중국 ‘황제黃帝’ 신화와 의례의 상관성에 관한 연구(2) : 근대 이후부터 ‘신중국’ 성립 이전 시기를 중심으로

Abstract

This study focuses how the ritual had enforced the mythic symbol of Huangdi, the Yellow Emperior. To clarify this, it necessary to closely examine how the ritual of Huangdi had been celebrated and by whom; however it also should be considered which political and cultural functions the ritual had performed. Since the ritual of Huangdi appeared in varying forms, depending on its characteristics and the history of each period, it also involved a process of Selection and Exclusion through the ideologies of these periods.BR The study examines what symbols of Huangdi had been presented by the rituals of each political group from the Revolution of 1911 to the period of the founding of New China. During this period, new political powers such as Revolutionary forces, the Guomintang (KMT) or the Communist Party of China used Huangdi as a means of proving their legitimacy. As might be expected, they gave the symbolism of ‘the ancestor of the nation’ to Huangdi. This was intended to overcome a national crisis of the Anti-Japanese War period by unifying people. Upon closer examination, however, the Guomintang emphasized the Great Unity while the Communist Party of China emphasized a nation. This demonstrates that the ritual of Huangdi had a significant correlation with each political purpose of the different political powers.