The Forbidden City in Beijing was the emperors' palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is also called "zijincheng (the Purple Forbidden City)". Though its walls are red and its roofs are yellow, the palace's name mentions the color purple. How did it get this name?
The character zi refers to the "ziwei star (Polaris, 北极星)". According to ancient Chinese astronomy (天文学), the ziwei star was surrounded by 28 other stars, meaning it was the heart of the sky. People believed that the palace of the God Emperor, which is called ziweigong, or ziwei palace, was located on this star. Chinese emperors were believed to be the sons of the God Emperor. It was believed that their palace on Earth should be just like the ziweigong in the sky. That's how the Forbidden City got its name.
In Chinese culture, many people believe that the color purple stands for good luck. This belief began with Laozi, the ancient philosopher (哲学家) and founder of Taoism (道教) who lived around 2,500 years ago. One day, when Laozi was traveling through the Hangu Pass (函谷关) in Henan from the east, a purple mist (薄雾) suddenly appeared in the air. It is believed that this mist was connected to Laozi in some way. This "purple air from the east" story made people believe the color was a symbol of great saints from that point on.
