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卷104 志七十九 舆服三

Volume 104 Treatises 79: Carriages and Dress 3

Chapter 104 of 清史稿 · Draft History of Qing
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1
Treatise 79
2
輿
This section covers Carriages and Dress, Part 3.
3
Imperial Seals of the Emperor; Golden Seals of the Empress; Golden and Jade Seals of the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager; with appended sections on seals and stamps from Imperial Noble Consort downward, seals of imperial sons and princes, and the seals, chops, and strip marks of civil and military officials.
4
殿 殿 殿
In the early Qing, the imperial seals were housed in the Hall of Union and Peace, and the Office of Imperial Seals was established. Later they were kept under the charge of eunuchs; when a seal was needed, the Grand Secretariat would request it for use. In the eleventh year of the Qianlong reign, the register of seals was codified: twenty-five were kept in the Hall of Union and Peace and ten in Mukden. Those kept in the Hall of Union and Peace include the "Great Qing Seal of Receiving the Mandate," used to proclaim the order of imperial succession. It is of white jade, four cun four fen square and one cun thick. Its knob is a coiled dragon two cun high. The "Emperor's Seal of Obeying Heaven" proclaims the ruler's obedience to Heaven's mandate. It is of green jade, four cun four fen square and one cun one fen thick. Its knob is a coiled dragon three cun five fen high. The "Great Qing Seal of the Heir to Heaven's Son" proclaims the continuation of the dynastic line. It is of gold, two cun four fen square and eight fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun seven fen high. The "Emperor's Seal" is used to promulgate amnesties and edicts. It is of bluish jade, three cun nine fen square and one cun thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun one fen high. Another "Emperor's Seal" solemnizes the imperial procession. It is of sandalwood, four cun eight fen square and one cun eight fen thick. Its knob is a coiled dragon three cun five fen high. The "Son of Heaven's Seal" is used in sacrifices to the myriad spirits. It is of white jade, two cun four fen square and eight fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun three fen high. The "Emperor's Seal of Honoring Kin" is used when presenting honorific titles. It is of white jade, two cun one fen square and seven fen thick. Its knob is a coiled dragon one cun three fen high. The "Emperor's Seal of Cherishing Kin" extends the bonds of the imperial clan. It is of white jade, two cun two fen square and one cun two fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun two fen high. The "Emperor's Traveling Seal" is used to bestow gifts and largesse. It is of green jade, four cun eight fen square and one cun nine fen thick. Its knob is a crouching dragon two cun five fen high. The "Emperor's Seal of Trust" mobilizes the armed forces. It is of white jade, three cun three fen square and six fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun six fen high. The "Son of Heaven's Traveling Seal" enfeoffs foreign tribes. It is of green jade, four cun eight fen square and one cun nine fen thick. Its knob is a crouching dragon two cun three fen high. The "Son of Heaven's Seal of Trust" issues commands to distant regions. It is of bluish jade, three cun eight fen square and one cun three fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun seven fen high. The "Seal of Revering Heaven and Diligently Serving the People" admonishes officials who come to audience. It is of white jade, three cun one fen square and one cun five fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun seven fen high. The "Seal of Proclamations and Edicts" instructs the civil and military officials. It is of bluish jade, four cun square and two cun thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun seven fen high. The "Seal of Commissioned Orders" impresses edicts of appointment and instruction. It is of green jade, three cun five fen square and one cun three fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun eight fen high. The "Seal of Handing Down Instruction" proclaims the fundamental laws of the state. It is of green jade, four cun square and one cun five fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun high. The "Seal of Conferring Virtue" rewards the loyal and worthy. It is of bluish jade, four cun square and one cun four fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun one fen high. The "Imperial Seal of Literary Culture" gives weight to civil learning and culture. It is of black jade, three cun six fen square and one cun five fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun six fen high. The "Seal of Commending the Classics and Histories" honors the teachings of antiquity. It is of green jade, four cun seven fen square and two cun one fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun two fen high. The "Seal of Touring and Hunting Throughout the Realm" accompanies imperial tours of inspection. It is of bluish jade, four cun seven fen square and two cun thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun five fen high. The "Seal of Punishing Crime and Pacifying the People" proclaims punitive expeditions. It is of bluish jade, four cun eight fen square and two cun thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun five fen high. The "Seal of Controlling the Six Armies" regulates the military formations. It is of black jade, five cun three fen square and one cun four fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun two fen high. The "Seal of Correcting the Ten Thousand States" issues instructions to foreign countries. It is of bluish jade, three cun eight fen square and one cun five fen thick. Its knob is a coiled dragon two cun three fen high. The "Seal of Correcting the Ten Thousand People" issues instructions to the four quarters of the realm. It is of bluish jade, four cun one fen square and one cun five fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun high. The "Seal of Vast Fortune" is used for careful sealing and identification. It is of black jade, six cun square and two cun one fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun high.
