Jinbian 禁扁

Jinbian 禁扁 "The forbidden park" is a book on garden infrastructure written during the Yuan period 元 (1279-1368) by Wang Shidian 王士點 (died 1359), courtesy name Jizhi 繼志, from Dongping 東平 (in today's Shandong province). He co-edited with Shang Qiweng 商企翁 the records of the Secretariat Supervisors (Yuan mishu shangjian zhi 元秘書上監志), which holds considerable historical value.

The 5-juan long book was completed in 1330. The word in the title is first mentioned in He Yan's 何晏 (190-249) rhapsody Jingfu Dian fu 景福殿賦 from the very late Han period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE), though in the form 禁楄. The commentary on the rhapsody states, quoting the dictionary Shuowen jiezi 說文解字, that the words bian 扁 or pian 楄 referred to the gates and doors of a building, in this case, the entrance to the imperial gardens and parks.

Wang's Jinbian records in detail the names of palaces, halls, gates, temples, ponds, guesthouses, gardens, and imperial properties throughout history. The original Jinbian comprised five juan, containing a total of 116 entries across fifteen sections. It is the first specialised work in Chinese cultural history to systematically and comprehensively collect the names of various types of buildings. It is therefore of great significance for the study of ancient Chinese architectural nomenclature and its historical development. Through this work, one can verify the different names of individual buildings in various historical periods. For structures that are only documented in history without names, or whose physical remains survive but whose original names are lost, the book can help to supplement or correct their identification. By examining the naming of different buildings across eras, one can understand the social ideals, ethical concepts, aesthetic tastes, and religious sensibilities of people in various periods. As a result, the book provides valuable material for further research into the relationships between Chinese architecture and Chinese philosophy, aesthetics, religion, and literature.

Unfortunately, the book has attracted very little attention, and thorough, systematic academic research on it is virtually nonexistent.

The text is included in the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書.