The Throne Hall of Supreme Harmony
SI S ARCO POLO, in his quaint but fascinating description of Peking's A FA ancient palaces, gives us an excellent insight into what was undoubtedly in his day the finest Imperial hall in existence. The general plan of this > Palace of the Great Khan is not unlike the graceful Throne Hall of more modern times. Therefore it will not be out of place here to let the famous Venetian traveler tell us his impressions of the "Lord's Great Palace." Aster describing the plan of the Forbidden City as a whole, he waxes eloquent in his praise of this vast hall - 50 gorgeous and so unlike anything he had ever seen in European courts. This is what he says: "In the middle of the second inclosure is the Lord's Great Palace, and I will tell you what it is like. You must know that it is the greatest palace that ever was. The Palace itself hath no upper story, but is all on the ground floor, only the basement is raised some ten palms above the surrounding soil, and this elevation is retained by a wall of marble raised to the level of the pavement, two paces in width and projecting beyond the base of the Palace so as to form a kind of terrace-walk, by which people can pass round the building and which is exposed to view, whilst on the outer edge of the wall there is a very fine pillared balustrade; and up to this the people are allowed to come. The roof is very lofty, and the walls of the Palace are all covered with gold and silver. They are adorned with representations of dragons (sculptured and gilt), beasts and birds, knights and idols, and sundry other subjects, and on the ceiling, too, you see nothing but gold and silver and painting. (On each of the four sides there is a great marble staircase leading to the top of the marble wall, and forming the approach to the Palace.) "The Hall of the Palace is so large that it could easily dine six thousand people, and it is quite a marvel to see how many rooms there are besides. The building is altogether so vast, so rich, and so beautiful that no man on earth could design anything superior to it. The outside of the roof is also all covered with vermilion and yellow and green and blue and other hues, which are fixed with a varnish so fine and exquisite that they shine like crystal, and lend a respondent luster to the Palace as seen for a great way round. This roof is made, too, with such strength and solidity that it is fit to last forever." While perhaps not nearly so large as its predecessor of Marco Polo's day, the gorgeous T'ai Ho Tien, which for more than four centuries has graced the courts of the Forbidden City, is truly a wonderful work of engineering and Oriental art. [See opposite plate.) With its five-tiered marble terrace, and huge vermilion pillars, surmounted by colorful eaves and glorious double roof of glittering yellow glaze, this masterpiece of Yung La's day cannot but compare favorably with the ancient Mongol structure described above.
