Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Architecture (1609) - Page 3

⚠The image is slightly faded in places; the character in the second column following "朝" is almost illegible but inferred from context to be "日" (Sun), corresponding with "夕月" (Evening Moon) in the row below.


Illustration of the Altar of the Soil and Grain	Illustration of the Altar of the Morning Sun?	Illustration of the Altar of the First Farmer	Illustration of a Three-Bay Ancestral Hall	Nine Palaces Diagram for Living Dwellings	Forty-eight Illustrations of Auspicious and Inauspicious Interior Forms for Living Dwellings
Illustration of the Altar of the Soil and Grain for Prefectures, Sub-prefectures, and Counties	Illustration of the Altar of the Evening Moon	Illustration of the People's Local Shrine	Illustration of a One-Bay Ancestral Hall	Diagram of the "East and West Four Dwellings" System

original: "Sheji Tan" (社稷壇). The "Soil and Grain" altars were among the most important ritual sites in China, symbolizing the state's foundation and its reliance on agriculture. Every administrative level, from the capital down to the county, was required to maintain one.

original: "Yangzhai" (陽宅). Literally "Dwellings of the Light (Yang)," this term refers specifically to houses for the living, as opposed to "Yinzhai" (tombs for the dead). Both were subject to strict geomantic (Feng Shui) rules.

Bay (Jian): The standard unit of Chinese architectural space, defined by the interval between four pillars. A "three-bay" hall is a medium-sized structure, while a "one-bay" hall is a smaller, simpler shrine.

Nine Palaces (Jiugong): A 3x3 grid used in cosmology and divination to map the flow of energy (Qi) within a physical space.

East and West Four Dwellings (Dongsi Xisi Zhai): A traditional Feng Shui system that categorizes houses and people into two groups—East or West—to determine the most auspicious orientations for entrances and rooms.

The "Altar of the First Farmer" (Xiannong Tan) was dedicated to Shennong, the mythical inventor of agriculture. Each year, the Emperor (or local officials) would perform a ritual plowing ceremony here to encourage the nation's farmers.