Mapping Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Imperial Rituals in the Forbidden City: An Experiential Study on EcoPoetry and VocalAesthesis in Natural Environments

Abstract

Viewing ritual as a distinctive form of social performance, this study adopts an interdisciplinary approach to explore how “order” was structured in the ritual environment of the Ming China, using dailou tu (paintings of officials awaiting court) and chaoyi (court ritual). Through visual analysis supported by a series of diagrams, this paper identifies three key characteristics that define the spatial logic of Ming imperial rituals. First, ritual order emerges from the interaction among time, action, and space. Time was conveyed through auditory signals at the court ritual by drums, bells, and whips, which directly regulate participants’ positioning and movement, reconfiguring the established spatial structure of imperial architecture. This interaction establishes spatiotemporal units and sequences that correspond precisely to specific ritual stages, forming the foundational structure of the Ming dynasty “ritual space”. Second, although time and space functioned as separate systems within the imperial ritual space, they were not equivalent. Through the use of three distinct auditory signals, the imperial ritual detached time from the ordinary temporal order which thereby became the dominant force in structuring a non-ordinary temporal framework. The cultural and symbolic connections between “the present” and “the past” reinforce time as the more stable element within the ritual spatiotemporal pattern. Third, from a ritual perspective, the Ming imperial city had no fixed or absolute spatial “centre”. Various architectural elements, such as halls and gates functioned as “temporary centres” depending on specific ritual context even if they were not located at the centre. In short, the Ming imperial city’s ritual space operated both as an instrument of ordering and as a product of that very ordering process. The dynamic zoning patterns revealed in the ritual practices of Beijing’s imperial city constitute a critical dimension for understanding the spatial logic of China's built environment.