List of the Twenty-Six Individuals Posthumously Honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple During the Qing Dynasty   What Does It Mean to Be Honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

What does it mean to be honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple? In simple terms, it means placing the spirit tablets of individuals of slightly lower status on either side of the main spirit tablet in the ancestral worship hall, acting as accompaniments to the emperors and empresses, and sharing the offerings and incense with the main tablets. This is what is called being honored.In ancient China, posthumous enshrinement had a long history and a wide scope.In the Confucius Temple, there are the “Four Accompanying Figures,” all of whom were Confucius’s most accomplished, influential, and favored disciples.Later there were also the “Twelve Philosophers,” all of whom were historically revered Confucian sages.

They are all honored in the Confucius Temple, sharing the worship of later generations with Confucius.During the Qing Dynasty, in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Imperial Vault of Heaven at the Temple of Heaven, the divine tablets of the emperors (up to Emperor Daoguang) were placed as secondary offerings on both sides of the Supreme Deity of Heaven.In the Imperial Ancestral Temple at the Temple of Earth, the emperor's spirit tablet is also placed in the side position.

And what we mean by enjoying posthumous honors refers specifically to meritorious ministers being honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and nothing else.

Granting meritorious officials posthumous honors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple is the highest reward for them, truly an extraordinary distinction and a demonstration of imperial grace.The emperor adopted this method and form of honor to motivate officials to be loyal to the royal family and to serve faithfully on the battlefield.

These enshrined ministers were not only the highest role models of their time but also for later generations. Therefore, the selection of which meritorious officials to enshrine in the Imperial Ancestral Temple was always approached with great caution by the emperor, and of course, the selection was closely related to the political needs of the time and the emperor’s personal preferences.For example, the enshrinement and later removal of the Prince Rui and his mother and wife, the enshrinement and removal of He Shen’s brother He Lin, and the enshrinement of Prince Yi Yun Xiang are all very typical cases.In short, being honored in this way serves the political needs of the state.

In the Qing Dynasty’s Imperial Ancestral Temple, the honored ministers were divided into two types.One group was the imperial clan, the Aisin-Gioro family.These individuals are enshrined in the east side hall in front of the Hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.The second category consists of non-imperial Manchus and Han people, with Zhang Tingyu being the only Han among them.The spirit tablets of such individuals are enshrined in the West Side Hall in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.The East Side Hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple houses 13 meritorious kings, along with 3 noble consorts, making a total of 16 individuals enshrined there, while the West Side Hall honors 13 meritorious officials.These 26 enshrined ministers (excluding 3 consorts) were indeed outstanding elites of the Qing Dynasty.The Qing Dynasty first established the Imperial Ancestral Temple in the first year of Chongde (1636), and in that same year, enshrined two founding meritorious officials, Fiyingdong and Eydou, in the temple.Looking at the 13 meritorious kings honored in the East Side Hall, apart from Tsewang Rabtan, the other 12 were all members of the imperial family from the Aisin Gioro clan, which is understandable.

Because the descendants of Nurhaci in the early Qing Dynasty indeed made great contributions.

However, among these 13 Qing princes, there were 3 whose achievements were little known, rarely recorded in history books, and whose names were unfamiliar to most, such as Prince Yarhaqi of Tongda, Prince Eergun of Duoluo Huizhe, and Prince Jiekang of Duoluo Xuanxian.In the early Qing Dynasty, there were many princes who were more famous than these three and skilled in military affairs, but they did not receive posthumous honors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Among the 13 meritorious officials honored in the West Side Hall, apart from Zhang Tingyu, the one Han official, the other 12 were all Manchus.

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