5
Those kept in Mukden include the "Great Qing Seal of Receiving the Mandate," of green jade, four cun eight fen square and one cun nine fen thick. Its knob is a crouching dragon two cun four fen high. The "Emperor's Seal" is of bluish jade, four cun eight fen square and one cun nine fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun seven fen high. Another "Emperor's Seal" is of green jade, five cun square and one cun eight fen thick. Its knob is a coiled dragon three cun high. Another "Emperor's Seal" is of sandalwood, three cun eight fen square and six fen thick. Its knob is a plain dragon five fen high. The "Seal of Obeying Heaven" is of gold, three cun seven fen square and nine fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun high. The "Son of Heaven's Seal" is of gold, three cun seven fen square and nine fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun high. The seal inscribed "Obeying Heaven, Following the Ancestors, Cherishing the Worthy, and Loving the People" is of green jade, four cun nine fen square and one cun five fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun high. The "Cinnabar Talisman Issued to Inspect the Four Quarters" is of bluish jade, four cun seven fen square and two cun thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun two fen high. The "Seal of Commissioned Orders" is of bluish jade, three cun seven fen square and one cun eight fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons two cun five fen high. The "Seal of Vast Fortune" is of gold, two cun four fen square and eight fen thick. Its knob is intertwined dragons one cun five fen high.
6
殿殿 殿 殿 宿沿 殿 仿殿 使 耀 殿 殿 西
In his imperial composition "Record of the Dynastic Transmission Seals," the Qianlong Emperor wrote: "Our dynasty received Heaven's mandate and fashioned seals according to ancient models. They are kept by the director of the Palace Directorate, stored in layered cases on cushion stands in the Hall of Union and Peace, arranged in order to left and right; when a seal is required, the Grand Secretariat requests it. They are made of jade, gold, or sandalwood. The jades vary in color: white, bluish, and green. The knobs may be intertwined dragons, coiled dragons, or crouching dragons. Before the Literary Emperor Taizong, only the Manchu script was used on them; afterward ancient seal script was added as well. Their dimensions range from six cun square down to as small as two cun one fen square. The Collected Statutes of the Great Qing list twenty-nine imperial seals, yet thirty-nine are now kept in the Hall of Union and Peace. The Statutes further state that six were kept within the palace and twenty-three in the inner storehouse. Today all are kept in the Hall of Union and Peace, so both the numbers and the storage locations given in the record are wrong. The claim that the "Emperor's Seal of Obeying Heaven" is the dynastic transmission seal, used at the great suburban sacrifices and for blue prayer texts to Heaven in the palace on imperial birthdays, is especially absurd. Great sacrifices follow ancient ritual and use signed prayer boards, not seals. The palace has never conducted announcements to Heaven on imperial birthdays; Daoist liturgies are performed only occasionally, as a vestige of the faith, and scholars have never been commissioned to write blue prayer texts, nor have seals been used for such purposes. Besides, every one of these seals is handed down through the generations; to designate a single seal alone as the dynastic transmission seal makes no sense. This happened because the compilers of the Statutes lacked deep scholarship and sound judgment and never sought the throne's ruling; they simply followed Ming eunuch ledgers, perpetuating errors until the record became what it is. How difficult accurate historical recording truly is! The Statutes also fail to mention a seal inscribed "Having Received the Mandate from Heaven, Long Life and Eternal Prosperity," which was placed in the hall at some unknown date and set in the central position. Its inscription resembles the Qin seal of legend, but the seal script is crude and vulgar and clearly not the insect-and-bird script of Li Si's day. Only the jade itself is lustrous and pure as sliced fat; the face measures four cun four fen on the standard foot, and the thickness is one-third of the width. Fine jade is indeed hard to come by, but as a treasure—even if it were not the Qin seal, and even if it were the genuine Qin seal—what would make it worth prizing? In Qianlong 3, while Gao Bin was supervising river works, he presented a jade seal dredged from the Bao-ying River by a subordinate; its ancient luster was appealing and it closely matched the Cai Zhongping version recorded in the Record of Cessation of Ploughing. I judged it the work of some enthusiast's imitation and ordered it kept in a separate hall as a mere antique curio. The ancients discussed at length how the Qin seal was burned to ashes. Even if it had survived, how could an object belonging to the First Emperor and Li Si be stored with our dynasty's transmitted seals? That would be improper in principle. Likewise, in the Yongzheng reign the late Grand Secretary Gao Qiwei presented an uncarved green jade block—not a single character cut, not yet a seal