The emperor’s birthday is called the Wanshou Festival, which means longevity without borders. It is a national festival. Congratulating the emperor on his birthday was an important ceremonial activity in the Qing palace. On the day of Wanshou Festival, the emperor's palace accepted congratulations and contributions from princes and officials. Slaughter is prohibited during the Wanshou Festival, and punishments are ignored for several days before and after. All civil and military officials are required to wear python robes to supplement their uniforms. On this day, craftsmen in the capital use colored paintings, cloth, etc. to decorate the main streets in a colorful way, and there is singing and dancing everywhere. Civil and military officials from all over the country set up incense burners and paid homage to the capital. Longevity is the beginning of a human being. Wanshou Festival refers to the birthday of the monarch in the feudal era. China governs the world based on filial piety, so the birthdays of the emperors, who are the "parents of the people", have always been very important. In China, the custom of celebrating birthdays began very early. The word "Shou" written in various ways appears in bronze inscriptions, which shows that the custom of celebrating birthdays was already present in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Before the Tang Dynasty, the birthdays of emperors had not yet formed a fixed festival, so there was no etiquette dedicated to celebrating the birthdays of emperors. In the seventeenth year of Kaiyuan of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (729), Shangshu Zuo Prime Minister Yuan Qianyao and Right Prime Minister Zhang Shuo led hundreds of civil and military officials to submit a request that August 5, Xuanzong's birthday, be designated as the "Qianqiu Festival". Since then, all emperors of the Tang Dynasty, except Dezong, have their own birthday names. For example, Suzong's birthday is called "Tiancheng Diping Festival", Wu Zong's birthday is called "Qingyang Festival" and so on. The name of the emperor's birthday in the past was only called Wanshou Festival in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There have been many names in history. For example, in the Tang Dynasty, there were: Qianqiu Festival, Tianchang Festival, Tianpingdicheng Festival, Qingcheng Festival, and Jiahui Festival. In the later Jin Dynasty, it was named Qisheng Festival; in the later Han Dynasty, it was named Jiaqing Festival; in the later Zhou Dynasty, it was named Tianqing Festival; in the Song Dynasty, it was named Changchun Festival, Qianming Festival, Shouning Festival, Chengtian Festival, Qianyuan Festival, Shousheng Festival, Tongtian Festival, Xinglong Festival, Tianning Festival, Qianlong Festival; Qianling Festival in Liao Dynasty; Tianshou Festival in Jin Dynasty; Shengsheng Festival in Yuan Dynasty. Almost every emperor's birthday festival has a different name. On the emperor's birthday, the whole country has a three-day holiday and holds celebrations to "celebrate both the government and the public". In the capital, the officials congratulated the emperor on his birthday, offering wine, nectar and various gifts. The emperor also rewarded officials according to their rank. After the Song and Yuan dynasties, in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's birthday - Wanshou Festival, together with "New Year's Day" and "Winter Solstice", were called three major festivals, and the same was true in the Qing Dynasty. In this way, juxtaposing the birthday of the "Emperor" with the festivals of "Chao Sui" and "Sacrifice to Heaven" adds to the solemn atmosphere of the "Wanshou Festival" and gives it a more noble significance. The Origin of the Longevity Festival Before the Tang Dynasty, there was no ceremony to celebrate the emperor’s birthday in the palace. To be precise, the emperor's birthday celebrations began with Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. One day in December of the 20th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to Changsun Wuji, the brother of Empress Changsun: "Today is my birthday. The world is all happiness, but I translate it as sentimentality. The poem goes: I am sorry for my parents, who worked hard to give birth to me. Why is the day of hard work more joyful?" However, more than eighty years later, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty happily accepted the invitation of Prime Minister Yuan Qianyao and Zhang Shuo, using his birthday as the official festival. Zhang Shuowai wrote on the note to Xuanzong: "Shaohao feels the flowing rainbow, and talks about the fate of the black bird in Tangben. Your Majesty, the two qi combine with the spirit, and the nine dragons bathe in the holy. The moon is Mid-Autumn Festival, and the sun is Dragon Boat Festival. On nights when stars are missing, On the day of the auspicious light in the room, please consider it the Qianqiu Festival. The official orders will be given to the whole world to enjoy the feast. The