Marco Polo described the whitewashed walls of Kublai Khan's Imperial city as being a mile long on each side and topped with battlements. The southern wall had five gates, the center and largest one reserved for the exclusive use of the Khan. Inside each corner and at the centers of the walls were storehouses, each holding a separate type of equipment such as horse tack, archery supplies, or armor.

The Imperial enclosure contained an artificial body of water that had been created by the Jin, the Taiye Pond, which was fed by local rivers and streams. On the east side of this were three main public buildings, the largest of which was the Daming Dian, the main audience hall. The smallest, the Yude Hall, was where Kublai Khan died in 1294. There were numerous smaller buildings which housed the offices of the government. The elaborateness and usage of traditional Chinese architectural design of the public buildings was meant to establish a legitimacy with the Mongols' new Chinese subjects. But within the privacy of walls of the compound, the Mongol rulers often resorted to living in their accustomed tents.

The Daming Dian was only one story, but it was raised up on stilts. The open space beneath was circled by a marble wall which was wide enough to create a sort of terrace where members of the court could walk and talk undisturbed. Xiao Xun, a Ming dynasty official, described the Yuan palace, which at that point was about to be razed and replaced.

"Daming Hall is raised on a base about five chi [roughly one third of a meter, or about five and a half feet high]. In front, at the south side, is the stairway, of three steps. Surrounding the hall is a marble balustrade carved with figures of dragons and phoenixes. Each vertical post of the balustrade rests upon a sea dragon, whos head protrudes beyond the edge of the terrace. Every outside pillar of the hall is square in shape, about five to six chi is width, and decorated with raised flowers, golden dragons, and clouds, on top of which are carved decorations three or four chi high...In the center of the ceiling is a pair of coiling dragons. On all four sides of the hall are golden and red mullioned windows with gold leaf attached to the intervening spaces."

Marco Polo paid more attention to the elaborate design of the palace, describing the highly varnished roof of red tiles and the high ceilinged room beneath, with its walls covered with gold and silver, and decorated with dragons, birds, horsemen, animals, and battle scenes, where he wrote that 6000 people could dine at once.

In the rear of this palace, were many chambers and apartments which served as storage for the Khan's possessions and treasures. Also situated on the east side of the pond were the Fulong Gong, or palace, residence of the empress, and the Xinglong Gong, where the Imperial concubines lived.

Further beyond the Daming Dian was the North Garden, which featured raised pathways through lush parks, teeming with game animals of all sorts. The lake, which could be crossed by means of a bridge, was home to swans and other water birds. Beneath its waters were many varieties of fish which were trapped from escaping into the feeder streams by means of iron and copper grates. Kublai Khan was fond of evergreen trees, and whenever he saw a fine specimen, no matter its size, he ordered it to be transplanted to his north garden, for which task elephants were often called into service. Here he had also raised a hill called the Green Mound which commanded an excellent view from his pavilion atop it. On the other side of the Taiye pond were the Xingsheng and Longlu palaces, residences of the empress dowager and the crown prince, Temur, along with smaller gardens.


Sources:
Harper, Damian. Lonely Planet: Beijing City Guide. Lonely Planet Publications, 2005
Lane, George. Daily Life in the Mongol Empire. Greenwood Press, 2006.
Latham, Ronald, trans. The Travels of Marco Polo. The Folio Society, 1997.
Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. Chinese Imperial City Planning. University of Hawaii Press, 1990.
Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman, editor. Chinese Architecture. Yale University and New World Press, 2002.