at all—yet it was stored with the other seals, which was also improper. I have often said that what matters for a ruler is virtue, not seals. Seals may be weighty symbols, but they are only objects. They display rank and attest to authority, no different from chariots, banners, regalia, and robes. Without sufficient virtue, even natural barriers and a rich realm are surrendered to others; no one has ever secured a dynasty by relying on a mere foot-square jade seal alone. If one diligently cultivates virtue and wins the people's hearts, a word proclaimed will bring men racing from ten thousand li to obey; whether the object is the He-shi jade or not, whether its form bears dragons or not, whether its script is ancient seal or not—who would dare not revere and obey it as sacred? Thus the seal itself is not the treasure; virtue is the true treasure. In antiquity, when a former dynasty's tally-seals were obtained, ruler and ministers would change countenance and boast, extravagantly calling them Heaven's auspicious gift. In the time of our Literary Emperor Taizong, the Yuan imperial seal transmitted by the Mongols was obtained and accepted, but from the outset it was not treated as proof of receiving Heaven's mandate. Looking back today, was the Literary Emperor's bringing all China to submission and establishing a line for ten thousand generations due to virtue? Or due to seals? No wise man is needed to know the answer. How apt are the words of Liang Su of Tang: "Whether the cauldron is heavy or light and whether the seal comes or goes depend on the ruler's virtue and the throne's security." When a ruler receives what his ancestors entrusted and seeks to hold this seal forever, extending the line without end, that does not mean merely wrapping it in many layers and guarding it in a box. It means renewing one's virtue daily, being mindful of peril in peace, and steadfastly receiving Heaven's great mandate—then virtue dignifies the seal, and the seal grows all the weightier. Imperial seals have never had a fixed number; those kept in the Hall of Union and Peace, after many years, are inaccurately recorded and include duplicates. I therefore examined, corrected, and arranged them, fixing the number at twenty-five to accord with Heaven's number. I also compiled a register and set forth its main purpose as above." The preface to the Register of Seals Reverently Stored in Mukden also states: "In the spring of Qianlong 11, after reviewing the seals in the Hall of Union and Peace and fixing their positions in detail, I wrote an account of them. Those that should be stored separately were placed in separate storage. Those with duplicate inscriptions or used at the dynasty's founding number ten in all. Though not the seals in current use, they cannot be classed with mere antique curios. Reflecting that Mukden is where the state arose and that the ancestral spirits are truly to be revered there, I have had the Veritable Records of successive ancestors recopied and reverently stored in the Phoenix Tower, displaying their glorious deeds for endless transmission. At the founding of the dynasty, they steadfastly received Heaven's mandate; the precious tally blazed forth, the six regions took their model, jade gleamed with inner light, and their touch still lingers on these objects. Does not the Record say, "Display the ancestral vessels"—great disks and fine jades set out in the western wing, honoring what is guarded through the generations? Therefore these ten seals were sent to Mukden, locked away for safekeeping, and their origin is recorded as above."
7
殿
In the ninth month of Qianlong 13, the imperial seals were recut to use Manchu seal script on the left and Han seal script on the right. The Qianlong Emperor inscribed after the register's preface: "The register was completed in Qianlong 11; three years later I first directed scholar-officials to write the Manchu text in the various seal-script forms. I reflected that formerly on state and official seals the Han text used seal script while the Manchu text used standard characters, because Manchu seal script had not yet been standardized. Now that seal script has been standardized, it should be applied to all seals to display uniformity. The bluish jade "Emperor's Seal" in the register originally bore Manchu seal script and dates from the Literary Emperor Taizong; the four seals above it were all dynastic heirlooms and could not be lightly altered. The twenty-one seals from the sandalwood "Emperor's Seal" downward are those commonly used in court ritual and edicts and should follow the new standard. I therefore ordered the responsible offices to recut them all uniformly, paired with the Han seal script, and recorded this after the register's preface."
8
西
In the eighth month of Qianlong 45, on the Qianlong Emperor's seventieth birthday, a line from Du Fu was carved as the "Seal of the Son of Heaven at Seventy," together with an imperial essay "On Being Seventy" and an appended poem. In the first month of Qianlong 46, following the precedent of keeping the "Seal of Revering Heaven and Diligently Serving the People" in the west warm chamber of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the "Seal of the Son of Heaven at Seventy" was kept in the east warm chamber.
