The Characteristics of Ritual System and the Ritual Mark in Chinese Culture                      

Hu Xinsheng

Abstract: The concept of “rite” in ancient China contains three meanings of ceremony or formality, ethics, and political hierarchy. They are all intertwined, while each has certain content. As the research object of the history of Chinese ritual system, both etiquette and ritual system refers to the meaning of ceremony or formality of “rites”. Etiquette includes folk etiquette and national etiquette, and the latter, known as the “ritual system”, is the part with national background and political force. Different from other institutions, the nature of ritual system lies in its performance, symbol, stylization, and standardization. Performance and symbol make the etiquette bear the significance higher than daily life, as well as function of publicity; while stylization and standardization make the etiquette highly organized and normative, as well as have the function of maintaining and strengthening the social and political hierarchy. The high development of ritual system in ancient China had given full play of those two characteristics of etiquette, leaving the mark of highly valuing performance and formula to Chinese culture.