Important halls, towers and pavilions in the old palaces of China normailly stand on terraces. These are bordered with marble balustrades; so are many historic bridges of stone. The upright posts or balusters supporting them, called wangzhu in Chinese, have heads sculpted in the shapes of dragons,phoenixes, lions, flames, and so on. They are not only highly ornamental but served to reflect hierarchical ranks.
Dragon-and-phoenix images on baluster heads were exclusive to imperial buildings. These legendary creatures, carved with clouds, are often plaved on top of the stone posts around audience halls, palace gates and halls of worship. They are, however, found in the greastest concentration around the group of buildings known as San Da Dian(The Three Great Hall) in Beijing‘Forbidden-City.
These halls stand majestic on a terrace of three tiers, each of which is surrounded by a white marble balustrade.The 1,460 balusters, viewed from a distance, look like a “Stone Forest” and give the halls an ethereal loftiness. This arrangement is unique to “The Three Great Halls” as the site where the emperor held grand ceremonies, received his ministers and issued important edicts. For people of a lesser rank to use this magnificent layout or the dragon-and-phoenix motif would be a crime punishable as high treason.
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