Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
3.3
The Traditional Thought of “Facing the South
to Be Emperor”
Finally, what is to be explained more is that it has been emphasized more than once
above that in the palace construction of various dynasties in China, the traditional
thought of 'Facing the South to be Emperor' was embodied from the beginning to
the end, and the southward extension of the middle axis of the Beijing City in old
days again and again was also infl uenced by this traditional thought. Then from
where did come this kind of traditional thought?
So far as the answer of this question is concerned, the discovery by archaeolo-
gists has provided the most important reference materials.
In the early years of 1970s, the ruins of a palace of no later than early Shang
Dynasty were excavated at Erlitou, Yanshi County, Henan Province. At the middle
part of the palace hall, there is an obvious rammed terrace base, about 0.8 m high
above the present ground, 108 m in length from west to east, 100 m in width from
north to south. At the center of the southern part of the terrace base, there are ruins
of doors between eight bays in width. Located at the northern part of the center of
the terrace base 3.1 m thick, the palace hall is 36 m in length from east to west, 25 m
in width from north to south. In accordance with the arrangement of the pillar holes
round it, it can be concluded that this building is eight bays in width and three bays
in length. Slightly north of the base center there is the relic of the hall, 30.4 m in
length from west to east and 11.4 m in width from north to south. The whole build-
ing structure, with the hall as the principal part, faces southwards as shown in the
Fig.
3.5
.
5
In accordance with the restored fi gure made out of the above mentioned
discovery, the characteristics are much more explicit that the whole construction of
the palace faces the due south (Fig.
3.6
).
6
Therefore, it can be imagined that the palace hall in the Central Plains Region
(comprising the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River) in China from the
ancient time on faced the due south. Thereafter, this rule was inherited in successive
dynasties without exception. Hence, the so-called thought of Facing the South to
be Emperor gradually took shape in the ideology. This speciality of the dynasties
established in the China Central Plains is refl ected in capital planning and design of
successive dynasties.
The forming of this characteristic was closely related to the geographical envi-
ronment of the Yellow River Valley. The Yellow River Valley is located just at the
region where the semi-tropical monsoon climate of northern globe is most typical.
In winter, the high atmospheric pressure in the northwest of Asian continent is
formed and the cold and strong north wind attacks the middle and lower parts of
5
Erlitou Work Team, Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, “Brief Report
on the Excavation of Early Shang Palace Site in Yanshi County, Henan Province,”
Archaeology
(in
Chinese), vol. 6, 1974. Two palace remains were founded there. No. 2 palace site is 150 m north-
east to the no. 1 palace, with a smaller size and similar shape.
6
China Academy of Building Research,
Chinese Ancient Architecture
(in Chinese), China Building
Industry Press, 1983.
