stone surrounded by 9 concentric rings of stone. the number of stones in the first ring is 9, in the second ,18, up to 81 in the 9th ring. even the number of carved balustrades on these terraces is a multiplee of 9. but why?
according to ancient chinese philosophy, yin and yang were two opposing factors. heaven and the odd numbers belonged to yang while the earth and even numbers belonged to yin. nine was the largest heavenly number accessible to man . what is more, the ancient people also believed that heaven consisted of nine layers and that the emperor` s abode was on the uppermost tier.
once more look at the round stone in the center. the upper terrace is nine zhang (a chinese unit of length, one zhang equals 3.3 meters ) in circumference ,while the middle is 15 zhang, the lower, 21 zhang. classified as yang numbers, the sum of these numerals is 45 zhang which was meant to symbolized success. what is more, by applying the concept of odd numbers and strengthening nine and its multiples, the concept of heaven was thus illustrated and realized . the concept of nine will also be mentioned when we visit some other buildings.
now i will give you a brief account of what happened here annually on the inter solstice. the memorial tablet dedicated to heaven would be set up on the north side of the terrace, while tablets dedicated to the emperor `s ancestors would be enshrined on the flanks. the service would begin around 4 o` clock in the morning. all of the
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