Function and Space: An Analysis on the Construction of Linan Palace City during the Reign of Emperor Gaozong in southern Song Dynasty

As a key issue of the functional fulfillment of the de facto capital,the construction of the Linan palace city was confronted with dilemmas,on account of its spatial features.The functional improvement and spatial structural formation of the palace city were strictly confined by the factors mentioned above.When operated as the temporal palace city,it was used abnormally,such as the utilization of the basilicas and gates,and the distribution of the inner institutions.As the most important project of palace construction after 1138,the two anterior basilicas,She Dian and Chuigong Dian,were designated to accommodate the various audiences,which witnessed the conflict and negotiation between the institutions of the Song and the space of Linan palace city.Especially,She Dian,whose functions combined those of other basilicas of the Northern Song and whose names changed temporarily along with the variation of functions,struggled to undertake the rituals,due to its limited scale and incomplete facilities.The grand audience on the Lunar New Years Day in 1145,conducted at She Dian,intensively presents the tension between function and space.This tension was testified by the layout of palace city as well.The Southern Song Linan palace city,into which the functions of the unconstructed outer court were integrated,was structurally synonymous with the inner court of the Northern Song Kaifeng palace city.