First Emperor by Qian Sima; Dawson Raymond; Brashier K. E

Author:Qian, Sima; Dawson, Raymond; Brashier, K. E.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press, UK
Published: 1976-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

6

THE TREATISES

This is the section of the work which comprises treatises on matters of importance to the Government; but unfortunately, although this section of dynastic histories assumed great importance as a result of the pioneer effort of Sima Qian, in the Historical Records some of the chapters are confused and incomplete. Furthermore, most of the eight treatises include very little about the Qin Dynasty, which is unsurprising in view of its brevity. Of the three that do I have omitted the astronomical section in spite of the high regard in which it is held by experts. The reason for this is that it was very much Sima Qian’s professional concern, so the material it contains is inappropriate for the non-specialist reader. I therefore confine myself to a translation of the relevant passages in chapters 28 and 29, the former of which deals with state religious practices, and the latter with rivers and canals. The chapter on religious practices is entitled ‘The Feng and Shan Sacrifices’, taking its name from the two very important sacrifices that were performed by Sons of Heaven when they felt confident that their virtuous rule had fully justified their position.

WHEN the First Emperor of Qin, having unified all under Heaven, had become emperor, someone said: ‘The Yellow Emperor obtained the Power of Earth, and a yellow dragon and an earthworm appeared. The Xia obtained the Power of Wood, and a green dragon stopped at the bounds, and the grass and trees became luxuriant. The Yin obtained the Power of Metal, and silver flowed forth from the mountains. The Zhou obtained the Power of Fire, and there was the omen of the red bird.* Now that the Qin has replaced the Zhou, it is time for the Power of Water. Once upon a time, when Duke Wen of Qin sallied forth to hunt, he captured a black dragon, and this was his omen indicating the Power of Water.’ Thereupon Qin renamed the Yellow River as the ‘Powerful Water’, and took the tenth month, which was in winter, as the beginning of the year. Among colours they gave priority to black, and they treated six as the basis for measurement, and in sounds they gave priority to dalü, and in the conduct of affairs they gave priority to law.

Three years after he had assumed the position of emperor, he journeyed east and toured the provinces and districts. He made a sacrifice at Mount Yi in Zou and extolled the exploits of Qin. He then summoned seventy Confucian masters and scholars of broad learning from Qi and Lu who were in attendance to come to the foot of Mount Tai. Among the various Confucian masters someone counselled that ‘When the feng and shan were performed in antiquity, the carriage wheels were wrapped in rushes, for they hated to do harm to the soil or vegetation on the mountain; they sacrificed when the earth had been swept, and for mats they used rushes and grain-stalks, so the description would be easy to comply with.

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