宰執親王宗室百官入內上壽

On the twelfth day the chief ministers, princes, imperial clansmen and the whole body of officials enter the palace to offer congratulations, in the great audience (with tablets thrust into the belt, and the ritual dance of obeisance). Before the music has begun, the Music Bureau’s players on the hill-tower of the Jiying Hall imitate the cries of a hundred birds. Inside and out it falls quiet; only a harmony in mid-air is heard, as if phoenixes were gathering. When the officials have thanked the emperor for their seats, they sit.

The chief ministers, palace attendants, princes, clansmen and those from the rank of commissioner upward, together with the envoys and deputy envoys of the Liao, Goryeo and Xia, sit in the hall. The lesser ministers, the officials and the middle-ranking envoys of the various states sit in the two corridors. Army officers and below are arranged behind the hill-tower. All have low tables with a red surface and bluish-black lacquer, fixed with studs. At each place are set ring cakes, oil cakes and a jujube tower as display dishes, and then fruit. Only the Liao have added pork, mutton, chicken, goose and hare, cooked on the bone as display dishes, each bound with a thin cord. Each place also has a dish each of raw scallions, chives, garlic and vinegar. Three or five people share a bucket of sour-millet water, with several ladles standing in it. Two chiefs from the Music Bureau stand by the balustrade of the hall (both in the clown’s wrapped headcloth, wide purple robes, golden belts and long jackets) and watch the cups. When the imperial wine is poured, the cup-watcher lifts his sleeves and calls the cue, “Pour the imperial wine!” When the call has died away, he flicks both sleeves against the balustrade and stops. For the chief ministers’ wine he calls “Pour the wine!” in the same way.

The Music Bureau’s ensemble is ranged in the colored tents beneath the hill-tower. All wear the long-legged headcloth, and each section is dressed in wide robes of purple, crimson or green, with yellow long jackets and gilded concave-plaque belts. In front stand the clappers, ten strings to a row; next the pipas of a single make with painted faces, fifty of them; then two harps. A harp stands about three feet high, shaped like half a wooden comb, black-lacquered with openwork flowers, painted and fitted in gold; it has a stand below and twenty-five strings, and one player kneels and plucks across them with both hands. Next, on high stands, are two great drums painted with gold dragons on a flowered ground. The drummers tie their wide sleeves behind them, put on a second, yellow narrow-sleeved layer, and hang knotted ribbons; their sticks are wrapped in gold, and they lift both hands high and strike alternately, like shooting stars. Behind them are two jie drums, like ordinary foreign drums, set on small tables, struck with sticks in both hands, with the stick-drums answering. Next stand the iron-and-stone chime frames on bright-gold painted stands hung with double tassels. Then come pipes of several kinds: xiao, sheng, xun, chi, bili and dragon flute. On either side, facing each other, stand two hundred stick-drums, their players in long-legged headcloths with purple embroidered brow bands, purple wide robes, yellow narrow sleeves and yellow long jackets tied on. The performers of the comic plays all wear the wrapped headcloth and each their proper color of wide robe in purple, crimson or green, with long jackets and gilded belts; they stand facing each other from the hall steps all the way to the music tent. Whenever dancers come onstage, those standing in rows fold their hands, lift left and right shoulders, move their feet in time and dance together as one, which is called “rubbing out the tune” (the character 挼 is glossed with the fanqie reading 仍回).

First cup. For the imperial wine, one singer from the song-clapper section sings the “middle tune” once through; first a sheng, a xiao and a flute join in one each; then again, the whole orchestra rises together, and only the singer’s voice is heard. For the chief ministers’ wine, the ensemble strikes up “Qing Bei”; for the officials’ wine, “San Tai.” The dancing turn is mostly by Lei Zhongqing; the other musicians and dancers wear the wrapped headcloth and wide robes, but Zhongqing alone holds an office, so he alone wears the headcloth “spread” (展裹). They dance the “broken piece” in a step-and-fall for one round, and the dancers enter; at the pause in the beat another comes on, and after a few beats of paired dance the first leaves; the second finishes the piece alone, which is called “the last dancer.” Second cup. For the imperial wine the singer sings as before; for the chief ministers, a slow tune; for the officials, “San Tai” with dancing as before. Third cup. The Left and Right “armies” enter with the hundred acts and present them all at once. By “Left and Right armies” are meant the two wards of the capital’s markets, not the armies of the military. The hundred acts are climbing poles, rope-jumping, handstands, back-bends, juggling bowls, kicking jars, tumbling and balancing loads, and so on; they use no lions or leopards, great flags or spirits and demons. The performers are men or women, all in red kerchiefs and colored clothes. Before the hall stand stone sockets cut for poles, and as the acts enter the pole for each is raised. At the emperor’s banquets, only at the third cup is there food to go with the wine: salted-bean meat, fried meat, and double-fried camel-hump dumplings. Fourth cup. As before; when the dancing ends, the “tanzi” is set off, the master of ceremonies takes up a bamboo rod and whisk and recites the opening address and the slogan, the comic players chime in; he speaks again to call up the dance of the great suite. Food for the wine: grilled ribs, noodle strips, white meat and flatbread.

