Based upon an examination of the early Ming state worship objectives and the later changes,this article argues that this
system carries profound religious,cultural,
political,and social implications.The core of the implication is a heaven authority centered heaven,deity,emperor,and people status order.It is therefore a reflection of the Chinese political cultural spirits in the Ming period.To the Ming authority,this system was a presentation of its cultural identification,concepts of world order,and self identity.Meanwhile,this system lays out a
conceptual foundation for the Ming official social and political operations.From the religious and cultural points of view,this system was a mixture from the first place,and it was also centered with Confucianism.The changes with this system,happened since the Yongle period,were mainly about the further penetration of Daoism,Buddhism,and folk worship practices to the state worship system.To the state operators,these changes indicated conceptual Confucian and identification chaos,therefore,led to a political cultural confusion.