“Ancestral Tablets” and “Ancestor Images”: The Origin and Development of Chinese Traditional Means of Ancestor Worship

This article discusses the ceremonial objects in the long history of Chinese ancestral worship. Two means of ancestor worship are studied: the ancestral tablet in ancestral temples that starts in pre-Qin dynasties and the ancestor image that replaces the person representing the dead in the mid-antiquity era. The ancestral tablet is the mainstream method for ancestor worship and is prevalent in the cultural circle of East Asia. The ancestor image can be a two-dimensional painting or a three-dimensional sculpture, the former more popular than the latter. The ancestral tablet and the ancestor image have a long history of simultaneous existence. From the pre-Qin dynasties to the Han dynasty, ancestor worship is proceeded with chong (重), zhu (主) ‘ancestor seat,’ shi (尸) ‘the person representing the dead,’ and then xiang (像) ‘ancestor image.’ The arrival of Buddhism further contributes to image worship and image halls. The image hall becomes popular and important in family worship activities in the Song dynasty and the ancestor portrait flourishes during the Ming and Qing dynasties. From the Song to the Ming and Qing dynasties, the ancestral tablet and the ancestor image evolve into different variants. In the late Qing dynasty, the ancestor portrait declines because of the introduction of photography while the ancestral tablet continues to exist. With major historical records as the focus and local documents in the Ming and the Qing dynasties as support materials, this article explores the origin and development of the ancestral tablets and ancestor images in ancestor worship. Divided with time periods, it is attempted to outline the context of ancestor worship changes.