The Funeral of the British Jew Oss Love Hartung (4)
Hartung's funeral procedures are different from those of old Beijing, which is roughly based on Jewish customs. First go out of the funeral and bury, and then hang it. This would not have been possible unless we had been prepared. Fortunately, the cemetery is ready-made, and it is buried in the open space east of the Yingxu Tower in the park. The tomb was made of marble.
Hartung had already prepared longevity materials for himself before his death. It is said that the precious wood was ordered from a certain country in Southeast Asia, and it was made in Shanghai, and 7749 coats of lacquer were applied according to Chinese customs. Together with the materials and freight, it cost more than 50,000 taels of silver. On the third day after his death, he was buried according to the ancient rites of the Jewish people, and he did not stop anywhere in the garden, but was immediately buried.
Although it is buried in the garden, the funeral is still sent according to the situation of the Beijing Dawangfu, there are honor guards, ringers, and monks to send the funeral, there are about 1,000 people in the procession, carrying the coffin of Hartung in the garden after a circle before being buried.
Walking at the front of the funeral column is a large "Mingjing" three feet and two feet high, which is carried and guided by 32 barmen wearing green driving clothes. It means that the soul is lured on the road. This is completely the ceremonial pomp of the Han Chinese people.
Then there is a long row of colored pavilions; It is completely elaborate "full life", decorated with the roof of the palace with five spines and six beasts, and the Sumeru seat decorated with a lion's head railing. The seat is inserted with a red lacquered gold pattern lifting pole.
The first group is an all-yellow color pavilion: among them is the "Holy Decree Pavilion", which enshrines the edict of "regarded as a minister" issued by Emperor Puyi of the Qing Dynasty. The second Yellow Pavilion enshrines the "Order of the Second Class Treasure Star" of Emperor Xun's "Reward", and the following is the all-yellow "Imperial Pavilion" for the plaque, picture scroll, blessing character, three inlaid jade Ruyi, agarwood rosary, morning pearls, crown clothes, coral, purse, ruler and so on. Each yellow pavilion is carried by 8 people wearing red driving clothes. Each seat is covered with a crank yellow umbrella.
The second group is the colorful pavilion, which carries the Jiahe medal issued by Feng Guozhang, Li Yuanhong, and Cao Kun, the presidents of the Republic of China government (Beiyang warlords), and the Jiahe medal certificate stamped with the "Seal of Honor" of the Republic of China. Each pavilion is carried by 8 people wearing green driving clothes.
The third group is the roof of the classical palace, an open door, a large shadow pavilion of Sumeru, and a large portrait of Hartung inside. 16 people wearing white filial piety clothes carried the boat. There is also a green curtain to lead the soul sedan chair, which is provided with a Hartung spirit card and a black gauze curtain outside. It was also carried by 8 people wearing white filial piety clothes. In addition, there are 16 "leading furnaces", which are carried by underage boys with dragon head sticks.
The fourth group is a blue and white "dressing pavilion" with 4 seats, which contain the robes, boots and hats worn by Hartung before his death; There are 4 "Four Treasure Pavilions", which contain the pen, ink, paper, inkstone, seals, and books used by Hartung during his lifetime, as well as his favorite literary toys and antiques during his lifetime.
Behind the pavilion are countless "10,000 flags", "10,000 umbrellas" and all kinds of banners and troppets that are large to the sky.
The bell has the official drum music (pull horn, official drum, suona, and gong) and small music (sheng, pipe, flute, and nine-tone gong) that are commonly used in Beijing. There is also a special hall festival Qingyin gong and drum "Jiufu Class" for the Han people, which plays fine music with transverse flutes, hall drums, and small gongs. Of course, there is also the military band that the police of the Public Concession took the initiative to send to the door.
The nuns in the park, the virtuous monks in the family temple and their apprentices, all wearing red and gold thread Futian pattern robes mixed in the funeral column to burn incense and send each other. There are also Taoists led by the sixty-third generation of Han Tianshi, who were invited to unsuccessfully relieve the emperor and have not yet returned to the mountain, wearing satin embroidered pairs of children's clothes. Jews in Shanghai followed suit with Bibles in hand. This is a rare phenomenon in the funerals of the Chinese Manchu and Han people.
There may also be representatives of teachers and students from Cangsheng Wise University, middle school, elementary school, and girls' school. Finally, according to the big bar of 64 people in old Beijing, carrying the coffin of Hartung, the official cover of "Tou Shui'er" with a roll of red embroidery pieces was buttoned on the outside, and all the barmen were wearing new green driving clothes, new yellow trousers, and new green cloth boots. And it requires shaving the head, bathing, fasting for three days, and finally being reviewed and screened by the funeral office of Hartung Prefecture.
As for his righteous sons, they took the form of playing flags and holding cards. Or according to the custom of the Arabs to mourn the spirit (the eldest son stands in front of the horizontal bar, and walks with both hands on the bar, which is called "driving the spirit"; The second son put his head on the bar behind the bar, which is called "top mourning"), then it is unknown. In short, this funeral is a hodgepodge, with both the pomp and circumstance of the Manchu widow and the flavor of Western religion. It is a rare spectacle in ancient and modern times (because it is taboo in any religion to believe in one body).