i) “a thousand autumns” (ch’ien-ch’iu 千秋), meaning “a thousand years”, refers to long life. Lu Chao-lin’s 盧照鄰 (ca. 641-ca. 680) song Great Wine-celebration in Teng-feng (Teng-feng ta-p’u ke 登封大醭歌) has the lines: “Might I ask what it is that Ch’ien-feng is so happy about? Everybody lives a long life, attaining a thousand years.”
ii) It was also used as a phrase for wishing others long life.
iii) The birthday of the T’ang dynasty ruler Emperor Dark-progenitor (Hsȕan-tsung 玄宗, reigned 712 - 756), on the Fifth Day of the Eighth Month, was called Thousand-year Festival (Ch’ien-ch’iu-chieh 千秋節). In AD 729, all the mandarins memorialised him for permission to make that day the Thousand-year Festival. Its name was later changed to Heaven-long Festival (T’ien-ch’ang-chieh 天長節). Cheng Ch’u-hui 鄭處誨 (fl. ca. AD 844), Miscellaneous records of Shining August-emperor (Ming-huang tsa-lu 明皇雜錄), says: “In the Year AD 729, all the mandarins memorialised the throne for permission to make that day the Thousand-year Festival. In AD 748, it was changed to Heaven-long Festival.”
iv) Thousand-autumns Festival was the title of a tz’u-lyric tune as well, also called Thousand-autumn years (Ch’ien-ch’iu sui 千秋歲). Ou-yang Hsȕan 歐陽玄 (1273 - 1357) and others, Sung history (宋史) (AD 1345), “Yueh-chih”, gives it as a Rest-finger Mode (Hsieh-chih-tiao 歇指調) tune, but Kin dynasty tz’u-lyrics give it as a Middle-pitchpipe Mode (Chung-lü-tiao 中呂調) one. Tseng Min-hsing 曾敏行 (AD? - AD 1175), Miscellaneous records of sobering alone (Tu-hsing tsa-chih 獨醒雜志), tells us that when Ch’in Kuan 秦觀 (1049 - 1101) was exiled to Ku-t’eng 古藤, on coming to Heng-yang 衡陽 he composed a tz’u-lyric to the tune Thousand-autumn years, which included the line, “In the mirror my vermilion countenance has changed”. The governor of the prefecture, K’ung Yi-fu 孔毅甫 [should be K’ung Yi-fu 孔毅父] was alarmed by his sadness and dejection, thinking he was not long for the land of the living, and, sure enough. Ch’in Kuan died shortly afterwards.
In addition, Thousand-autumn years was also called Recall your slave’s dainty beauty (Nien nu-chiao 念奴劉). There was furthermore a Thousand-autumn years’ prelude (Ch’ien-ch’iu sui yin 千秋歲引), which started with Wang An-shih 王安石 (1021 - 1086), being the Thousand-autumn years tune with the addition or reduction of Spread-and-break (t’an-p’o 攤破), forming a style of its own. History of Kao-li (Kao-li shih 高麗史), “Yueh-chih”, calls it Thousand-autumn years’ ditty (Ch’ien-ch’iu sui ling 千秋歲令). Li Kuan 李冠 (fl. ca. AD 1019) has a tz’u-lyric to the tune-title Thousand autumns and ten thousand years (Ch’ien-ch’iu wan-sui 千秋萬歲).
Thousand-autumn years was also a tune-title of the ch’ü-aria genre of Chinese poetry. In Southern Arias it was in the Main Melody category of the Middle-pitchpipe Kung-mode (Chung-lü-kung Cheng-ch’ü 中呂宮正曲), and in Northern Arias it was among the Single Arias of the Middle-pitchpipe Mode (Chung-lü-tiao Chih-ch’ü 中呂調隻曲).
v) The T’ang dynasty minister and poet He Chih-chang 賀知章 (659 - 744), on asking permission to retire and become a Taoist priest (tao-shih 道士), called his residence Thousand-autumns Vista/ Temple (Ch’ien-ch’iu-kuan 千秋觀), later changing its name to Heaven-long Vista (T’ien-chang-kuan 天長觀). In the Sung dynasty, its name was changed to Vast-blessings Vista (Hung-hsi-kuan 鴻禧觀), and in the Ming dynasty to Truth-shining Vista (Ming-chen-kuan 明真觀). In recent ages it was called Taoist-priest Manor (Tao-shih-chuang 道士莊).
