Case file · Folklore / legend
Qianlong codifies Manchu shamanic rites
In 1747 the Qianlong Emperor ordered the Manchu clan rites to spirits and heaven written down as a fixed code, performed by female shamans in the Kunning Palace of the Forbidden City.
1747 CE · 39.92, 116.40 · status: official
The account
The 'Imperially Commissioned Code of Manchu Rites' set out prayers, offerings and shamanic dances for the court's daily and seasonal sacrifices, fearing they would be forgotten as the Manchus adopted Chinese ways. It is a key source on northern Asian shamanism.