Ruyi Scepters in the Forbidden City
In the Forbidden City, ruyi scepters were usually placed next to thrones, on tables and beds. The Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) composed Ode to Bronze Ruyi Scepter of the Shang Era (Yong shang tong ruyi) in which hethought that the ruyi scepter already existed in the Shang dynasty (sixteenth century BCE-eleventh century BCE). Evidence indicates that they more likely were imported from India with Buddhism in the form of back scratchers. During the Jin (265-420) and Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), aristocrats enjoyed ruyi scepters, while the favor of literati and Buddhist monks also contributed to the development of their form. In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), ruyi scepters became gifts expressing best wishes for family and friends. The enthusiasm of Qing dynasty emperors stimulated ever-more elaborate craftsmanship. As an ornamental object, the ruyi scepter can be found in almost every corner of the Forbidden City.
Ruyi Scepters in the Annual Tribute
During the Qing dynasty, especially during the reigns of Yongzheng (1723-1735) and Qianlong (1736-1795), the ruyi scepter was an important object in regional officials' tribute. According to Record of Tribute to Court (Gongzhong jindan), ruyi scepters ranked top among local officials' presents to the emperor, empress, and empress dowager. For instance, in the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng reign (1735), officials of Guangdong province presented several ruyi scepters including examples made of coral, Nanmu wood, and three of honey amber.
Hanging scroll: Yinzhen Enjoying Himself (Yinzhen xingle tu)
The General Administrator of Guangdong and Guangxi province presented ruyi scepters on the seventeenth of the seventh month of 1771 and the eighteenth day of the fourth month of 1794.
From 1765, the Qianlong Emperor made it known that ruyi scepters were welcome tribute. The materials included gold, silver, gilded copper, enamel, lacquer, crystal, coral, agate, jadeite, turquoise, ivory, bamboo, wood, amber, and honey amber. Many were decorated with various auspicious phrases and patterns.
Leaf of an album: Hongli in Traditional Clothes Enjoying Himself (Hongli guzhuang xingle tu)
Two events in the Qing dynasty stand out as the grandest. One was the occasion of the Qianlong Emperor's sixth-year birthday, during which officials contributed a set of sixty ruyi scepters made of gold filigree and weighing about 42.5 kilograms. They are in the Palace Museum collection. The other grand event was the Empress Dowager Cixi's sixtieth birthday. To express his loyalty, an official presented a set of eighty-one scepters which were the so-called "nine-times-nine ruyi" a name that puns nine (jiu) and long (jiu) to create the idea of "endless".
Some ruyi scepters in the collection of the Palace Museum bear the name of the presenter. For example, one inscription reads, "contributed by the princess consort of the Prince Yi Xiang". They are important for historical research. Officials contributed ruyi scepters to curry favor and emperors sometimes gave ruyi scepters to cultivate officials' good will
Ruyi Scepters in Grand Ceremonies
Ruyi scepters were essential in imperial weddings. During the Qing dynasty, four emperors were married in the Forbidden City after their enthronement. Their weddings were luxurious spectacles and had fixed rituals. The Qing Palace Archives record the following:
During the wedding, officials presented their gifts which all included a pair of ruyi scepters. They were also included in princesses' dowry. The Qianlong Emperor gave his daughter Hexiao Princess a set of nine pieces, and her husband a Ruyi with turquoise inlay.
Ruyi Scepters in Emperor's Daily Life
Handscroll: The Qianlong Emperor Watching Peacocks Displaying Tails (Qianlongdi huan kongque kaiping tu)
The Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors' enthusiasm made the ruyi scepter very popular. Poems by the Qianlong Emperor (Qianlong yuzhi shi) contains many odes to ruyi scepters, such as Ode to the White Jade Ruyi Scepter (Yong baiyu ruyi) and Ode to a Ruyi Scepter with Bamboo Handle and Jade Inlay (Zhubing yu ruyi).
From the more than thirty poems the Qianlong Emperor composed for ruyi scepters, we know that he considered ruyi scepters not only objects for auspicious display but also emblems of his intentions, that could express his thoughts without words. While holding court audience or when discussing affairs with high officials, he would gesture with the ruyi scepter he was holding to express his ideas. The Qianlong Emperor regarded the ruyi scepter as a "good friend" and often praised it in poetry. The poems reveal that the Qianlong Emperor loved pieces made of bamboo root, sandalwood, and white jade, as well as those in traditional styles. He ordered many pieces made in the Imperial Household workshops and received many from regional officials. Some were masterpieces presented by private citizens.
