Numbers inside the Forbidden City Ⅱ

Are there 9999.5 rooms in the Forbidden City?

According to an old legend there are 9999.5 rooms in the Forbidden City, but that is not really the case. Based on the field surveys from historic building experts there are 8,707 rooms in the Forbidden City including all the palaces, halls, studios and pavilions.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony was designed according to a nine-by-five standard, displaying overwhelming imperial power. There are nine bays (rooms that are each marked by 4 poles) in length and five bays in width. The ratio of its length and width is nine to five.

Both nine and five carried special meanings in ancient Chinese architecture. Numbers can be divided into odds and evens, which fall into the categories of Yang and Yin respectively, the Chinese principle of opposing elements. Within the odds less than ten, nine is the highest one and five ranks in the middle. Accordingly, both nine and five connoted the supreme imperial power in ancient China.