The Book of Rites has worn many hats over two millennia, shifting its shape to fit each era’s needs. In the early Han dynasty, editors such as Dai De and Dai Sheng wove disparate ritual fragments into what became the Liji, firmly embedding it among the Five Classics. By Tang times, Kong Yingda’s authoritative commentary turned it into a cornerstone of imperial examinations, ensuring every aspiring official memorized its prescriptions for ceremonial dress, sacrificial offerings, even proper table manners.

Fast-forward to the Song and Ming dynasties: Neo-Confucian thinkers like Zhu Xi reorganized and annotated the text, reading its ritual prescriptions not just as social etiquette but as pathways to moral cultivation. Rituals evolved from empty formalities into tools for self-discipline and cosmic harmony. In Korea’s Joseon era and Tokugawa Japan, local scholars adapted the Liji to shape court ceremonies, education systems, even popular theater.

The 20th century brought a sharp turn. New Culture Movement critics derided the Liji as outdated superstition, while later Republican and early People’s Republic educational reforms sidelined classical studies in favor of science and Marxist theory. Yet folk customs quietly kept rites alive—ancestor worship at rural festivals, Confucian wedding reenactments, community “civilization practice centers” in modern China all draw from those very chapters once labeled archaic.

Today’s digital-humanities projects are breathing fresh life into the Liji. High-resolution scans, interactive apps and global translation efforts invite a new generation to explore its wisdom. Contemporary anthropologists compare Liji rituals with indigenous ceremonies worldwide, finding surprising echoes in how communities mark birth, marriage and death. Meanwhile, China’s Cultural Heritage Day events and university–government partnerships underscore Xi Jinping’s call for “China’s spiritual revival,” using Confucian rites to foster social cohesion.

From imperial court to social-media hashtag, the Book of Rites remains a living conversation between past and present—proof that ancient rituals never stay locked in time.