-
Browse History
Print
Font
Size: 
"Nine"&Imperial Buildings in Beijing
With China's reform and opening up, Beijing is improving urban construction on an unprecedented scale. Its speed of development is astonishing and it brings about changes day by day. Around this graceful ancient capital, a large number of key national projects, massive infrastructure buildings have sprung up.
It may not be common knowledge among Western visitors that the number "nine" carried a special significance in old China. Ancient Chinese regarded odd numbers as masculine and even numbers as feminine. "Nine, " the largest single digit number, was taken as representing the "ultimate masculine" and was, therefore, symbolic of the supreme sovereignty of the emperor. For this reason, the number "nine" (or its multiples) is often employed in palace structures and designs. A noticeable example is the number of studs on palace gates. The studs are usually arranged in nine rows of nine each, totalling eighty-one. This is even true of the marble gates of the "underground palace" of the Dingling Mausoleum in Beijing: 81 (or 9 X 9) studs were carved out of the stone. If the visitor goes to the Temple of Guan Yu in Luoyang, he will also find on the red gate nine rows of nine wood studs each. This was because Guan was given posthumous honours of an emperor.
Ancient palaces generally consisted of nine courtyards or quadrangles; so does the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Shan-dong Province -a magnificent architectural complex worthy of an imperial household and testifying to the importance attached to the great sage by the courts of various dynasties.
The buildings of the Forbidden City of Beijing are traditionally measured as having a total floor space of 9,900 bays-some even say 9, 999 bays, which may be an exaggeration. The picturesque towers guarding the four corners of the palace compound have each 9 beams and 18 columns, and the three famous screen walls (in Datong and Beijing - see above article ) have nine dragons on each.
The number "nine" was sometimes combined with "five" to represent imperial majesty. The great hall on Tian'anmen is 9 bays wide by 5 bays deep.
It may not be common knowledge among Western visitors that the number "nine" carried a special significance in old China. Ancient Chinese regarded odd numbers as masculine and even numbers as feminine. "Nine, " the largest single digit number, was taken as representing the "ultimate masculine" and was, therefore, symbolic of the supreme sovereignty of the emperor. For this reason, the number "nine" (or its multiples) is often employed in palace structures and designs. A noticeable example is the number of studs on palace gates. The studs are usually arranged in nine rows of nine each, totalling eighty-one. This is even true of the marble gates of the "underground palace" of the Dingling Mausoleum in Beijing: 81 (or 9 X 9) studs were carved out of the stone. If the visitor goes to the Temple of Guan Yu in Luoyang, he will also find on the red gate nine rows of nine wood studs each. This was because Guan was given posthumous honours of an emperor.
Ancient palaces generally consisted of nine courtyards or quadrangles; so does the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Shan-dong Province -a magnificent architectural complex worthy of an imperial household and testifying to the importance attached to the great sage by the courts of various dynasties.
The buildings of the Forbidden City of Beijing are traditionally measured as having a total floor space of 9,900 bays-some even say 9, 999 bays, which may be an exaggeration. The picturesque towers guarding the four corners of the palace compound have each 9 beams and 18 columns, and the three famous screen walls (in Datong and Beijing - see above article ) have nine dragons on each.
The number "nine" was sometimes combined with "five" to represent imperial majesty. The great hall on Tian'anmen is 9 bays wide by 5 bays deep.
To do a quick search, highlighting any word(s) then click
Help!