부산대학교 도서관

See also China; China: Architecture. The palaces of the Chinese emperors comprised enclosed cities within the capital, where the emperor lived remote from the rest of the world, attended by women, eunuchs, and high-ranking courtiers. The imperial palace consisted of groups of buildings, each devoted to a specific activity, erected on terraces and laid out on a general north–south axis with linking courtyards, passages, and verandas. Architecturally, the main structural features of palaces were the same as those used in religious and domestic buildings, though usually on a much larger scale. The oldest known Chinese palace that deserves the name, dating to the first half of the 2nd millennium bce, was discovered in the early 1970s at Erlitou, Henan Province, although only the platforms of rammed earth and the holes for columns have survived. The main platform, its sides aligned to the cardinal directions, is almost square and measures 108 m east–west and 100 m north–south. Several buildings stood on the platform, including a building (30 × 11.5 m) on its own small platform north of the main one. The main platform was encircled by a wall with porticos; a wide gateway was erected in the south side. Archaeological evidence shows that the buildings used the upright beam construction typical of China. Columns standing on stone bases encircled the building at regular intervals, supporting the roof. The overhang was additionally supported by posts placed in front of the columns, a feature not found in later periods. The term 'palace' was applied to this complex by archaeologists because the nature and size of the remains gave evidence of a residence of the highest rank....