9
The empress's golden seal bears Manchu and Han jade-stylus seal script, with an intertwined-dragon knob on a flat platform, four cun four fen square and one cun two fen thick.
10
In Kangxi 4, golden and jade seals for the grand empress dowager were made with coiled-dragon knobs. The rest match the empress's seals in form. The jade seal's platform is one cun eight fen high; otherwise it matches the golden seal.
11
The empress dowager's golden and jade seals both have coiled-dragon knobs. Otherwise they match the empress's seals.
12
The imperial noble consort's golden seal bears Manchu and Han jade-stylus seal script, with a crouching-dragon knob on a flat platform, four cun square and one cun two fen thick.
13
The noble consort's golden seal matches the imperial noble consort's.
14
The consort's golden stamp bears Manchu and Han jade-stylus seal script, with a tortoise knob on a flat platform, three cun six fen square and one cun thick.
15
In Kangxi 15, the crown prince's golden seal was standardized: jade-stylus seal script, crouching-dragon knob, flat platform, four cun square and one cun two fen thick.
16
The prince of the first rank's golden seal has a tortoise knob on a flat platform, three cun six fen square and one cun thick. A prince's heir's golden seal has a tortoise knob on a flat platform, three cun five fen square and one cun thick. A prince of the second rank's gilt-silver stamp has a qilin knob on a flat platform, three cun four fen square and one cun thick. All bear Manchu and Han mushroom-tip seal script.
17
Foreign kings' gilt-silver stamps bear Manchu and Han Shangfang large seal script, with a camel knob on a flat platform, three cun five fen square and one cun thick. In Shunzhi 10, because the King of Korea's original seal had Manchu but no Han characters, the Ministry of Rites was ordered to recast a Manchu-and-Han golden seal for him and require surrender of the old one. The Court of the Imperial Clan and the Duke of Yansheng used silver seals with straight knobs and three-tier bases, three cun three fen square and one cun thick. All bear Manchu and Han Shangfang large seal script.
18
Dukes, marquises, and earls used silver stamps with tiger knobs, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. Dukes had three-tier bases; marquises and earls had two-tier bases.
19
Grand coordinators, grand generals, generals, and leading grand ministers of the guard used silver stamps with tiger knobs and two-tier bases, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. All bear Manchu and Han willow-leaf seal script.
20
The Grand Council's silver stamp had a straight knob and two-tier base, three cun two fen square and eight fen thick. In the fourth month of Xuantong 3, the Grand Council was renamed the Grand Secretariat, and the old Grand Secretariat was abolished. The supervising seals of the ministries and the Censorate had straight knobs and three-tier bases, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. All bear Manchu and Han Shangfang large seal script.
21
The Court of Colonial Affairs' silver stamp had a straight knob and three-tier base, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. It bore Manchu, Han, and Mongolian in three scripts; Manchu and Han used Shangfang large seal script, while Mongolian did not. The Court of Colonial Affairs was later renamed the Ministry of Colonial Affairs. The supervising seals of the Five Boards in Mukden had straight knobs and two-tier bases, three cun two fen square and eight fen thick. The Five Boards in Mukden were later abolished. The Ministry of Revenue's seal for supervising the three treasuries had a straight knob and two-tier base, three cun two fen square and eight fen thick. The Ministry of Revenue was later renamed the Ministry of Finance. The Hanlin Academy's silver stamp had a two-tier base, three cun two fen square and eight fen thick.
22
The Imperial Household Department's silver stamp had a two-tier base, three cun two fen square and eight fen thick.
23
輿 使
The copper chops of the Imperial Household superintendents at the Jing and Tai mausoleums and the transaction superintendents at the Eastern and Tai mausoleums—all chops have straight knobs. They measure three cun long and one cun nine fen wide. The Imperial Procession Guard's silver stamp had a straight knob and two-tier base, three cun two fen square and eight fen thick. During the Xuantong reign, it was renamed the Imperial Carriage Guard to avoid a taboo character. All bear Manchu and Han Shangfang large seal script. The supervising silver stamps of the Office of Transmission, Court of Judicature and Revision, Court of State Ceremonial, Shuntian Prefecture, and Shengjing Prefecture had straight knobs, two cun nine fen square and six fen five li thick. The Office of Transmission was later abolished, the Court of Judicature and Revision was renamed the Court of Judicature, and the Court of State Ceremonial was merged into the Ministry of Rites. All bear Manchu and Han Shangfang small seal script. The Household of the Heir Apparent also had a copper stamp with a straight knob, two cun seven fen square and nine fen thick.