silk bag is knotted to reveal the legacy, and the village community celebrates the birthday with a banquet, which is called Saibai Emperor and Baotian God. The emperor is bright, the emperor is enlightened, and the prosperity is infinite." Xuanzong wrote happily. He wrote an imperial edict in response to the request of Zhang Shuo and others: "On my birthday, please honor me, commend me, and be a memorial to yourself. This is a good thing. In response to your invitation, I will declare my duties to you." This year is In the seventeenth year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was forty-four years old. On August 5th, the day of the Qianqiu Festival, Li Longji hosted a banquet for hundreds of officials downstairs in Huaye, singing and singing, and looking over the city. All the states in the world ordered a three-day holiday for feasting and entertainment, which was incorporated into the laws and regulations. On the Qianqiu Festival of the following year, Li Longji went to the Huacalyx Tower again and hundreds of officials congratulated him. At the celebration banquet, Emperor Xuanzong liked to give gold mirrors, bead bags and colored seals to officials above the fourth rank, and silk ribbons to officials below the fifth rank. He also wrote an eight-rhyme poem to show his officials: "Landian Qianqiu Festival, call it a long live cup." Rumor has it that earth celebrates, and the sun continues to be auspicious. The calyx blossoms in the jade chamber, and the palace hangs for prosperity. Under the egrets in robes, slender green clouds grow at dusk. Presenting relics has become a new custom, and court rituals have become an old chapter. The moon holds a flower ribbon mirror, revealing a colorful silk sac. The ancestors of Tianzu are everywhere, and the village is feasted every year. If you think deeply about one virtue, you will gain the health of all people. To celebrate the Qianqiu Festival, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty composed the great songs "Qianqiu Music" and "Qianqiu Zi". On the birthday of the Emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, the ministers went to the Zichen Hall to celebrate his birthday and performed thirty-three obeisances to the emperor. However, the nineteen obeisances during the Zhengdian Festival and the twelve during the Winter Solstice were both lower than the obeisances during the Emperor's Birthday Festival. The prime minister went to the palace on behalf of the ministers and held a glass of wine to wish the emperor longevity.

The emperor gave tea soup to all officials. Wanshou Festivals in Past Dynasties Before the Tang Dynasty, there was no ceremony to celebrate the emperor’s birthday in the palace. To be precise, the emperor's birthday celebrations began with Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. One day in December of the 20th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to Changsun Wuji, the brother of Empress Changsun: "Today is my birthday. The world is all happiness, but I translate it as sentimentality. The poem goes: I am sorry for my parents, who worked hard to give birth to me. Why is the day of hard work more joyful?" However, more than eighty years later, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty happily accepted the invitation of Prime Minister Yuan Qianyao and Zhang Shuo, using his birthday as the official festival. Zhang Shuowai wrote on the note to Xuanzong: "Shaohao feels the flowing rainbow, and talks about the fate of the black bird in Tangben. Your Majesty, the two qi combine with the spirit, and the nine dragons bathe in the holy. The moon is Mid-Autumn Festival, and the sun is Dragon Boat Festival. On nights when stars are missing, On the day of the auspicious light in the room, please consider it the Qianqiu Festival. The official orders will be given to the whole world to enjoy the feast. The silk bag is knotted to reveal the legacy, and the village community celebrates the birthday with a banquet, which is called Saibai Emperor and Baotian God. The emperor is bright, the emperor is enlightened, and the prosperity is infinite." Xuanzong wrote happily. He wrote an imperial edict in response to the request of Zhang Shuo and others: "On my birthday, please honor me, commend me, and be a memorial to yourself. This is a good thing. In response to your invitation, I will declare my duties to you." This year is In the seventeenth year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was forty-four years old. On August 5th, the day of the Qianqiu Festival, Li Longji hosted a banquet for hundreds of officials at Huaye Downstairs, where they sang and sang and looked around the city. All the states in the world ordered a three-day holiday for feasting and entertainment, which was incorporated into the laws and regulations. On the Qianqiu Festival of the following year, Li Longji climbed to the calyx tower again and hundreds of officials congratulated him. At the celebration banquet, Emperor Xuanzong was pleased to give gold