Etiquette Music in the Han Dynasty

Etiquette music of the Han Dynasty include six kinds:the music of honor guards,the ceremony music when the emperor and the queen acceded to the throne,funeral music,the music used in the ceremony of providing for the aged,the music in shooting ceremony,and the ceremony music when security guards were paid off.The development and the changes of the music of honor guards embody the spread of alien music in the central plains of China,while the music in shooting ceremony and the music used in the ceremony of providing for the aged reflect the influences of ancient etiquettes and music in the pre-Qin period on the etiquette music of the Han Dynasty.Moreover,Huangmen Guchui was used at the beginning or the end of a ceremony to denote the start or finish of the ceremony.Its emergence in the court etiquette was an important reason of the advent of the department named Huangmen Guchui Shu.