24
祿 祿
The Court of Imperial Entertainments, Court of the Imperial Stud, Armory, Upper Stud Office, and Fengchen Garden used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun six fen square and six fen five li thick. The Household of the Heir Apparent was later abolished, the Court of Imperial Entertainments was merged into the Ministry of Rites, and the Court of the Imperial Stud was merged into the Ministry of the Army. The former Inner Translation Office's copper chop measured three cun long and one cun nine fen wide, bearing Manchu and Han Shangfang small seal script.
25
The Directorate of Education's copper stamp had a straight knob, two cun five fen square and six fen thick.
26
The Imperial Medical Academy's copper stamp had a straight knob, two cun four fen square and five fen thick.
27
Circuit censors, censors inspecting the Imperial Household Department and Court of the Imperial Clan, and salt-patrol censors used copper stamps with straight knobs and perforations, one cun five fen square and three fen thick.
28
The left and right offices of the Court of the Imperial Clan, Court of the Imperial Stud, and Imperial Procession Guard, together with the various offices of the ministries and Court of Colonial Affairs, used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun four fen square and five fen thick.
29
The various offices of the Imperial Household Department used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun two fen square and four fen five li thick.
30
These included the Chongwen Gate tax administration, the Revenue Ministry's Grain-Ration Hall sub-office, and Works Ministry supervisors of timber fuel, timber yards, and street warehouses; the Works Ministry was later renamed and merged into the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. Left- and right-wing tax supervisors, the Revenue Ministry's silver and satin treasuries, its offices handling Eight Banner pay and current trials, Shuntian and Shengjing prefectural vice-directors, and customs-tax supervisors used copper chops three cun long and one cun nine fen wide. The former five-city patrol censors and supervisors of the Gubeikou and Dushikou post stations used copper chops two cun eight fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
31
The Astronomical Bureau's calendar-book copper stamp had a straight knob, two cun one fen square and four fen four li thick.
32
祿
The official-house tax treasuries of the Changchun Garden, Old Summer Palace, and Clear Ripples Garden used copper strip marks; all strip marks have straight knobs. They measure two cun six fen long and one cun nine fen wide. All bear Manchu and Han bell-and-cauldron seal script. The left and right offices of the Court of Judicature and Revision, the four bureaus of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, and the Five-City Horse and Patrol Office also used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun two fen square and four fen five li thick.
33
The Secretariat Office's copper stamp had a straight knob, two cun one fen square and four fen five li thick.
34
The Grand Secretariat Records Office's copper chop measured three cun long and one cun nine fen wide.
35
簿
The Hanlin Academy archivist and Ministry of Rites Seal-Casting Bureau—in Xuantong 3 the Seal-Casting Bureau was transferred to the new Grand Secretariat, and the Ministry of Rites was renamed the Ceremonial Court. The Court of Colonial Affairs' silver treasury, the Works Ministry's manufacturing warehouse and materials-appraisal office, and the dispatch-supervision offices of the various ministries and courts used copper chops three cun long and one cun nine fen wide. The former Shuntian Prefecture vice-director and censors inspecting the Mukden Five Boards generals' yamen, Heilongjiang, and Ningguta used copper chops two cun nine fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
36
The Horse and Patrol Office deputy commander's copper chop measured two cun six fen long and one cun six fen wide.
37
The Court of the Imperial Clan's administrative office used a copper stamp with a straight knob, two cun four fen square and five fen thick.
38
The Censorate's administrative office used a copper stamp with a straight knob, two cun two fen square and four fen five li thick.
39
The Imperial Procession Guard's administrative office and the business offices of the various ministries, courts, and directorates used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun one fen square and four fen four li thick.
40
The sacrificial offices of the various altars and temples used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun square and four fen two li thick.
41
The Imperial Medical Academy's pharmacy used a copper stamp with a straight knob, one cun nine fen square and four fen two li thick.
42
The Directorate of Education Records Office used a copper stamp with a straight knob, one cun nine fen square and four fen two li thick.
43
使
The Ministry of Rites Seal-Casting Bureau director's copper strip mark measured two cun six fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
44
The Horse and Patrol Office clerks' copper strip mark measured two cun four fen long and one cun four fen wide. All bear Manchu and Han hanging-dew seal script.
45
Guard commanders, vanguard commanders, and firearms-camp commanders used silver stamps with tiger knobs, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick.
46
The Nine Gates Infantry Brigade commander and the Old Summer Palace supervisor of Eight Banner and Imperial Household Three Banner troops used silver stamps with tiger knobs and two-tier bases, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick.
47
The Cloud Ladder Elite Camp Eight Banner message supervisor's silver chop had a straight knob and measured three cun two fen long and two cun wide. All bear Manchu and Han willow-leaf seal script.
