In this Book

The Empress and the Heavenly Masters: A Study of the Ordination Scroll of Empress Zhang (1493)

Book
Luk Yu-ping
2016
Published by: The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press
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summary
Over twenty-seven meters long, the Ordination Scroll of Empress Zhang (1493) is an important Ming Dynasty Daoist artifact from the San Diego Museum of Art’s collection that records the imperial ordination of Empress Zhang (1470–1541), consort of the Ming Dynasty Hongzhi emperor (r. 1488–1505), by Zhang Xuanqing (d. 1509), the forty-seventh Heavenly Master of the Zhengyi institution. This book uncovers the history of imperial ordinations through a detailed examination of the scroll’s transcriptions and the meticulously-painted images of celestial beings, as well as the influences of the Daoist leaders known as the Zhengyi Heavenly Masters.

Table of Contents

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Half Title, Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

Contents

pp. vii-viii

Acknowledgements

pp. ix-xii

List of Figures

pp. xiii-xvi

Chronology of the Ming Dynasty

pp. xvii-xviii

Introduction

pp. 1-8

Part 1. Historical Perspectives

1. Imperial Ordinations

pp. 11-32

2. Empress Zhang

pp. 33-50

3. The Heavenly Masters

pp. 51-64

Part 2. Analysis of the Ordination Scroll

pp. 65-66

4. Aspects of the Ordination Scroll

pp. 67-86

5. Celestial Beings in the Ordination Scroll

pp. 87-118

6. Inscriptions

pp. 119-152

Conclusion

pp. 153-156

Appendix A. Titles of Celestial Beings

pp. 157-162

Appendix B. Translation of the Main Inscription

pp. 163-174

Appendix C. Transcription of the Main Inscription

pp. 175-182

Notes

pp. 183-226

Bibliography

pp. 227-250

Index

pp. 251-258

Figures

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