The architecture of the forbidden City in Beijing reflects the worldview of the Chinese, a philosophy that is expressed in the way the buildings are arranged and designed, a philosophy that also reflects the function for which the buildings are intended. This style of architecture has been emulated both in China and in structures outside of China that have been built in Chinese communities.
Beijing, once called Peking in the West, served as the capital of China for six dynasties over six centuries, and the capital has been modified and maintained continuously over that time. The city is made up of the northern Inner City and the southern Outer City, and the city as a whole is made up of numerous smaller walled-in courtyards. Against this background a core of structures stands out more meaningfully in the orderly design, and these make up the Forbidden City and its long avenue of approach from the south with all the gates and yards enhancing each significant stage of procession. A temple is the house of God and can only be read by man from the outside in, but the city of man, as Beijing is and as the Forbidden City is, can be read both from within and from without. In this case, the resident begins from the center, and the stranger begins from outside the gate. The central group of buildings is vital to understanding the whole composition. In the center are the San-tien, or the three halls of T'ai-ho, Chung-ho, and Pao-ho. They occupy an I-shaped platform of three tiers that also divide the palace city into three parts. These are the ceremonial center of the royal house and are also symbolically the center of the nation as well. Behind the San-tien is the private courtyard of the emperor's household, with a group of three buildings in similar composition dominating that courtyard. In each group, the central square building has a roof that shows a meeting point of the axes. After this, the world of man is a sequence of ...