An Analysis of Religious and Cultural Symbols in The Forbidden City

This essay delves into the religious and cultural symbolism embedded within the Forbidden City's design, once the palace for Ming and Qing Dynasty rulers in Beijing, China. It examines the architectural transformations influenced by imperial decisions, such as the shift from a six-palace to a four-palace compound, and the significance of various palace complexes like the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The essay highlights the use of symbols like the k’un, representing feminine entities, to remind consorts of their roles. Furthermore, it explores the strict adherence to Feng Shui principles in the Forbidden City's construction, including symmetrical layouts, the significance of curves, and the strategic planting of auspicious plants to manage energy flow. The essay references scholarly articles to support its analysis of the cultural and architectural significance of the Forbidden City.

Running head: THE FORBIDDEN CITY
THE FORBIDDEN CITY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1THE FORBIDDEN CITY

2THE FORBIDDEN CITY
The Forbidden City is currently a museum, but in the erstwhile period it served as a
palace of the former rulers of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty in Beijing China. It was
not just the political but also the center of rituals in China for over 500 years. In this essay, the
topic of discussion shall be focusing upon the religious and cultural symbols which have been
used in the design of the Forbidden City and how has the ancient tradition of house designing
Feng Shui been used in the design of the Forbidden City (Lei et al 2017).
With regard to the cultural symbols it can be said that the architectural style of the palace
had been subjected to transformation as and when the emperors have decided to change the
structure of the palace and its planning. The palace was transformed over the years of 1874 to
1884 and it was then when the original lay out of the palace from a six palace compound to a
four palace compound (Zheng 2017). The six palace compound or the triagram model
symbolized the stronghold of the Chinese patriarchal authority. When that was replaced by the
four palace layout, it implied that the authority of the ruler had been liquidated. The Forbidden
City is composed of several palace complexes and each of them symbolized a specific
significance. For example, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, which used to be the residence of the
Emperor before shifting to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The Palace of Heavenly Purity
symbolized the supreme status of the emperor and the grandeur of his kingdom. The consorts of
the emperor had a special symbol etched on their residences which resembled the shape of k’un.
It was one of the eight triagrams used in the ancient Chinese philosophy. The symbol was
significant as it signified mother and earth which were essentially feminine entities in Chinese
philosophy. The etching of the symbol was aimed at reminding the consorts of the role they were
supposed to follow and that they embodied feminity so they had to act and behave accordingly
(Morris 2015).

3THE FORBIDDEN CITY
The principle of feng shui has been strictly adhered to by the builders of the Forbidden
City, and it also serves as the best example of adherence to the principle in the world. The
Forbidden City has been built in a bilaterally symmetrical way and all other constructions,
gardens, courtyards and palaces within the complex have been symmetrically arranged. There
runs a straight axis through the palace complex and most of the constructions are on either side
of the axis. One can also find a lot of curves in the Forbidden City and they symbolized vitality.
Most of the curves were constructed in the east west buildings either in front of the building or at
the back. Feng Shui has also prescribed several plants to be auspicious and they have been
planted abundantly in the palace complex. The whole idea is to make the construction in a way
which shall not inhibit the positive energy, but shall prohibit the negative energy (Madeddu and
Zhang 2017).

4THE FORBIDDEN CITY
References
Lei, Zhongbin, Wei Wu, Guohua Shang, Yuqing Wu, and Julin Wang. "Study on colored pattern
pigments of a royal Taoist temple beside the Forbidden City (Beijing, China)." Vibrational
Spectroscopy 92 (2017): 234-244.
Madeddu, Manuela, and Xiaoqing Zhang. "Harmonious spaces: the influence of Feng Shui on
urban form and design." Journal of Urban Design 22, no. 6 (2017): 709-725.
Morris, Tisha. Decorating with the five elements of Feng Shui. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015.
Zheng, Yue. "Rereading and Analyzing of a Chinese Intrinsic Style. History and Theory of
Chinese Urban Modern Architecture." In 2017 3rd International Forum on Energy, Environment
Science and Materials (IFEESM 2017). Atlantis Press, 2018.