“According to legend the Forbidden City
numbers 9,999 rooms, a highly symbolic figure since 9 represents the power of
the principle of yang at its peak” (Morel 18). Morel states that the legend also explains
that the 9,999 rooms were built because it is believed that heaven consist of 10,000
rooms. If the legend true, I believe the 9,999 rooms could have been a symbol
the emperor used to show his elite god like status.
Béguin, Gilles, and Dominique Morel. The Forbidden City: Center of Imperial China. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1997. Print.