mirrors, bead bags and colored ribbons to officials above the fourth rank, and silk bundles to those below the fifth rank. He also wrote an eight-rhyme poem to show his officials: "Landian Qianqiu Festival, call it a long live cup." Rumor has it that earth celebrates, and the sun continues to be auspicious. The calyx blossoms in the jade chamber, and the palace hangs for prosperity. Under the egrets in robes, slender green clouds grow at dusk. Presenting relics has become a new custom, and court rituals have become an old chapter. The moon holds a flower ribbon mirror, revealing a colorful silk sac. The ancestors of Tianzu are everywhere, and the village is feasted every year. If you think deeply about one virtue, you will gain the health of all people. To celebrate the Qianqiu Festival, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty composed the great songs "Qianqiu Music" and "Qianqiu Zi". On the birthday of the Emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, the ministers went to the Zichen Hall to celebrate his birthday and performed thirty-three salutations in front of the emperor. However, nineteen salutations were made during the Zhengdian Festival and twelve during the Winter Solstice, both of which were lower than those during the Emperor's Birthday Festival. The prime minister went to the palace on behalf of the ministers and held a glass of wine to wish the emperor longevity. The emperor gave all officials tea soup. The emperor's birthday banquet in the Northern Song Dynasty was a grand occasion, with artists singing and dancing incessantly. At the beginning, the music performers imitated the singing of hundreds of birds, and the inside and outside were solemn. They could only hear the harmonious singing in the air, like a gathering of luan and phoenix. The prime minister, princes and foreign envoys sit in the hall, while the officials and the attachés of foreign envoys sit in the two corridors outside the hall. Various foods are placed in front of everyone, including ring cakes, oil cakes, date tarts, fruits, etc. The envoys of the Liao Kingdom had the most sumptuous food, including cooked pork, mutton, chicken, goose, and rabbit with bones. The person who poured wine for the emperor would always raise his sleeves and sing: "Sui Yujiu——" - Page 51 The musicians of the Jiaofang had already arranged musical instruments in the colorful shed at the foot of the mountain, including clappers, pipa, harp, and elevated drums. , Jie drum, iron and stone square sound, flute, sheng, xun, chi, gongzhen, dragon flute, etc. There are two hundred sticks and drums facing each other on both sides. The first cup of royal wine was raised, and one of the musicians sang the song. Sheng, Xiao, and flute were played first, and then all the music played in unison. The prime minister raised his drink, the officials poured their glasses, and the artists danced on the stage, in duet or solo. The second one is as before. At the third cup of imperial wine, the left and right armies entered the stage. The so-called left and right armies actually refer to the left and right wings of Jingshifang City, and the actors are all folk artists. Hundreds of opera items include: pole climbing, rope jumping, handstand, bending at the waist, bowling, kicking bottles, somersaults, lifting, etc. When the royal banquet reaches the third banquet, wine and meat, wine drums, fried meat, and camelback coins are all served. When there are four lights, there is a theater. In the fifth one, the musicians played the pipa and the fangxiang, and after three dances, the jokingly-colored soldiers entered the stage, and more than 200 people from the children's dance team entered, dancing in unison and knocking on the steps of the palace. Joining the Army: Q&A with the children's class leader, the children's class leader recited lines (slogans), the music sounded, and the children's dance team sang and danced. Then the drama comes into play. In this cup, drink Qunxian Zhi, Tianhua Pancake, Taiping Biluo, dry rice, pork soup, and lotus meat cake. For the sixth royal wine, there was first a slow music played on the sheng, three dances, and then a batting competition between the left and right armies. A three-foot-high goal was erected in front of the hall, and whistles, flutes, sticks and drums were used to cheer for the two teams. The appetizers for this dish are fake soft-shelled turtle and honey-flour cake. On the seventh day, more than 400 girls' dance team took the stage. The girls are all young and beautiful people selected from the market. They are dressed like fairies on stage, holding flowers, dancing, and singing. Then the miscellaneous opera comes into play, and Shen Junse intersperses the singing, dancing and miscellaneous opera with humorous remarks. This one is served with wine, cooked lamb, biscuits, and golden sausage. The eighth one is used to sing tap songs, play slow tunes, and perform three dances. The food to go with the wine is fake shark, steamed buns and tripe soup.

