to narrow down the list of potential events and identify the exact occasion for which this original diagram was produced. I then examine why the original diagram was revised. I conclude that this revised diagram was intended for another specific celebration for which it eventually was not used because the newlywed emperor died unexpectedly. My examination of the revised diagram and its original state also provides insights into the nature and celebration of all imperial banquets during the Qing dynasty. The banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony was uniquely symbolic because of its manifestation of the hierarchical order of the celestial empire through the seating arrangements for subjects of different ethnicities and for foreign delegations. This paper also underscores a significant gap between statutory regulations and actual practices. It was clearly stipulated in all official codes that the banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony was to be held on the three major days of the emperor. My examination of extant records shows, however, that this banquet was seldom held three times a year and never on any winter solstice. Moreover, after the Qianlong reign, it was held only on the New Year’s Day when the emperor celebrated milestone jubilees on reaching 20, 30, 40 years of age, and so forth. In conclusion, I note that regulations stipulated in the imperial codes, even those for routine ceremonies, should not be assumed to reflect actual historical practices.