AtthecentreoftheInnerCourtisanothersetofthreehalls.Fromthesouth,thesearethePalaceofHeavenlyPurity,HallofUnion,andthePalaceofEarthlyTranquility.SmallerthantheOuterCourthalls,thethreehallsoftheInnerCourtweretheofficialresidencesoftheEmperorandtheEmpress.TheEmperor,representingYangandtheHeavens,wouldoccupythePalaceofHeavenlyPurity.TheEmpress,representingYinandtheEarth,wouldoccupythePalaceofEarthlyTranquility.InbetweenthemwastheHallofUnion,wheretheYinandYangmixedtoproduceharmony.PalaceofEarthlyTranquilityThebuildingsofthetwocourtswerelaidoutpreciselyinaccordancewithacodeofarchitecturalhierarchy,whichdesignatedspecificfeaturestoreflecttheparamountauthorityandstatusoftheemperor.Noordinarymortalwouldhavebeenallowedorevendaredtocomewithincloseproximityofthesebuildings.TheImperialGardenisinthenorthoftheInnerCourt.Thoughitiscalledagarden,allthestructures,roads,pondsandevenflowerbedsandplantsareregularandsymmetrical,withonlysomelocalchanges,differing,vastlyfromthefreepatternwhichisespeciallyemphasizedinChinesegardens.GettingthroughasmallsquaretothenorthoftheImperialGarden,onefindsShenwuMenwherethereisahightower.PassingthegatethroughthecitymoatleadsonetoJingshan,theendofForbiddenCity.Jingshanishighinthemiddleandlowonbothsides,inlinewiththeencirclinghill,ontheridgeofwhicharefivepavilions.TheForbiddenCityisthebestmodelinthedesignofacomplexofbuildingsinancientChinesearchitecturalart.Itenjoysahighreputationthroughouttheworld.Referringtoitinhisfamouswork,TheScienceandCivilizationofChina,JosephNeedham,awell-knownBritishscholar,said:Wediscoveraseriesofseparatespaceswhicharelinkedtoeachother...theyarecontrarytopalacesduringtheRenaissanceage,forexample,forexample,inVersailles,wherethevisualpointiscompletelyconcentratedinasinglestructure,andthepalaceisseparatefromthecity.Incontrast,China'sconceptisveryprofoundandcomplicated,becauseinacompositionofthepicturetherearehundredsofstructures,andapalaceitselfisonlyapartofagreaterorganicbodyoftheentirecitytogetherwithitscitywallsandstreets.TheChineseconceptisalsoextremelydelicateandchangeableinvolvingblendedinterests.HesaidthewholeformofChina'sgreatarchitecturehasbecomeanorganicpatternthatnoculturecansurpass.