However, the Jiaqing Emperor (r. 1796-1820), the son of the Qianlong Emperor, openly expressed his distaste forruyi scepters. Once he said to officials that he did not think that ruyi scepters could bring auspicious outcomes, which the officials thought peculiar. Toward the end of his father's reign, the charismatic but despicable He Shen had gained the Qianlong Emperor's complete confidence. He Shen wanted to present the heir apparent with a ruyi scepter to demonstrate his loyalty, but the Jiaqing Emperor, very much aware of He Shen's venality, declined the gift. The Qianlong Emperor abdicated the throne to the Jiaqing Emperor who in 1799, immediately after the death of his father, ordered the execution of He Shen. The poet Xia Renhu's (1873-1963) poem Powerful He Shen (Quanchen He Shen) reads,
In a rebellion of 1813, Lin Qing (the leader of Tianli Religion Heresy, an anti-government organization) and his followers stormed into the Forbidden City. This event is historically called "Tianli Rebellion", during which several eunuchs opened the West Prosperity Gate (xihua men) and let the rebellious people come. However, the rebellion was defeated due to the counterattack at the Gate of Thriving Royal House (longzong men). After the event, the Jiaqing Emperor said,
Hanging scroll: The Yongzheng Emperor's Concubines Enjoying Themselves (Yongzhengfei xingle tu)
Although everyone wanted ruyi scepters for their auspicious symbolism, common people could not afford such luxurious things. Today, ruyi scepters are sumptuous curios. People still love these beautiful scepters because of their history and special meanings.
In the Forbidden City, ruyi scepters were usually placed next to thrones, on tables and beds. The Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) composed Ode to Bronze Ruyi Scepter of the Shang Era (Yong shang tong ruyi) in which hethought that the ruyi scepter already existed in the Shang dynasty (sixteenth century BCE-eleventh century BCE). Evidence indicates that they more likely were imported from India with Buddhism in the form of back scratchers. During the Jin (265-420) and Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), aristocrats enjoyed ruyi scepters, while the favor of literati and Buddhist monks also contributed to the development of their form. In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), ruyi scepters became gifts expressing best wishes for family and friends. The enthusiasm of Qing dynasty emperors stimulated ever-more elaborate craftsmanship. As an ornamental object, the ruyi scepter can be found in almost every corner of the Forbidden City.
Ruyi Scepters in the Annual Tribute
During the Qing dynasty, especially during the reigns of Yongzheng (1723-1735) and Qianlong (1736-1795), the ruyi scepter was an important object in regional officials' tribute. According to Record of Tribute to Court (Gongzhong jindan), ruyi scepters ranked top among local officials' presents to the emperor, empress, and empress dowager. For instance, in the thirteenth year of the Yongzheng reign (1735), officials of Guangdong province presented several ruyi scepters including examples made of coral, Nanmu wood, and three of honey amber.
Hanging scroll: Yinzhen Enjoying Himself (Yinzhen xingle tu) The General Administrator of Guangdong and Guangxi province presented ruyi scepters on the seventeenth of the seventh month of 1771 and the eighteenth day of the fourth month of 1794.
From 1765, the Qianlong Emperor made it known that ruyi scepters were welcome tribute. The materials included gold, silver, gilded copper, enamel, lacquer, crystal, coral, agate, jadeite, turquoise, ivory, bamboo, wood, amber, and honey amber. Many were decorated with various auspicious phrases and patterns.
Leaf of an album: Hongli in Traditional Clothes Enjoying Himself (Hongli guzhuang xingle tu) Two events in the Qing dynasty stand out as the grandest. One was the occasion of the Qianlong Emperor's sixth-year birthday, during which officials contributed a set of sixty ruyi scepters made of gold filigree and weighing about 42.5 kilograms. They are in the Palace Museum collection. The other grand event was the Empress Dowager Cixi's sixtieth birthday. To express his loyalty, an official presented a set of eighty-one scepters which were the so-called "nine-times-nine ruyi" a name that puns nine (jiu) and long (jiu) to create the idea of "endless".
