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Modeling Heaven and Earth: Layout of the First Capital City in Imperial China

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Modeling Heaven and Earth: Layout of the First Capital City in Imperial China Modeling Heaven and Earth: Layout of the First Capital City in Imperial China Wu Tinghai (School of Architecture, Institute of Architectural and Urban Studies, Tsinghua University, [email protected]) Xu Bin (The Palace Museum, [email protected]) Wang Xuerong (Cultural Heritage Protection and Research Center, Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, [email protected]) Abstract: The planning and layout of Xianyang, the first capital city in imperial China, reflects a characteristic of “modeling heaven and earth” (xiang tian fa di), which was founded along with the establishment of the central autocratic system, in order to demonstrate the national unification and the emperor’s authority. Based on the historic literature, the archaeological materials and the recovery of star maps, two types of “modeling heaven and earth” in Xianyang’s planning are revealed in this paper. One is the model of “Heng Qiao Nan Du” (across the River Wei through the Bridge Heng toward the south) in the period of the King of Qin Zhaoxiang, the other is the model of “E Pang Du Wei” (across the River Wei from the Front Palace of Epang) in the period of the First Qin Emperor. The in-depth social and cultural background underlying these two models is also explored. Ultimately, it is declared that the practice of Xianyang has formed a new stream of “modeling heaven and earth” in the history of capital city planning in imperial China. Key words: Capital city planning, Xianyang in Qin Dynasty, modeling heaven and earth 1 Introduction There is a long-lasting and self-contained civilization in China, which has survived through all the changes of dynasties in history and significantly influenced the development of the world’s civilization. As the first empire of imperial China, the Qin Dynasty is a crucial period of the establishment of the territory, the nationality, the political system and the academic thought.1 In the book of Hanshu (the history of the Western Han), the capital city is called “the region of prime virtue”, which means the place representing the highest level of the national civilization. Thus, Xianyang, the capital city of Qin, is the focus of researchers concerning the history of capital city planning in imperial China. The planning and construction history of Xianyang can be dated from the twelfth year of the Duke of Qin Xiao (305 BC) to the death of the Second Emperor of Qin (206 BC), a total of 144 years. During that time, Xianyang has transformed from the “capital city of a state” to the “capital city of an empire”. Tracing the process of changing will help us to understand the planning theory and method of Qin and its profound impact on the subsequent dynasties. Researchers of historical geography and archaeology have made a series of achievements, which revealed the development of Xianyang starting from the north bank of the River Wei, then gradually expanding to the south bank, and finally forming the overall layout of “the River Wei across the city” (wei shui guan du). The relics or architectural remnants discovered are Xianyang Palace, Ganquan Palace, Palace of the Six States, Lanchi and Lanchi Palace, Wangyi Palace, Bimo Mausoleums on the north bank of the River Wei, and Bridge Heng across the river, as well as the Temple of Ancestors, Zhangtai Palace, Xingle Palace, Shanglin Gardens, Zhiyang Mausoleums, the Altar of Land and Grain, the Temple of the First Qin Emperor, the Front Palace of Epang, Lishan Mausoleum on the south bank of the River Wei, etc.2 Questions would be naturally raised facing these scattered sites, such as what the spatial pattern is, and what the planning theory is behind the pattern. To answer these questions, it is necessary to carry out further study. This paper will explore the theory and method of Xianyang’s planning from the perspective of the characteristic of “modeling heaven and earth” in Xianyang. 