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CHAPTER IV
Appendix II

THE SACRED FIELD

This was the field in which the emperor opened the agricultural season
by himself turning several furrows. Chavannes discussed the derivation
and meaning of this word; cf. Mh II, 463, n. 2. The Commentator
Tsan whom he mentions is Fu Tsan (fl. ca. 285). Cf. also Maspero,
La Chine antique, p. 231-232.

Ying Shao, in a comment to HS 4: 9b, says, "Anciently the Son of
Heaven plowed 10 mou of the sacred field for the world." Wei Chao
adds, "[OMITTED] is to borrow. He borrows the strength of the people to
cultivate it in order to uphold the ancestral temple and moreover to
encourage and lead the empire, causing them to emphasize agriculture."
Wang Hsien-ch'ien says that, anciently [OMITTED] and [OMITTED] were interchanged; according
to the comment of Ying Shao on HS 4: 9b, his text had the
latter character; Wei Chao's comment (197-273/4) shows that his text
had the former. The Official ed. has the latter character at that point.
The word should be written correctly as [OMITTED]. In the Shuo-wen under
this last character "it says, `The emperor's Sacred Field [contains] 1000
mou. In ancient times [the government] employed the people like borrowing
them. Hence it was called [OMITTED], from [OMITTED] [to plow] and [OMITTED] giving
the pronunciation.' Under [OMITTED] [the Shuo-wen] says, `The sacrificial pad
[made of Myriophyllum [OMITTED] or Imperata [OMITTED], on which an offering was
placed].' It also says, `Grass which is not plaited is a wolf's litter (i.e. in
great disorder) [OMITTED].' Under [OMITTED] it says, `An account book.' "
Then Wei Chao's interpretation, which Chavannes rejects, is correct.

HS 65: 10b says, "The Ku-ch'eng Temple is distant, with no place
for sojourning; moreover [the place is entirely] occupied by catalpas,
bamboos, and the Sacred Field." Fu Ch'ien [ca. 125-195] comments
on a sentence on 4: 12b [cf. p. 249], "The Ku-ch'eng Temple was south
of the city of Ch'ang-an." Wang Ch'i-yüan (xix cent.) says, commenting
on 4: 9b, "This was the fixed place of the Han [dynasty's] sacred field.
Emperor Hsiao-wu plowed [the sacred field] in the Shang-lin [Park; Emperor]
Hsiao-chao plowed [the sacred field] in the amusement park [within
the Wei-yang Palace] of the Intendant of the Imperial Palace Parks.
Hence the annals especially record it [because it was not the usual practise.

HS] 24 [A: 12a] says, `The Emperor was impressed by the words of
Chia Yi to open the sacred field the first time.' " But from the dates
in Chia Yi's memorial (24A: 10b), this latter statement seems incorrect.

Tu Yu (735-812) in his T'ung-tien, ch. 46, has a long historical account
dealing with the practise of plowing the sacred field, beginning with
the Chou and ending with the T'ang dynasty. We append a translation
of his account dealing with the first two dynasties: "[According to]
the regulations of the Chou [dynasty], `the Son of Heaven in the first
month of spring selected [the day] of the first conjunction [of the sun
and moon] and, himself carrying the plow and plowshare, placed them
in the right [side] of his chariot. Leading the great ministers of the first
and second ranks, the nobles, and the grandees, he personally plowed
in the sacred field of a thousand mou in the southern suburbs [of the
capital]. With his [ceremonial] cap with vermillion cap-strings, he himself
held the plow, and the Son of Heaven [turned] three furrows' [the
foregoing sentences are taken from the Book of Rites, Bk. IV, sect. I,
pt. I, par. 13] in order to use it to serve Heaven, Earth, the mountains,
the streams, the gods of the land and of the grains, and the deceased
rulers, using [its products] to make sweet wine, rice or millet wine, millet,
and sacrificial grain. Thereupon these products were taken to the Neichai
[the superintendant of the inner apartments in the palace] and `an
imperial edict [summoned] the Empress to lead the persons in the six
palaces [within the imperial palace] to make the late and early [varieties
of] seed to grow in order to present them to the ancestors' [these sentences
are taken from the Chou-li, cf. Biot's trans. I, p. 148]. She ordered the
ladies of the harem to store the seed to grow it again. The Tien-szu [the
officer in charge of the laborers] `put himself at the head of his subordinates
and tilled and hoed the King's field, and in season brought [to
him its products]' [this sentence is also taken from the Chou-li; cf. Biot's
trans. I, p. 84].

"Under the Han [dynasty], the decree of Emperor Wen reads,
`Agriculture is the foundation of the world. Let the sacred field be
opened. We Ourself lead in plowing in order to provide millet and grain
offerings for the [imperial] ancestral temples.' The [Han-]chiu-yi [composed
by Wei Hung, fl. 25-57, pt. II, p. 6b, 7a] says, `In the beginning
of spring, [the Emperor] himself plows in the sacred field east [of the
capital]. The officials sacrifice to the God of Agriculture. (The God
of Agriculture is Shen-nung, Emperor Yen.) They offer one ox, one
ram, and one pig. The many officials all follow him. The Emperor
[plows] three furrows, the three highest ministers [plow] five [furrows],

the assistants to the three highest ministers and the [other] ministers
[plow] ten ]furrows], the gentlemen and the common people [finish plowing]
the entire mou. [The Emperor] grants to [the people of] the three
[capital] commanderies within 200 li, to the Filially Pious, Fraternally
Respectful, and Cultivators of the Fields and to the San-lao, cloth, silk
and ten thousand hu of seeds of all kinds of grains, in order to establish for
them the granary of the sacred field. He establishes a Chief and Assistants
for the granary. The grains are all used for the grain offerings at the
worship in the sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, in the ancestral temple, and
to the many spirits of mountains and rivers.' The Emperor Ching's imperial
edict said, `We Ourselves plow to lead the world [in plowing].'
The Emperor Chao, when young, ascended the throne and plowed in
the amusement park of the Intendant of the Imperial Palace Parks
[within the Wei-yang Palace]."

The ancient word for the Sacred Field implies that this field was one
which `borrows' the forces of the people for its cultivation. The Emperor
himself only plowed a few furrows, the actual cultivation was done
by others. In Han times, the Imperial Sacred Field was located at the
Ku-ch'eng Temple, south of Ch'ang-an, although, on occasion, other
places were plowed. The products of the Imperial Field were used for
sacrifices in the imperial ancestral temples.