Some ruyi scepters in the collection of the Palace Museum bear the name of the presenter. For example, one inscription reads, "contributed by the princess consort of the Prince Yi Xiang". They are important for historical research. Officials contributed ruyi scepters to curry favor and emperors sometimes gave ruyi scepters to cultivate officials' good will
Ruyi Scepters in Grand Ceremonies
Ruyi scepters were essential in imperial weddings. During the Qing dynasty, four emperors were married in the Forbidden City after their enthronement. Their weddings were luxurious spectacles and had fixed rituals. The Qing Palace Archives record the following:
On the eve of the wedding, the Grand Minister in Command of the Guard, Commissioner of the Imperial Procession Guard and their entourage carried the empress's sedan from the middle of the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing men) and placed it in the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong). Dispatched to receive the bride were four court ladies of high rank dressed in red were commanded to place inside the sedan chair a ruyi scepter and a scroll with the character for dragon (long) written by the emperor. Then these ladies as well as some female attendants of the Imperial Household Department prepared the bridal chamber and the bridal bed called "dragon and phoenix bed". The four ladies also set four ruyi scepters on the bed, one at each corner.
During the wedding, officials presented their gifts which all included a pair of ruyi scepters. They were also included in princesses' dowry. The Qianlong Emperor gave his daughter Hexiao Princess a set of nine pieces, and her husband a Ruyi with turquoise inlay.
Ruyi Scepters in Emperor's Daily Life
Handscroll: The Qianlong Emperor Watching Peacocks Displaying Tails (Qianlongdi huan kongque kaiping tu) The Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors' enthusiasm made the ruyi scepter very popular. Poems by the Qianlong Emperor (Qianlong yuzhi shi) contains many odes to ruyi scepters, such as Ode to the White Jade Ruyi Scepter (Yong baiyu ruyi) and Ode to a Ruyi Scepter with Bamboo Handle and Jade Inlay (Zhubing yu ruyi).
From the more than thirty poems the Qianlong Emperor composed for ruyi scepters, we know that he considered ruyi scepters not only objects for auspicious display but also emblems of his intentions, that could express his thoughts without words. While holding court audience or when discussing affairs with high officials, he would gesture with the ruyi scepter he was holding to express his ideas. The Qianlong Emperor regarded the ruyi scepter as a "good friend" and often praised it in poetry. The poems reveal that the Qianlong Emperor loved pieces made of bamboo root, sandalwood, and white jade, as well as those in traditional styles. He ordered many pieces made in the Imperial Household workshops and received many from regional officials. Some were masterpieces presented by private citizens.
However, the Jiaqing Emperor (r. 1796-1820), the son of the Qianlong Emperor, openly expressed his distaste forruyi scepters. Once he said to officials that he did not think that ruyi scepters could bring auspicious outcomes, which the officials thought peculiar. Toward the end of his father's reign, the charismatic but despicable He Shen had gained the Qianlong Emperor's complete confidence. He Shen wanted to present the heir apparent with a ruyi scepter to demonstrate his loyalty, but the Jiaqing Emperor, very much aware of He Shen's venality, declined the gift. The Qianlong Emperor abdicated the throne to the Jiaqing Emperor who in 1799, immediately after the death of his father, ordered the execution of He Shen. The poet Xia Renhu's (1873-1963) poem Powerful He Shen (Quanchen He Shen) reads,
He Shen held back in fear of the emperor's power in the court,
Too late he presented ruyi scepter to his future emperor;
In the end he was executed by imperial command,
Crimes as enormous as the southern mountains could not be ignored.
Too late he presented ruyi scepter to his future emperor;
In the end he was executed by imperial command,
Crimes as enormous as the southern mountains could not be ignored.
In a rebellion of 1813, Lin Qing (the leader of Tianli Religion Heresy, an anti-government organization) and his followers stormed into the Forbidden City. This event is historically called "Tianli Rebellion", during which several eunuchs opened the West Prosperity Gate (xihua men) and let the rebellious people come. However, the rebellion was defeated due to the counterattack at the Gate of Thriving Royal House (longzong men). After the event, the Jiaqing Emperor said,
Every year officials presented ruyi scepters as tribute and I returned some simply to promote friendly relations between the ruler and officials. However, because of encountering greatly inauspicious events, officials should not again submit them. Not looking upon them will calm the Emperor's mind. Viewing them and thinking of the name will increase anxiety.
Hanging scroll: The Yongzheng Emperor's Concubines Enjoying Themselves (Yongzhengfei xingle tu) Although everyone wanted ruyi scepters for their auspicious symbolism, common people could not afford such luxurious things. Today, ruyi scepters are sumptuous curios. People still love these beautiful scepters because of their history and special meanings.
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