Fifth cup. For the imperial wine, a solo pipa; for the chief ministers’ wine, a solo on the chime frame. For all solo music, the player first gives thanks for the favor, then goes up into the hall to play. For the officials’ wine, the ensemble strikes up “San Tai,” with dancing as before. When it ends, the master of ceremonies takes his bamboo rod, speaks, and calls up the children’s troupe to dance. The children, each chosen at twelve or thirteen, number more than two hundred, in four rows; each row has a leader, with four around him; all wear small hermit’s caps and flowered robes of crimson, green, purple and blue, dyed in bright color, with four tabs at the collar, a long jacket and a belt, each holding a spray of flowers, and they stand in order. First four men in curled-leg headcloths and purple robes carry a colored miniature hall with a gold-lettered plaque inside and come forward to a drumroll; this is called the “troupe name.” On the plaque is a couplet, such as, “The Nine Shao call down the bright phoenix; the eight rows of dancers dance the blue luan.” The ensemble plays, and the children advance in dance steps right up to the hall steps. The master of ceremonies speaks to ask who they are, and the lead child comes forward and gives the slogan; the comic players all chime in. When it ends, the music begins and they dance together and sing together, dancing and singing at once, and then sing a “broken piece.” When it ends, the lead child goes forward and gives the opening address and calls up the comic play, which enters, two scenes to a performance. At the time, the Music Bureau’s comic players were Bie Peng, Liu Qiao, Hou Baichao, Meng Jingchu, Wang Yanxi and below, all of them chiefs or deputies. In the inner hall, because envoys are present at the banquet, they do not dare to jest deeply and use only group scenes, dressed to look like certain things, which in the market slang is called “pulling strings.” When the plays end, the master of ceremonies speaks, dismisses the children’s troupe, and again all dance to “Ying Tian Chang” as they leave. Food for the wine: immortals’ grill, heavenly-flower cakes, “Great Peace” pastry, dry rice, shredded-meat soup and lotus-flower meat cakes. The emperor rises and rests; the officials withdraw from the hall to their tented halls. After a short while they are called back into rank, make their obeisances and sit again.

Sixth cup. For the imperial wine, a sheng begins a slow tune; for the chief ministers’ wine, a slow tune; for the officials’ wine, “San Tai” with dancing. The Left and Right sides play the ball game. In front of the hall a goal is set up, about three zhang high, strung with colored silks, leaving an opening about a foot wide. The Left captain is Su Shu, in a long-legged headcloth and red brocade jacket; the rest wear curled-leg headcloths and red brocade jackets, ten or more of them. The Right captain is Meng Xuan, also with ten or more men, all in blue brocade. The ensemble escorts with whistle-pipes and stick-drums. The Left first rolls the ball around, and the team’s juniors strike it several times; one pair of deputy captains strike it a few times and, when it is in good position, hand it to the captain, who drives it through the goal with the “big flank” stroke (大膁). The Right takes the ball, rolls it round and has its juniors strike it several times; their deputy captains hand it to their captain as before and he drives it through with the same stroke. Whoever sends it through again at once wins. The winners are given silver bowls and brocade, and bow and dance in thanks, draping themselves jointly in the brocade as they bow. The captain of the losers is flogged, and more besides (“mo qiang”). Food for the wine: imitation soft-shelled turtle and honey-sweet butter pastries pressed with flower patterns. Seventh cup. For the imperial wine, a slow tune; for the chief ministers’ wine, all slow tunes; for the officials’ wine, “San Tai” and dance, after which the master of ceremonies speaks and calls the girls’ troupe on. The girls are chosen from the young and beautiful of the two armies, more than four hundred, some in flowered crowns, some with immortals’ topknots, in robes of “crow and rosy cloud” color; others wear curled flowered-leg headcloths and four-tabbed clothing of red and yellow bright-colored gold-printed brocade and embroidery. Their dress varies, and all are newly made up, to the last detail. The four leaders of the baton-bearers wear back-curling headcloths pointing to the sky, flowers in the hair, red and yellow wide-sleeved robes and long jackets, and hold silver-tipped batons; all of them well-known performers of the capital, at that time Chen Nuge, Zu Jiege, Li Bannu and Shuang Nu, the rest not worth counting. Each also has four around her, mostly with immortal-boy topknots and immortal skirts, holding flowers, and they advance in dance steps and form rows (if they dance “Picking Lotus,” then lotus-flower railings are set up in front of the hall). They also present a troupe name. The master of ceremonies speaks to ask about the troupe, and the baton leader gives the slogan; they dance and sing at once. The ensemble escorts the “Picking Lotus,” and when the tune ends they dance together again and sing the middle tune. When it ends, the girls give the opening address and call the comic plays on, again two scenes to a performance. When they end, the master of ceremonies speaks, dismisses the girls’ troupe, and they sing a tune together and leave in dance steps. Compared with the children’s, the stages are more numerous. Food for the wine: lined-up roast mutton, flatbread and grilled golden sausage.

Eighth cup. For the imperial wine, one singer from the song-clapper section sings “Stamping Song”; for the chief ministers’ wine, a slow tune; for the officials’ wine, “San Tai” with dance, joined with a “broken piece” and turning dance. Food for the wine: imitation shark, a single steamed bun, and tripe soup. Ninth cup. For the imperial wine, a slow tune; for the chief ministers’ wine, a slow tune; for the officials’ wine, “San Tai” dance and tune as before. The Left and Right sides wrestle. Food for the wine: water-rice, and piled dishes to go with rice. The emperor rises. The wine cups at the imperial banquet are all curved goblets shaped like a vegetable bowl, with a handle. In the hall they are of pure gold; in the corridors, of pure silver. The eating vessels, of gold, silver, 錂 (an unclear glyph) and lacquer, are bowls and plates. When the banquet ends, the officials all put flowers in their hair and go back to their own houses, and the attendants who clear the way for them also wear flowers, all at public expense. When the girls’ troupes go out by the Right Flank Gate, young men of means vie to send them off with precious things, meeting them with food, wine and fruit; each rides home on a fine horse. Some in flowered crowns, some dressed as men, they gallop along the Imperial Way, each trying to outdo the others in finery, while onlookers stand like a wall. The Secretariat’s banquet is the same.