433Ch’ien-ch’iu-yen 千秋宴, Thousand-years Empress’s Feast.
434Yao-p’u 瑤圃, Jasper Garden/ Vegetable-garden, as name for a dwelling-place of immortals. Ch’ao Pu-chih晁補之 (1053 - 1110), North-islet Pavilion rhapsody (Pei-chu-t’ing fu 北渚亭賦), has the lines: “Fixed a meeting with [the immortals] Han Chung 韓終 and Wo Ch’ȕan 偓佺, Culled fomes-fungus florescence [of immortality] in Jasper Vegetable-garden.”
435Shih-pa-niang 十八娘, Eighteen Ladies, name of famous high-quality kind of lichees grown in the south of China.
436 Yen-chou 炎州, Flame Region, a poetic term for the “summer land”, i.e. southern China. analogous to such terms as
i) yen-shu炎暑, “flame summer”, meaning “sweltering summer heat, “dog days”, “very hot weather”.
ii) yen-fang 炎方, “flame region”, i.e. “very hot southern region”. Liu Tsung-yȕan 柳宗元 (773 - 819) has a poem with the lines: “Oranges and pumelos bear in their bosoms integrity and quality, Sent on imperial mission to this flame region.”
iii) yen-t’u 炎土, “flame land/ soil”, i.e. “a very hot region/ area”. Liu An 劉安 (?BC - 122 BC), Sir Huai-south (Huai-nan Tzu 淮南子), “Chui-hsing”, says: “The south-west region is called Dwarfland (Chiao-yao 焦僥), and is called Flameland.” Chiang Yen 江淹 (444 - 505), Longing to return home north rhapsody (Ssu pei-kui fu 思北歸賦), has the lines: “Moreover the lowly scholars of the northern region, Were exiles from Flameland.”
iv) yen-t’ien 炎天, “Flame Heaven/ Flame Sky/ Flame Skies”, a term for “the South”. Lü Pu-wei 呂不韋 (?BC - 235 BC) (attr.), Mr. Lü’s Springs-and-autumns (Lü-shih ch’un-ch’iu 呂氏春秋), “Yu-shih”, says: “The southern region is called Flame Heaven.” A note to that says: “The day chien-wu 建午 of the Fifth Month in the southern region is the middle of the heat, the heat being referred to as Flame-mounting (yen-shang 炎上), hence the term Flame Heavens.”
437Huang-feng 黃封, Yellow Seal:
i) a name for wine produced by the imperial government
ii) a term for “imperially sealed package”.
438huo-tsao 火棗, Fire Jujubes, being a kind of fruit by eating which humans could become immortal.
439chiao-li 交梨, Intermingled Pears, being a kind of fruit by eating which humans could become immortal.
440ch’iung-chiang 瓊漿, Chaceldony Syrup/Juice/Nectar, a term for “fine wine”, “immortals’ wine”.
441A-mu 阿母, “Our Mother”, i.e. Wang-mu 王母, Royal Mother, i.e. Hsi Wang-mu 西王母, Royal Mother of the West, a goddess, sometimes referred to as A-mu 阿母, mother, nanny. Early descriptions show her as a composite, ferocious being. Anon. (early 3rd century BC or earlier) Son-of-Heaven King Solemn (Mu t’ien-tzu chuan 穆天子傳) says: “On the auspicious day chia-tzu, the Son of Heaven was guest at Royal Mother of the West’s.” A note to this says: “Royal Mother of the West was like a human, with tiger’s teeth, dishevelled hair, and a jade coronet, and she was skilled at whistling.”
K’ung Ch’iu 孔丘 (551 BC-479 BC), (attrib. ed.?), Bamboo annals (Chu-shu chi-nien 竹書紀年), “Mu-wang 17 nien”, says: “King Solemn journeyed far to the K’un-lun Hills (K’un-lun-ch’iu 崑崙丘) and met Royal Mother of the West.”