48
Guard commanders, company commanders, assistant commanders, Cloud Ladder Elite Camp wing commanders, and various place supervisors used copper chops three cun long and one cun nine fen wide. All bear Manchu and Han halberd seal script.
49
殿
Eight Banner assistant captains and chiefs of the imperial clan and Aisin Gioro lineages used copper stamp marks; all stamp marks have straight knobs. They are one cun seven fen square and four fen five li thick. All bear Manchu hanging-needle seal script. The former Xian'an Palace official school, Jingshan official school, and Hall of Mental Cultivation Manufacture Office used copper stamp marks one cun seven fen square and four fen thick.
50
The chief custodian of the three Tongzhou granaries used a copper chop three cun long and one cun nine fen wide. All bear Manchu and Han hanging-needle seal script.
51
Garrison generals used silver stamps with tiger knobs and two-tier bases, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick.
52
Lieutenant generals used silver stamps with tiger knobs and two-tier bases, three cun two fen square and eight fen thick. All bear Manchu and Han willow-leaf seal script.
53
滿滿
The Chahar lieutenant general's silver stamp had a tiger knob and two-tier base, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. It bears Manchu and Mongolian in two scripts, with Manchu in willow-leaf seal script.
54
滿滿
The general-in-chief of Ili and other places used a silver stamp with a tiger knob and two-tier base, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. It bore Manchu, Han, Todo, and Muslim in four scripts; Manchu and Han used willow-leaf seal script, while Todo and Muslim did not.
55
滿滿
The minister handling affairs in Ili, Urumqi, and other places used a silver stamp with a tiger knob and two-tier base, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. It bore Manchu, Han, and Todo in three scripts, with Manchu and Han in willow-leaf seal script.
56
滿滿
The Ili deputy stationed at Yarkand, serving as minister-director and assistant commissioner, used a silver stamp with a tiger knob and two-tier base, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. It bore Manchu, Todo, and Muslim in three scripts, with Manchu in willow-leaf seal script.
57
滿滿
The minister handling affairs in Yarkand, Kashgar, Aksu, and other places used a silver stamp with a tiger knob, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. It bore Manchu, Han, and Muslim in three scripts, with Manchu and Han in willow-leaf seal script.
58
The minister administering affairs in Barkul and other places used a silver stamp with a tiger knob and two-tier base, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick.
59
The minister handling Hami grain-pay affairs used a silver stamp with a tiger knob and two-tier base, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick. All bear willow-leaf seal script.
60
Eight Banner nomadic supervisors, Chahar supervisors, and garrison commanders used copper stamps two cun six fen square and six fen five li thick. Halberd seal script.
61
Garrison commanders at Xingjing and other posts used copper chops three cun long and one cun nine fen wide.
62
Garrison commanders at Jinzhou and other posts used copper chops two cun nine fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
63
Garrison left- and right-wing chiefs, assistant commanders, and company commanders used copper strip marks two cun six fen long and one cun six fen five li wide. All bear halberd seal script.
64
Defense commanders used copper chops two cun eight fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
65
Garrison assistant captains used copper strip marks two cun six fen long and one cun six fen five li wide. All bear Manchu and Han hanging-needle seal script.
66
西 西
Provincial governors-general and governors used silver chops; those of Zhili, Shaanxi-Gansu, and Sichuan were inscribed "concurrently governor." The governors of Jiangxi and Henan were inscribed "concurrently provincial commander." The Shanxi governor was inscribed "concurrently provincial commander and salt administration." They measure three cun two fen long and two cun wide, bearing Manchu and Han Shangfang large seal script. Imperial commissioners' supervising copper chops followed the same style as those of governors and governors-general. These were used by officials of third rank and above.
67
使
Provincial administration commissioners used silver stamps with straight knobs and two-tier bases, three cun one fen square and eight fen thick.
68
使使 使
The provincial judicial commissioner's office was later renamed the judicial commissioner. Its copper stamp had a straight knob, two cun seven fen square and nine fen thick. Provincial salt-transport commissioners also used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun six fen square and six fen five li thick.
69
使
Provincial education intendant-generals were later renamed provincial education commissioners, and their chops were changed to seal stamps. The copper chop measured two cun nine fen long and one cun nine fen wide. All bear Manchu and Han Shangfang small seal script. Former weaving-administration offices in various places used copper chops two cun nine fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
70
After the provincial circuit and patrol intendants, police patrol and industry-promotion circuits were added at provincial capitals. Their copper chops measured three cun long and one cun nine fen wide, bearing Manchu and Han bell-and-cauldron seal script. Imperial commissioner officials' copper chops followed the same style as those of circuit intendants. These were used by officials below fourth rank.
