Dome

Context view, looking north from a position south and east of the hall, the three-tier marble terrace; The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. The five-by-five bay Hall of Middle Harmony (Zhonghe dian), built in 1420 in the form of a square pavilion, was a minor throne hall where the emperor rested before the great ceremonies. The light construction of this hall contrasts to the heavy ponderousness of the two on either side of it: only 256 sq. m in area, it is surrounded by an open colonnade, and all four walls have lattice window and door panels to allow light into the interior. Its name comes from a phrase in the Book of Changes that admonishes one to stay close to the mean (middle), avoiding all extremes. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 5/10/2011)