Anon. (1st millennium BC), Mountains-and-seas classic (Shan-hai ching 山海經), makes several mentions of her:
Jade Mountain is the place where Royal Mother of the West dwells. Royal Mother of the West looks like a human-being, has a leopard’s tail and a tiger’s teeth, and roars mightily. She lets her hair hang loose and dishevelled, and wears a jade coronet. She’s in charge of the calendar of Natural disasters, and of the vital-energies of the Five Destructions, executions.
Royal Mother of the West lolls at a small table, and wears a jade head-dress on her head. To her south, there are Three Green Birds, which fetch food for her.
Archer Yi besought some Not-dying Medicine from Royal Mother of the West, and his wife, Constant-charmeuse, stole it and fled to the moon, seeking refuge on the moon, she becoming the Toad and Moon Nymph.
The Yin dynasty world-ruler Great Wu sent Wang Meng to gather medicinal herbs from where Royal Mother of the West was.
There’s a very full and fascinating account of this goddess given in Suzanne E. Cahill, Transcendence and divine passion: The Queen Mother of the West in Mediaeval China, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1993. Chapters 5 and 6 concentrate on the T’ang dynasty.
We note that An
on. (Chou and early Han dynasty), Close exegeses (Erh-ya 爾雅), “Shih-ti”, mentions Hsi Wang-mu as the name of a country: “Ku-chu 觚竹, Pei-hu 北戶, Hsi Wang-mu and Jih-hsia 日下 are called the Four Wild Countries (Ssu-huang 四荒).” A note to it says: “Hsi Wang-mu was in the west.”
442Hua-mao 花帽, Flower Hat, name for some kind of headgear, possibly decked with flowers or gaudily coloured.
443cheng 箏: cheng-zither, cheng-dulcimer, Name of a musical instrument. Its invention is traditionally attributed to Meng T’ien 蒙恬 (?BC - 220 BC), a man from Ch’i 齊, who was a mighty general serving under the First Emperor of Ch’in. Among other deeds, he overawed the “barbarian” Hsiung-nu 匈奴 nation. He’s also credited with the invention of the writing-brush.
The cheng is a plucked half-tube zither-like instrument with movable bridges, and smaller and higher-pitched than the se 瑟-zither or the ch’in 琴-zither/-dulcimer. In its origins it’s strongly associated with the region of Ch’in 秦, around modern Shensi province, hence, probably, the attribution to Meng T’ien, and another to some “Maiden of Ch’in”. Li Ssu 李斯 (?BC - 208 BC), the famous prime minister of Ch’in, spoke of the “true Ch’in music” as being the pleasing sound of the beating of earthenware-vat drums, the striking of clay jugs/pots, the plucking of the cheng-zither, the slapping of thighs, and the crying out of wu-wu, all this presumably a typical ensemble performance of a Ch’in band or entertainment group.
One source says that the cheng originally had five strings and was like the chu 筑 stick-beaten bamboo zither, but that Meng T’ien changed the number of strings to twelve, and altered it to look like a se in shape, making it out of wood instead of bamboo. In the early centuries, it certainly seems to have had twelve strings, but in the T’ang dynasty it came to have thirteen, and later on fourteen, fifteen, and - since the late eighteenth century - sixteen strings. The cheng was mainly used for popular or private entertainment, not in court ceremony, and traditionally had romantic associations. In the early centuries it was used as part of an ensemble when playing the kind of yȕeh-fu 樂府 folk- or folk-style music known as Harmonising Song (hsiang-he-ke 相和歌). In the Sui and T’ang dynasties it also came to be used in music for court banquets. For the last hundred and more years, solo-playing of the cheng has increasingly been the most typical use.
The cheng is an oblong, wooden box, some 120 centimetres long and under 30 centimetres wide. The sides and bottom are made of hardwood red sandalwood, rosewood or boxwood, and the highly curved soundboard from the valuable, softer, parasol-tree (wu-t’ung 梧桐, “Chinese parasol-tree, Firmiana platanifolia) wood. The player plucks with the finger-nails of the right hand, and uses the left hand to press the strings for vibrato effects, accidentals, and other embellishments, and sometimes for plucking. The instrument has through the centuries been taught from master to pupil, but from the thirteenth century AD onwards, the system of notation known as kung-ch’e 工尺 was in minor use for it.
