What is the name of the wood used in columns of the Forbidden City?

Question:

What is the name of the wood used in columns of the Forbidden City?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The pillars of the most important halls were made of whole logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood found in the jungles of south-western China. The great pillars were rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty using multiple pieces of pinewood. The grand terraces and large stone carvings were made of stone from quarries near Beijing. The larger pieces could not be transported conventionally; wells were dug along the way, water was poured on the road in deep winter forming a layer of ice, and the stones were dragged along the ice.

The floors of major halls were paved with "golden bricks" baked with clay from six counties of Suzhou prefecture, near present-day Shanghai. Each batch took months to bake, resulting in smooth bricks that ring with a metallic sound. Most of the interior pavings are six century old originals.

The principal axis of the new palace sits to the east of the Yuan Dynasty palace, placing the Yuan palace in the western or "kill" position according to fengshui principles. Soil excavated during construction of the moat was piled up to the north of the palace to create an artificial hill, the Jingshan hill.
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