71
Prefectures used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun five fen square and six fen thick.
72
Prefectural vice-prefects and subprefects used copper chops two cun eight fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
73
Departments used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun three fen square and five fen thick.
74
Capital counties used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun two fen square and four fen five li thick.
75
Counties used copper stamps with straight knobs, two cun one fen square and four fen four li thick.
76
The salt-tax promotion office used a copper stamp two cun four fen square and five fen thick.
77
The Huainan Ceremonial Office supervising official used a copper chop measuring two cun eight fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
78
使
The provincial administration commissioner's registrar's office and judicial inquiry office used copper stamps two cun two fen square and four fen five li thick.
79
使
The salt-transport commissioner's registrar's office used a copper stamp two cun one fen square and four fen four li thick.
80
使
The provincial administration commissioner's proofreading office, capital prefecture Confucian schools, and prefectural registrar offices used copper stamps two cun square and four fen two li thick.
81
使使
The capital prefecture proofreading office, prison offices, prefectural proofreading and prison offices, prefectural and guard Confucian schools, provincial and prefectural treasury superintendents, inspection posts, tax offices, and tea-and-horse offices used copper stamps one cun nine fen square and four fen thick.
82
Prefectural and county Confucian schools used copper strip marks measuring two cun six fen long and one cun six fen five li wide.
83
簿
Assistant magistrates, chief clerks, subordinate officials, salt-tax and inspection offices, post station superintendents, courier transport offices, bureaus, granaries, and sluice gates used copper strip marks measuring two cun four fen long and one cun three fen wide. All bore hanging-dew seal script.
84
Military governors and regional commanders used silver stamps with tiger knobs and three-tier bases, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick.
85
Garrison regional commanders who bore official seals used silver stamps with tiger knobs and two-tier bases, three cun three fen square and nine fen thick.
86
Garrison regional commanders used copper chops measuring three cun two fen long and two cun wide. All bore Manchu and Han willow-leaf seal script.
87
Deputy generals, brigade generals, and mobile battalion commanders used copper chops three cun long and one cun nine fen wide.
88
Pacification commissioners' offices used copper stamps two cun seven fen square and nine fen thick. All bore Manchu and Han halberd seal script.
89
Assistant regional military commanders used copper chops three cun long and one cun nine fen wide. Battalion regional military commanders and guard and battalion thousand-commanders used copper chops two cun eight fen long and one cun nine fen wide.
90
Garrison commanders used copper strip marks measuring two cun six fen long and one cun six fen wide.
91
Guard garrison commanders used copper stamps two cun six fen square and six fen five li thick.
92
Pacification and soothing commissioners' offices used copper stamps two cun five fen square and six fen thick.
93
使
Deputies of pacification and soothing commissioners and soothing commissioners' transport thousand-commanders used copper stamps two cun four fen square and five fen five li thick.
94
Native official company commanders and assistant commanders used copper stamps two cun two fen square and four fen five li thick. All bore Manchu and Han hanging-needle seal script.
95
Guard registrars and pacification commissioners' registrars used copper stamps two cun one fen square and four fen four li thick, in hanging-dew seal script.
96
Native thousand-household chieftains used copper stamps two cun three fen square and four fen five li thick.
97
Native hundred-household chieftains used copper stamps two cun square and four fen two li thick. All bore Manchu and Han hanging-needle seal script.
98
宿
Supervisors of lamas in the capital and in Mukden used copper stamps two cun two fen square and four fen five li thick. All bore Manchu and Han revolving-lodge seal script.
99
The Zhengyi True Man used a copper stamp two cun four fen square and five fen thick. It bore Manchu and Han hanging-dew seal script.
