The Family Rituals of the Zheng Clan of Pujiang The Zheng family of Pujiang, known as the "Righteous Gate," was famous for maintaining a communal household for over 300 years and was often cited as a model for Neo-Confucian social order. begin with the "Diagram of Seating Orders in the Ancestral Shrine." It establishes five positions, designating the fourth-generation ancestor as the head of the Great Lineage Dazong; the primary line of descent from a common ancestor, situated in the center.

To the right of this central position, the first seat belongs to the High Great-Grandfather original: 高祖考 Gaozu Kao. The second seat is the Great-Grandfather, the third is the Grandfather, and the fourth is the Father. To the right of these four positions are the wives original: 妣 Bi; deceased mother or grandmother of these same four generations. These together constitute the Lesser Lineage Xiaozong; the branch of a family descending from a more recent ancestor.

By placing all four generations of deceased fathers to the right of the Founding Ancestor and the mothers to their left, the family clearly considers the West to be the position of honor In traditional Chinese orientation, the "right" corresponds to the West when facing South.. However, when looking at the side-by-side arrangement of the four generations of fathers, the Great-Grandfather is placed to the right of the High Great-Grandfather, and the Father is placed to the right of the Grandfather. This makes it seem as though the East is actually being treated as the position of honor. It is difficult to understand the logic or precedent they intended to follow here.

Furthermore, consider the ancient system for ancestral temples original: 廟制 Miaozhi: the Emperor was permitted seven shrines, Feudal Lords had five, Great Officials had three, High Scholars had two, and lower officials had one. Commoners original: 庶人 Shuren were required to perform their sacrifices in the inner living quarters of their homes original: 寢 Qin.

Earlier Confucian scholars, who adhered strictly to these ancient rules, already argued that for a family to sacrifice to four generations of ancestors was an act of usurpation original: 僭 Jian; to overstep one's social rank by performing rituals reserved for higher nobility. If that is the case, is it acceptable to add a "Founding Ancestor" original: 始祖 Shizu on top of those four? In modern times, many families have moved toward using five niches for their tablets; this appears to be a concession to contemporary social customs.