Offering Sacrifice to King Qian on Lantern Festival

The "Offering Sacrifice to King Qian on Lantern Festival" ritual is a unique Lantern Festival tradition in Hangzhou. It commemorates Qian Liu, the ruler of the ancient Wuyue Kingdom, for his outstanding contributions such as dredging West Lake and constructing stone embankments along Qiantang River. This special sacrificial activity takes place on the last day of the Lantern Festival, the 18th day of the first lunar month.

Over time, the "Offering Sacrifice to King Qian on Lantern Festival" tradition fell into decline. In 2008, descendants of the Qian family and local enthusiasts discovered the "Regulations for the Lantern Festival Sacrifice," handwritten by Qian Hui, the thirty-second generation descendant of King Qian, in the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1868 AD). The content of this manuscript reflects the grandeur of the royal ceremonies during the Wuyue Kingdom period. It stated, "Publicly discuss and compile rules for the Lantern Festival Sacrifice, and each branch should keep a copy," with a commitment to uphold ancestral traditions and adhere to the rituals of ancestor worship. After the discovery of these regulations, they received high attention from various sectors of society. Since 2008, descendants of the Qian Family have resumed the "Offering Sacrifice to King Qian on Lantern Festival" ritual, which had been interrupted for 140 years, holding grand ceremonies every 18th day of the first lunar month.

The ceremonial regulations are complex. On the offering table, there are red cloth-bound offerings of three sacrificial animals—ox, pig, and sheep—as well as grains, fruits, and melons, symbolizing abundant harvests and fragrant fruits, and colorful silk and satin. During the ceremony, the entire audience stands solemnly. There are nine sacrificial rituals, including drumming and bell ringing, offering sacrifices, presenting holy soil and water from King Qian's hometown, representatives of Qian descendants presenting flower baskets, offering incense, solemn reading of sacrificial texts, singing the "King Qian Praise" song together, sacrificial dance, solemn reading of the "Qian Family Instructions," and paying respects. All ritual procedures are carried out according to the records in the regulations. When Qian descendants pay homage to the ancestors in the ancestral hall, each is given two pairs of plain dumplings and mantou (steamed buns), and after the ancestral worship is completed, warm tea is given to the eldest.

The Temple of King Qians, dedicated to the five generations of King Qians, was originally built in the 10th year of the Xining reign of the Northern Song Dynasty (1077 AD) and was originally called Biaozhong Temple. Since the Qing Dynasty, it has been commonly known as the Temple of King Qians. In 1957, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Hangzhou but was destroyed. It was reconstructed in 2003. Over the past 900 years, through ups and downs and several destructions and reconstructions, the remaining inscription wall is the only surviving relic of the original building.

Descendants of the Qian family have excelled in various fields. Politicians such as Qian Qichen, Qian Zhengying, and Qian Fu; scientists known as the "Three Qians" including Qian Xuesen, Qian Sanqiang, and Qian Weichang; and masters of Chinese studies such as Qian Zhongshu and Qian Mu, as well as the Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate in 2008, the Chinese-American scientist Qian Yongjian, all embody the spirit of serving the country and have truly practiced the Qian Family Instructions, which state, " If the gains benefit oneself only, one should not seek them; if the gains benefit the world, one must seek them. If the gains are for the present, one should seek them firmly; if the gains are for future generations, one should seek them more firmly." This sentiment and culture are worthy of commemoration and inheritance by all.

In 2009, the "Offering Sacrifice to King Qian on Lantern Festival" ritual was included in the representative list of intangible cultural heritage projects in Zhejiang Province.