On the ninth day, the left and right armies performed sumo wrestling, and served wine, food, and rice. The emperor takes off. In fact, the emperor's birthday banquet is not always so complicated. Sometimes it is very simple. The reason is that the emperor cannot stand for a long time. On the day before the birthday of the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, civil and military officials personally went to the temple to build a dojo to wish him longevity and peace. On the day of the birthday festival, courtiers went to the palace to congratulate, and local officials led their subordinates, Confucian scholars, elders, monks and Taoists to decorate colorful incense tables and dance with hundreds of offerings. During the Wanshou Festival in the Ming Palace, the eunuchs and maids with low status were allowed to put on their favorite clothes instead of wearing purple clothes. At the time of the apocalypse, the palace ladies competed to create new gourds and wear them on their bodies. The glyphs and patterns included: Bao Li Wan Nian, Hong Fu Qi Tian, ??Four Seas Feng Deng, etc. Baoli Ten Thousand Years is made up of eight precious lychees and swastika dotted fish; the composition of Hongfu Qitian is two red bats on each side, with the word Qitian filled in; Four Seas Fengdeng is composed of two bees flying with lanterns attached to each corner. Made up of words filled in the sea. The longevity ceremonies of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were more prosperous than those of any other dynasty. Among the emperors, Kangxi's sixtieth birthday ceremony and Qianlong's eighty birthday ceremony were the most grand, with Qianlong surpassing Kangxi. Kangxi's Longevity Ceremony is more than twenty feet long, and Qianlong's Longevity is more than a hundred pages long. The most extravagant and grand celebration ceremony in the Qing Dynasty was the 70th birthday of the Empress Dowager Cixi. In fact, the emperor's birthday banquet is not always so complicated. Sometimes it is very simple. The reason is that the emperor cannot sit down for a long time. On the day before the birthday of the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, civil and military officials went to the temple to build a dojo in person to wish him longevity and peace. On the day of the birthday festival, courtiers went to the palace to congratulate, and local officials led their subordinates, Confucian scholars, elders, monks and Taoists to decorate colorful incense tables and dance with hundreds of offerings. During the Wanshou Festival in the Ming Palace, the eunuchs and maids with low status were allowed to put on their favorite clothes instead of wearing purple clothes. At the time of the apocalypse, the palace ladies competed to create new gourds and wear them on their bodies. The glyphs and patterns include: Bao Li Wan Nian, Hong Fu Qi Tian, ??Four Seas Feng Deng, etc. Baoli Ten Thousand Years is made up of Eight Treasures Lychee and Swastika-shaped fish; the composition of Hongfu Qitian is two red bats on each side, with the word Qitian filled in; Four Seas Fengdeng is composed of two bees flying with lanterns, and each corner is Made up of words filled in the sea. The longevity ceremonies of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were more prosperous than those of any other dynasty. Among the emperors, the Kangxi sixtieth birthday ceremony and the Qianlong eightieth birthday ceremony were the most grand, with Qianlong surpassing Kangxi. Kangxi's Longevity Ceremony is more than twenty feet long, and Qianlong's Longevity is more than a hundred pages long. The most extravagant and grand celebration ceremony in the Qing Dynasty was the 70th birthday of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Of course, it was Emperor Kangxi who first achieved this victory. During his 60th birthday celebration, from Changchun Garden in the west of Beijing to Xizhimen, through Xinjiekou and Xi'an Gate to Zhongnanhai, and connected with the celebration ceremony of the Forbidden City, there were colorful squares one after another along the way, with colorful walls, colorful galleries, and dramas. There are countless cai platforms, singing platforms, lantern squares, lantern towers, lantern corridors, dragon sheds, and lantern sheds. Along the way, there are temples and temples with large celebration altars. Representatives of subjects from Zhili and various provinces who came to Beijing also set up color booths as their own celebration areas. All ministries, temples, and supervisory offices in the capital along the road also built scripture sheds and set up color booths. There is a throne within a few miles, and the throne is surrounded by a lively tourist attraction with splendid facilities. Along the way, large characters such as "Longevity without Borders" and "Emperor for Ten Thousand Years" made of colorful silk appeared on the colorful walls; the longevity picture screen presented to the emperor by the candidate officials, with the golden longevity character in ten thousand fonts; Mongolian, Han The military commanders under the command of the military capital built a longevity platform for hundreds of old people. The platform was arranged on nine levels. Actors pretending to be hundreds of old people, each holding the Chinese character "Golden Longevity", climbed up one after another. There are countless songs, dances, drama programs and furnishings on the stage, most of which are stories about gods and goddesses celebrating their birthdays. As for the small ones such as flat peach, immortal flower and evergreen, they all deliberately seek their auspicious meaning. At that time, inside and outside the capital city, gold and green are shining, brocades and brocades are intertwined with each other, lanterns and candles are shining, and mist is filling the surrounding areas; the Forbidden City and the Imperial Garden are connected with embroidered curtains, music and songs are playing, thousands of sounds of gold and stone, and colorful clouds. No one in the world can describe it perfectly. Everyone here wears formal clothes, all kinds of affairs are suspended, and joy and celebration last for seven days. In the Qing Dynasty, emperors held a big celebration every ten years and a small celebration every year. The milestone sixtieth and eightieth birthdays were deliberately celebrated.