On the Divine Wood Culture in the Construction of Ming and Qing Royal Palace

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial palace construction in Beijing promoted the large-scale acquisition of royal timber, which also left some miraculous stories. This paper introduces the origin of Shenmu (divine wood), and from the perspective of mountain worship and tree worship, analyses the cultural tradition behind the cultural phenomenon of Shenmu, and discusses the political and cultural significance of Shenmu worship combined with the social history of royal timber acquisition. This paper holds that the government of Ming and Qing dynasties advocated Shenmu, which embodied the cultural tradition of mountain forest worship, reflected the cultural psychology of utilizing, cherishing and thanking forest resources, promoted the construction of the Forbidden City, played the role of respecting imperial dignity and respecting imperial morality, and left a solemn and great architectural heritage of the Forbidden City of Beijing for future generations.