100
西滿 滿
In the fourteenth year of Qianlong, the Ministry of Rites received an edict: 'The Mongol characters on Lifanyuan seal inscriptions need not be rendered in seal script. For outer-banner jasagh league chiefs, lamas, and all of Mongolia and Tibet, Manchu, Mongol, and Tangut scripts likewise need not be rendered in seal script. For jasagh chiefs and high lamas in the capital, Manchu was to be rendered in seal script throughout, but Mongol was not. Closing quotation mark. A further edict stated: 'Recently, because newly standardized Manchu seal script had been established and seals for various yamen were being cast, the responsible offices inspected more than one hundred seals of past campaign coordinators, grand generals, and generals held in the treasury. All had been issued for particular affairs in the past, used and returned, and not yet destroyed. The Collected Statutes also contained the provision that when generals were commissioned to take the field, one should request imperial instruction and issue seals from the treasury — and so the practice had grown excessive. I considered that tiger tallies and magpie-knob seals, used in military affairs to manifest trust, ought not be multiplied without purpose. Among those stored in the treasury, the seals by which martial glory was raised and battlefield merit established are fully recorded in the veritable records of successive dynasties, clearly verifiable. I now select those whose victories were swiftly won and whose pacification was rapidly achieved: one campaign coordinator seal and seven each of grand general and general seals, to be stored separately in cases. Examining the full course of each affair and inscribing it on document boxes will suffice to pass them down to future generations. Their original Manchu and Chinese inscriptions shall be retained, but paired with present-system Manchu seal script and recast in corresponding numbers. When use is required, a memorial shall be submitted requesting imperial instruction for issuance. They shall all be stored together in the Imperial Historiography Archive. All the rest shall be turned over to the relevant ministry for destruction. Hereafter, if a seal is requested from the Imperial Historiography Archive for use, upon completion of the affair it shall still be returned to the Imperial Historiography Archive. If seals are specially issued for particular affairs, upon completion they shall be turned over to the ministry for destruction. Record this in the Collected Statutes. Closing quotation mark.
101
西西 殿 殿 西
The Gaozong Emperor's imperially approved seal register listed one chop for the minister bearing imperial commission to oversee all military affairs and grain supplies; one each of the grand general seals Receiving the Command, Pacifying the Distant Regions, Securing the Distant Regions, Pacifying the East, Campaigning to the South, Pacifying the West, and Pacifying the North; and one each of the general seals Subduing the Sea, Displaying Martial Glory, Quelling Rebellion, Pacifying the East, Campaigning to the South, Securing the West, and Securing the North. An imperially composed preface to the seal register states: 'Since the state received the Mandate and ruled the realm, sage emperors have succeeded one another, brilliantly conducting punitive expeditions and inaugurating great enterprise. At such times there were the rites of pushing the chariot and commissioning generals; when achievements were complete and victory reported, the commander-in-chief's worn seal was returned to court. They were recorded in the archival registers and stored in the historiography archive. For sacred objects left as bequest are no less than what ancient records called jade tokens and ivory tallies, or the imperial axes of the Inner Court. In the seventeenth year of Qianlong, when the standardized national-script seal characters were completed, detailed determinations were made accordingly. The imperial seals handed down through generations in the Hall of Union and Peace still follow their original script; none dare alter them. Those stamped on routine patents and edicts, as well as ministries and directorates downward, and outward to governors-general, governors, military governors, and garrison commanders — all were recast in seal script to exalt the institutions and manifest adherence to law. But the seals of grand generals, campaign coordinators, and various generals — some preserved in original form, some with added seal script — all follow the precedent of the Hall of Union and Peace imperial seals, each arranged chronologically. Now that the western frontier military achievements are nearing completion, the illustrated register is hereby compiled as follows. The Book of Documents says: 'You shall array your troops and follow in Yu's footsteps, traversing the realm to the shores of the sea, and none shall fail to submit. Closing quotation mark. Truly a great army may go a hundred years unused, but cannot be unready for a single day. Opening this register, one will surely say: This seal was used in such-and-such a year of Our Dynasty to exterminate such-and-such bandits and pacify such-and-such a place. One will further say: This seal was cast in such-and-such a year; such-and-such an official received it to gather affairs to completion, and by such-and-such a year such-and-such an official again received it to record merit. One may imagine the elders of the time receiving plans calculated in the ancestral temple, their bold strategies in full flower. Heavy knobs and tiered bases, blazing before the eyes. From this day forward, gazing upon their radiant glory, let us consider how to expand these far-reaching designs. To support Our countless generations' vast foundation — it rests upon this. Compared with inscribing merit on bells and cauldrons or depicting forms in pavilion galleries, is this not even more deeply clear and evident? Then from viewing the treasure register, the weight of the sovereign's custodianship of the instruments of state is knowable; From viewing the seal register, the abundance of talented men assisting the dynasty is likewise knowable. The Odes say: 'O king's devoted ministers, do not forget your ancestors. The Record of Rites says: "When the gentleman hears drums and military banners, he thinks of generals and commanders." To read it again and again — how could one set aside thoughts of mighty warriors and fierce soldiers! When binding and mounting are complete, those charged with keeping them shall store them with tenfold care. The sections total four: one for the Imperial Historiography Archive, one for the Inner Court, one for the Grand Secretariat, and one for Mukden. Closing quotation mark.
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