There was a considerable vogue for the cheng during the mid-to late T’ang dynasty, around 800 - 860, with Li Ch’ing-ch’ing 李青青, his grandson Li Ts’ung-chou 李從周, Lung Tso 龍佐, Chang Shu-pen 常述本, and Shih Ts’ung 史從 all celebrated for their playing of it.
444che-chih hsin mao-tzu 柘枝新帽子, Cudrania-twig New Hat, name for a kind of hat dyed yellow, with the dye made from twigs of the cudrania tree. Worn by imperial entertainers.
445tieh 疊, passage, Ch’en Yin-ch’ȕeh 陳寅恪, Draft shallow evidence on the poetry of Yȕan Chen and Pai Chȕ -yi (Yȕan Pai shih ch’ien-cheng kao 元白詩淺證稿), concludes that Rainbow-skirt and feather-jacket melody had eighteen passages (pien 徧), six passages constituting one major section (tuan 段). When Hung Sheng says “second passage” (tieh), he means the second section, called the Middle Prelude (Chung-hsü 中序). The tieh and pien are also referred to as tsou 奏, “rendition”.
446San-hsü 散序, Non-main Prelude.
447Liu-tsou 六奏, Six Renditions.
448Hsieh-p’ai 歇拍, Rest-beat. This, Flow-beat (Liu-p’ai 流拍) and Hasten-beat (Ts’u-p’ai 促拍) were all terms indicating rhythm tempo.
449Liu-p’ai 流拍, Flow-beat.
450Chung-hsü 中序, Middle Prelude.
451Liu-tsou 六奏, Six Renditions, i.e. Six Sections (Liu-tuan 六段).
452Ts’u-p’ai 促拍, Hasten-beat.
453Wu-t’ai 舞態, choreography, dance postures. Various of these musical terms are also plausible.
454Shih-tsou 飾奏, Ornamented-performance, being taken here as the term for the third large section of Rainbow-skirt. But Ma Tuan-lin 馬端臨 (Yȕan dynasty, fl. ca. 1265 - 1274), Thorough investigations of literature (Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 文獻通考) disagrees.
455man-sheng 慢聲, Slow Notes. A musicological term. Of these technical terms below, from Slow Notes to Stolen-beat, Entering-break was the first passage (pien) of the Third Major Section (san-ta-tuan 三大段) of Rainbow-skirt and feather-jacket, Exit-break was the final passage of the whole composition, Hastening-beat must have been the Empty-hastening (Hsü-ts’ui 虛催) and Full-hastening (Shih-ts’ui 實催) of the Third Major Section of it, and the Roll-notes must have been the Rolling-passage (Kun-pien 袞徧), which consisted of the three parts Front-roll (Ch’ien-kun 前袞), Middle-roll (Chung-kun 中袞) and Roll-passage (Kun-pien 袞徧).
Whether or not the other terms are authentic, or Hung’s invention, is not clear.
456ch’an-sheng 纒聲, Twining-notes. A musicological term.
457kun-sheng 袞聲, Roll-notes. A musicological term. These various kinds of note .
458ju-p’o 入破, Entering-break. A musicological term.
459t’an-p’o 攤破, Spread-out-break. A musicological term.
460ch’u-p’o 出破, Exit-break. A musicological term.
461I.e. the performance area, being a carpet.
462hua-fan 花犯, Flower-transgression. A musicological term.
463tao-he 道和, Cosmic-law-harmony. A musicological term.
464pang-p’ai 傍拍, Close-beat. A musicological term.
465chien-p’ai 間拍, Intervening-beat. A musicological term.
466ts’ui-p’ai 催拍, Hastening-beat. A musicological term.
467t’ou-p’ai 偷拍, Stolen-beat. A musicological term.
468ts’ui-p’an 翠盤, Kingfisher/ Emerald/Turquoise-jade Tray/Dish.
469Cheng Kuan-yin 鄭觀音, Cheng Goddess-of-mercy, the name of a female court-dancer.
470Hsieh A-man 謝阿蠻, Hsieh Southron, the name of a female court-dancer.
