崇慶皇太后的萬壽盛典

The Birthday Celebration of Empress Dowager Chongqing

乾隆皇帝為母親崇慶皇太后的生日，分別在乾隆十六年（1751）、二十六年（1761）、三十六年（1771）舉辦隆重的壽辰慶祝活動。當時國力鼎盛，府庫充盈，皇帝不惜耗費財力布置北京城市。一來從西華門到西直門外萬壽寺，花費鉅額銀兩來修建沿著水道分布的寺廟—匯通祠、旃檀庵、廣通寺、慈獻寺、萬壽寺、觀音庵、聖化寺；二來請畫師繪製四卷《崇慶皇太后萬壽盛典圖》，其中有戲劇表演、西洋建築，表現出北京為當時重要的國際城市。此外還有為二十六年崇慶皇太后七旬大慶繪製的《臚歡薈景圖冊》，以及三十六年崇慶皇太后八旬大慶繪製的《崇慶皇太后八旬萬壽圖貼落》。後者呈現皇家的全家福，五代同堂，其樂融融，代表崇慶皇太后福祿雙全。崇慶皇太后的生日慶祝活動，不同於皇帝的萬壽盛典，文武官員、百姓可以自由地觀看戲劇，而不是跪在路邊迎接皇帝的鑾駕。再者，婦女也可以乘轎上街看熱鬧。各省奉獻的翡翠亭、黃鶴樓、湖鏡等點景，蔚為天下奇觀。雍正元年（1723）上諭：「聖祖仁皇帝御極六十餘年，臣工黎庶，無以致其感激愛戴之誠，故每於萬壽聖節，京師暨直省各建道場，將來必為成例。從事奢靡，稽遲公事，更恐科派屬員，貽累地方。以有用之財，供無益之費，非朕以勤儉勵有位之心也。其宣布中外，盡行停止。」雍正皇帝在位十三年，從未在寺廟舉行法會，而乾隆即位後恢復祖制，在各寺廟辦萬壽平安道場。為了皇太后慶生活動，內務府重修北京著名古剎、道路，以利於舉行平安道場法會活動。

The Qianlong emperor organized grand birthday celebrations for his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing in Qianlong 16 (1751), Qianlong 26 (1761), and Qianlong 36 (1771). Given the Qing court’s power and wealth, Qianlong was able to spend generously in decorating Beijing. First, from Xihuamen to Wanshou Temple located outside of Xizhimen, making large expenditures to renovate temples along the waterway - Huitong Temple, Zhantan Temple, Guangtong Temple, Cixian Temple, Wanshou Temple, Guanying Temple, and Shenghua (Lama) Temple. Secondly, Qianlong hired painters to produce four scrolls entitled “Chongqing huangtaihou wanshou shengdian tu” (Painting of the birthday celebration of Empress Dowager Chongqing), which presented stage performances and western architecture, showing Beijing as an important, international city. Moreover, ＂Luhuanhui jingtuce＂ was painted for e Chongqing’s seventieth birthday celebration, and ＂Chongqing huangtaihou wanshou tutieluo＂ was made for her eightieth birthday celebration. ＂Chongqing huangtaihou wanshou tutieluo＂ presented the whole royal family, five generations living in the same roof and full of happiness, thus showing that Chongqing had great fortune and numerous offspring. The birthday celebration of Chongqing was different from the Emperor’s. Civil and military officials and commoners could freely watch the theatrical performances, instead of dropping to their knees on the roadside to meet the imperial chariot. Moreover, women could also go out to enjoy the festivities from their sedan chairs. The provincially dedicated Emerald Pavilion, Yellow Crane Tower, Lake Mirror.and so forth, were spectacular. For his mother’s birthday celebrations, the Qianlong Emperor asked the Imperial Household Departments to renovate famous temples and Beijing’s roads, as well as to organize activities for the Buddhist peace ritual.