You see the throne over there at the centre of the hall? It was set on a two- meter high platform. T:What are the bronze animals around the platform? G:They are censers, from which the smoke of sandal-wood rose, filling the Hall with mist and fragrance and giving it a solemn and ethereal atmosphere. T:Yes, I can well imagine the solemn and ethereal atmosphere of the scene when the magnificent hall was rendered misty and fragrant by the smoke of sandalwood rising from these incensories, with the emperor in full attire on the throne and officials standing on both sides in reverence and deference.
