Huabiao in Tiananmen Square

There are two ceremonial columns made of white marble in Tiananmen Square, which is called Huabiao (refers to ornamental columns erected in front of palaces). On the surface of Huabiao is decorated with bas-relief depictions of dragons and clouds, near the top of the column is crossed by a horizontal stone board in the shape of a cloud. Seen from distant, it looks like a sword thrusting into sky, the vast sense of permanency is there in them.

 

Huabiao is the traditional Architecture of Chinese people with a long history.

 

It was said that the Huabiao was used as a road sign as well as a bulletin board which the pass-by could leave a message on. Huabiao came into being in Shun, a legendary leader traditionally dated to the 23rd-22nd century BC. At that time, people erected a wood column in the main road, it was used as a road sign, soon the post office also use it as a sign, they were called “Huanmu”. Because in the ancient time the “huan” is the homophone of the “hua”, so later they were called “huabiao”.

 

People can express their opinion on this wood column, so it was also called “Feibangmu”. “Feibang” means evil speaking in ancient Chinese, but now it means proposing opinion, so it functioned as a “complaint box”.

 

According to the historical documents, the Huanbiao in Shun era was shaped like a cross (near the top of a wood column crossed by a horizontal wood), which functioned as a road sign to show the directions. The Huabiao in Tiananmen Square remains the fundamental shape of the Huabiao in Shun era except a little change.

 

There is a mythic creature with its head to the opposite direction of the palace in front of Tiananmen Square, another mythic creature with its head to the direction of the palace in the back of Tiananmen Square. Legend is that this mythic creature is called “Hou”, who likes looking over. The mythic creature looking inside the palace hopes that the emperor go outside to see his people and not addict to the merrymaking, the mythic creature looking outside the palace hopes that the emperor come back to the court do the paperwork and not addict to the beautiful scenery in the country.

 

Hence the Huabiao is not only a simply decoration, but also a reminder of being a good emperor.