2 The model of “E Pang Du Wei” in the period of the First Qin Emperor The tradition of recording history was formed even in Early China. Sima Qian, the 1 Qian Mu (1994) 2 Jiao Nanfeng at al. (2008) court historian of the Western Han Dynasty who wrote Shiji (Records of the Historian), recorded the history of Qin in two chapters: the Annals of Qin (history before the First Qin Emperor) and the Annals of the First Qin Emperor. The latter is regarded as the most famous work and the longest article of Shiji. The Annals of the First Qin Emperor contains a full text of more than 13000 characters (excluding the punctuations), recording important events through the whole life of the First Qin Emperor (259 BC to 210 BC) in a chronological order. The events cover a time span from the year of ascending the throne (246 BC), to the demise of the Qin Dynasty (206 BC). It is the fundamental material of studying the First Qin Emperor and his capital city Xianyang. To our delight, in the section of “The Thirty-fifth Year”, Sima Qian took notes of the planning and construction details of Xianyang, which revealed the First Qin Emperor’s intention of making Xianyang the capital city of the Empire. We read: In the thirty-fifth year a highway was built through Jiuyuan to Yunyang. To make it straight, hills were razed and valleys filled. The emperor said, “Xianyang is overcrowded and the palaces of the former kings are too small. I have heard that King Wen of Zhou had his capital at Feng, King Wu at Hao. The region between Feng and Hao is fit to be an imperial capital.” He had palaces constructed in the Shanglin Gardens south of the River Wei. The Front Palace of Epang, built first, was five hundred paces from east to west, and five hundred feet from south to north. The terraces above could seat ten thousand, and below there was room for banners fifty feet in height. One causeway round the palace led to the Mount South and made it the gateway of Epang; another led across the River Wei to Xianyang, just as the Heavenly Corridor in the sky leads from the Apex of Heaven across the Milky Way to the Royal Chamber. After the completion of this palace, the emperor wished to choose a good name for it. But before it was done, the palace was commonly called Epang, which meant the location surrounded by rivers and hills. The emperor gave orders for the two hundred and seventy palaces and pavilions within two hundred li of Xianyang to be connected by causeways and covered walks and furnished with hangings, bells, drums and beautiful ladies, each in the appointed place.3 The words above indicated that the planning of Xianyang in the thirty-fifth year by the First Qin Emperor was characterized by “modeling heaven and earth”. Several researches have been carried out: Du Zhongchao (1997), Wang Xueli (1999), and 3 Mostly according to Yang Xianyi and Dai Naidie (2008) Chen Xibo (2000) illustrated that Xianyang Palace represented the Apex of Heaven, the River Wei represented the Milky Way, Epang Palace represented the Royal Chamber, and the causeway connecting the two palaces represented the Heavenly Corridor. However, Wang Xueli (2000) had another opinion, which considered Epang Palace as the Apex of Heaven, and Xianyang Palace as the Royal Chamber. This paper would support the second view for its coordination with the original texts. The sentence, “Another (causeway) led across the River Wei to Xianyang (Palace), just as the Heavenly Corridor in the sky leads from the Apex of Heaven across the Milky Way to the Royal Chamber”, means that the Apex of Heaven is equivalent to Epang Palace, the Royal Chamber is equivalent to Xianyang Palace, the Milky Way is equivalent to the River Wei, and the Heavenly Corridor is equivalent to the causeway. We will explicate it as below. Firstly, it is supported by the spatial structure of Xianyang in the thirty-fifth year, in which the new palace in Shanglin Gardens is the center of the city. What the First Qin Emperor said revealed his intention to build a new center in “the region between Feng and Hao”, which specifically located in “the Shanglin Gardens south of the River Wei”. It shows that the center of the capital city had been transferred from the north of the River Wei to the south. As the first and most important building, the Front Palace of Epang, was quite magnificent in terms of its scale in length (five hundred paces, approximately 600 meters), width (five hundred feet, approximately 120 meters), and height (fifty feet, approximately 12 meters). 4 The sentence, “the causeway led to Mount South and made it the gateway of Epang”, also shows that, in the First Qin Emperor’s opinion, the front palace and the natural mountain, which is approximately 25 kilometers south away were considered as a whole. Along with the construction of the new center, the range of Xianyang expanded to “the area within 200 li” (approximately 72 kilometers). From figure 1, we can see that the area was defined by the natural borders of Mount North, Mount South, and Mount Li on the east. The palaces, mausoleums and gardens, which satisfied the main function of the capital city, distributed within this area. 4 The relic of the Front Palace of Epang discovered by archeologists is 1320 meters from east to west, 420 meters from south to north, and 8 meters above the ground, according to Li Yufang, Sun Fuxi, Wang Zili, and Zhang Jianfeng (2008). It is wider and longer, while lower, than what recorded in Shiji.
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