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Plate 18.1 (left) Stone altar
table in the tomb of Prince
Zhao of Chu (1364–1424)

Plate 18.2 (right) Bronze altar
table in the Golden Hall,
Mount Wudang
transcendence to the divine (yuhua shengtian 羽化升天). It is 5 days and nights. Now that the performance of the Way has
possible that Prince Zhao of Chu was a lay Daoist follower been complete, the tablet is tossed into the numinous
(xinshi 信士 or jushi 居士) during his lifetime. mountains. Praying to deities and transcendents for longevity
across generations and ascension towards Highest Clarity.
The absence of distinct Daoist elements in the tomb of Perfected Being of the Five Marchmounts, the most sagely and
Prince Xian of Xiang most numinous, one begs for the deletion of the record of sins,
Prince Xian of Xiang, Zhu Bo, was the 12th son of Zhu and for one’s name to be raised to the Nine Heavens. Calling
upon the numinous mountains, this message is relayed by the
Yuanzhang. In 1378, he became the Prince of Xiang, and in golden dragon. In the first year of the Jianwen reign [1399], in
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1385 he was enfeoffed in Jiangling 江陵, present-day Jingzhou. the yimao year, the first month shenshuo of the fifteenth day
In 1399, the Jianwen 建文 emperor (r. 1399–1402) denounced bingwu. The Ritual Master of the Scripture and Register of the
the prince, causing him to commit suicide with his consort Great Cavern of Highest Clarity, subject Zhou Sili, announces
Lady Wu 吳 in a fire. The emperor imposed upon him the this at the auspicious lands of Mount Wudang.
posthumous title li 戾 (criminal). Under the Yongle emperor, 今謹有上清大洞玄都三景弟子湘王，以今上元令節，開建太暉
his posthumous title was changed to xian 獻 (contributor) and 觀太暉三景靈壇，啟修無上洞玄靈寶崇真演教福國裕民濟生度
he was granted a burial without his corpse (yiguanzhong 衣冠塚; 死普天大齋，計一千二伯（百）分，通五晝宵。今則行道事競，投
literally, tomb with garment and hat), next to the Daoist 簡靈山。願神願仙，長生度世，飛行上清。五嶽真人，至聖至靈，
Taihuiguan 太暉觀 (Abbey of Great Radiance) in Jiangling 乞削罪錄，上名九天，請詣靈山，金龍驛傳。建文元年歲次已卯
江陵, where it was guarded by official clerics. 正月申朔十五丙戊。上清大洞經籙法師臣周思禮于武當山福地
Among the four first-generation Ming princes enfeoffed 告聞。 6
in Hubei, only the personal beliefs of Prince Xian of Xiang In December 1997, the Jingzhou Museum undertook a
have been clearly recorded. He was known to have rescue excavation of the tomb of Prince Xian of Xiang.
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venerated Daoism while he was alive. He was well versed in Among the burial objects found in the tomb are a royal seal
Daoist teachings and used the Daoist-style sobriquet made of wood covered in gold leaf, and a relatively large
‘Follower of the Purple Void’ (Zixuzi 紫虛子). During the quantity of wooden figurines. The only burial object that has
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first month of 1399, the prince participated in a Daoist some connection to religion is a string of 12 bronze coins,
offering ritual at Mount Wudang, at the conclusion of which inscribed with auspicious sayings such as ‘Peace under
he tossed a gold figure of a dragon, a jade disk and a jade Heaven’ (tianxia taiping 天下太平) and ‘Winds are regular
tablet on to the mountain, which were buried. In 1982, these and rain fall in season’ (fengtiao yushun 風調雨順). The setting
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items were discovered underneath Cijian Platform 賜劍台 of the tomb and other burial objects do not show clear Daoist
in front of Zixiaodian 紫霄殿 (Hall of Purple Cloud). The or other religious elements. It seems that since the tomb was
carved inscription on the jade tablet provides evidence of a burial without the prince’s corpse, all the arrangements
the prince’s profound belief in Daoism: were made according to Ming court regulations, and the
Now Prince of Xiang, disciple of the Three Effulgences, from prince’s religious beliefs when he was alive were not
the Great Cavern of the Mysterious Capital of Highest Clarity, featured.
at the present Upper-prime Festival, establishes the Numinous
Altar of the Three Effulgences of Great Radiance at the Abbey The equal representation of Confucianism, Buddhism
of Great Radiance (Taihuiguan), to perform the Great and Daoism in the tomb of Prince Jing of Ying and Lady
Universal Heavenly Offering of the Numinous Treasure of the Guo
Supreme Cavern of Mystery that Venerates the Perfected, Born in 1388, Prince Jing of Ying, Zhu Dong, was Zhu
Performs Teachings, Benefits the State and Its People, and
Delivers the Living and the Dead, with 1200 parts in total, over Yuanzhang’s 24th son. In 1391 he was made the Prince of

Religious Consciousness and Beliefs in the Ming Tombs of Princes and Royal Family Members in Hubei Province | 165