NOTES ON THE SYMBOLISM OF 

 THE PURPLE FORBIDDEN CITY 



Which stands within the District of 

 "Obedience to Heaven." 



FLORENCE AYSCOUGH 



"There is nothing which Heaven and Earth do not cover or 

 support — equally with the rest." %. $Jj ffl£ ^ fg §£ 



"A Nation's ideals are scarcely ever the harbour-lights where 

 it casts anchor. They are the Beacons which flash a momentary 

 guidance across the dark paths of human wandering, the sparks 

 which reveal the quality of the fire from which the race derives 

 its dominant inspiration." (Pencil Speakings from Peking. 

 By A. E. Grantham, p. 18). 



Since the days of Marco Polo descriptions of Peking 

 have frequently appeared; in these, however, one of the most 

 important and interesting features of the Imperial buildings — 

 that is their symbolic character — has so far as I know not 

 been mentioned. This symbolism is based on the same 

 foundatio<ns from which Chinese civilisation itself has risen. 



An outstanding and peculiar characteristic of this civili- 

 sation and one in which it differs from all those extant, lies 

 in its conception of Leadership — Kingship, and to understand 

 this conception we must study the philosophy which is 

 expounded in the Classical Books of China. This philosophy 

 is discussed by Pere Amiot in "Les Mernoires concernant les 

 Chinois," Vol. II and is made clear by means of a diagram. 

 The following very terse epitome is given by T. T. Meadows 

 in his "The Chinese and Their Rebellions." 



All nature, animate and inanimate — the Universe in the 

 widest or proper sense of the word — is based on, and subsists 

 by an ultimate Entity, the specific or proper name of which 

 is T'ai Chi. This term rendered literally means the Grand 

 Extreme ; and it is intended to express the extreme point to 

 which man's speculations en the nature o>f existence have 

 been able to reach. As this Grand Extreme, which I have 

 just called an Entity, is absolutely immaterial, and as it 

 operates in the process by which the material universe is 

 produced in an invariable way, yet without intelligence and 

 without will, it may be viewed as a Law — as the fixed Order 



