Abstract
From the classics’ interpretations to practice－A research on etiquette used in funeral and burial rituals by educated people in Southern Song Dynasty. The essay is mainly to in-deep explore the structure of etiquette features in funeral and burial rituals that educated people in Southern Song Dynasty observed and practiced. The research also contains the profound studies of the establishment and innovations about official etiquette, family etiquette, and family regulations; and their differences with those of Northern Song and Tang Dynasty as well.
From the interpretations of classic works by the educated people in Southern Song , we can learn of the basic attitude they took toward the Confucian schools’ etiquette on funeral and burial rituals, and further explore various aspects of how educated people faced and took care of the funeral and burial rites. In the practice of funeral rituals, which were mainly divided into two types, one was based on the Confucian school, typically in a form of simplicity and grief; the other followed the rites of Buddhist and Taoism, in a religious way to console the dead and benefit their souls to the Elysium.
As to the practice of burial rituals, people primarily followed the recorded instruction from the etiquette classics, “Buried in three months “and “the choices of graveyard location" , which resulted in several various viewpoints ; one of them stressed the choice of “feng shui “ , another might emphasize the use of methods and etiquette to take care of the dead in the process of burial service, etc.
To sum up, the research concludes and explicates the standpoint and attitude that educated people in Southern Song Dynasty took toward the funeral and burial rites.