471Chieh-ku 羯鼓, Chieh (Wether = Castrated ram) Drum, the name of a kind of drum. Tu Yu 杜佑 (735 - 812), Comprehensive records (T’ung-tien 通典), “Yȕeh-tien”, says: “The Chieh Drum is precisely like a lacquered tub, both ends of it being struck. Because it derived from the Chieh people, it was called the Chieh Drum. It was also referred to as the Two-stick Drum (Liang-chang-ku 兩杖鼓).” The Chieh, “Wethers”, were a people, being a branch of the Hsiung-nu 匈奴, “Huns”. During the Tsin dynasty, they entered China, and settled in Chieh-shih 羯室, “Wether House/ Palace”, within the area of present-day Liao county in Shansi province, they taking their name from the place. They became one of the Five Northern-barbarians (Wu-hu 五胡). The Latter Chao dynasty and the Jan Wei dynasty (founded by Jan Min 冉閔, reigned 350 - 352) were both set up by Chieh men.
472hua-kuan 華冠, Flowery Hat/Diadem, name for a kind of head-gear, the same as hua-kuan, 花冠, Flower Hat, described as a hat with lavishly beautiful decorations on it.
473yȕn-chien 雲肩, Cloud Shoulders (epaulettes), being the name of a kind of woman’s-garmet draped across the shoulders as an adornment. Sung Lien 宋濂 (1310 - 1381), Wang Yi 王禕 (1321 - 1372) et al., Yȕan Dynasty history (Yȕan shih 元史) (1370), “Yü-fu chih”, says: “Cloud Shoulders are manufactured like Clouds On The World’s Four Frontiers (Ssu-ch’ui-yȕn 四垂雲), made with dark-green boarders, yellow tulle, and all manner of colours, and inlaid wi
th gold.”
474ts’ui-hsiu 翠袖, Kingfisher Sleeves, name of a type of sleeve.
475ta-hung wu-ch’ȕn 大紅舞裙, Scarlet Dancing-skirt, being a kind of skirt worn by a lady for dancing.
476wu-yi 舞衣, dancing dress/ jacket.
477wu-ts’ai ni-ching 五彩霓旌, Five-colous Rainbow-banner, a term for a type of banner used in dancing. Rainbow-banner was a type of banner used in imperial corteges Tu Fu 杜甫 (712 - 770), Prince of T’eng’s Pavilion (T’eng-wang T’ing-tzu 滕王亭子) poem, has the lines: “Still long for the song and shawms entering the palace, and a thousand cavalrymen grasping Rainbow-banners.” Ou-yang Hsüan 歐陽玄 (1273 - 1357) and others, Sung history (Sung-shih 宋史), “Yȕeh-chih”, says: “Rainbow Banners and Feather Canopies guide the insignia and provide the guard.” Earlier, the ni-ching is found written 蜺旌, as in Pan Ku 班固 (32 - 92), History of the [Former] Han (Han-shu 漢書), “Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju chuan”, which says: “Dragging Rainbow Banners, With a luxury of Cloud Flags (yȕn-ch’i 雲旗).” A note to that says: “Chang Yi 張揖 [Northern Wei dynasty, fl. ca. AD 490] says: ‘It means split feathers dyed with all the colours, and sewn together with silk thread to make a banner, having a verve somewhat like that of a rainbow.’”
478k’ung-ch’ȕeh yȕn-shan 孔雀雲扇, Peacock Cloud-fan, name of a kind of fan used in court dancing, perhaps made of peacock tail-feathers.
479Hsi Shih-fan 細十番, Ten Instruments.
480i.e. Empress Yang.
481an-hsiang 安詳:
i) a Buddhist term meaning “to be tranquilly serene and subtly wondrous”.
ii) to be calm and unhurried/leisurely.
482luan-sheng 鸞笙, roc mouth-harmonium, being a euphemistic term for the musical instruments “mouth-harmonium”.
483This refers to the story of the Han dynasty empress Chao Flying-swallow (Chao Fei-yen 趙飛燕). On one occasion, she danced so airily that she seemed almost about to fly off on the breeze, so Emperor Perfection (Ch’eng-ti 成帝, reigned 37 BC - 2 BC) told his courtiers to hang onto her skirt to hold her back. That skirt was called Holding-back-the-immortal Skirt (liu-hsien-ch’ȕn 留仙裙). This line is a description of the sublimity of Empress Yang’s dancing, by comparing it to the famously beautiful Flying-swallow’s.
Appendices and Endnotes Page 31