摘要
十七、十八世紀歐洲人開始對亞洲作比過去更詳細的紀錄與報導，其中最重要一部分是對中國京城圖像、城市佈局、皇權圖像、官僚體系與科舉制度等方面的探討，本文經由這批一手圖像史料與文獻，試圖分析啟蒙時代歐洲人如何模仿中國京城規劃理念、中國宮殿佈局與興建中國庭園，上流社會如何模仿中國禮儀，利用京城佈局表達中國開明君主用理性、井然有序的方法來規劃城市與有效治理國家。北京京城方格棋盤佈局在歐洲代表規律、理性、效率與開明思想，而紫禁城內中軸線的佈置則代表中國皇權集中思想，是所謂王者之軸線。正因為中國利用建築空間體現政治倫理秩序與道德尊卑觀念，在十七、十八世紀的歐洲受到俗世權力領導人及教會掌權者的喜愛，他們轉借其功能，為自我權力作辯護。京城圖像所呈現的理念影響歐洲開明君主的宮殿佈局，他們強調建立一條象徵國家新形象的中軸線及系統化規劃城市，之後，藉由宮殿規劃，也成為未來歐洲城市發展的基本理念之一，啟蒙現代西方城市。
並列摘要
During the 17th and 18th centuries the Europeans began to document on and to report on Asia in much more detail as compared to earlier times. The most important aspects of this work included illustrations of China's imperial city, on urban planning, illustrations of the Emperor's power and studies of the bureaucratic and examination systems. By making use of these first hand historical illustrations, this article attempts to analyse how during the period of Enlightenment Europeans imitated the planning concepts of China's imperial city, the arrangement of Chinese palaces and the design of Chinese gardens. This article also studies how the upper class imitated Chinese rites and used the layout of the Imperial City to express how an enlightened Chinese ruler with rational and orderly methods carried out urban planning and effectively ruled the country. The chequered layout of the Imperial City in Beijing symbolized for the Europeans regularity, reason, efficiency and open-mindedness. The layout of the Forbidden City along a central axis represented the centralised ideology of Chinese imperial power, this axis was considered the 'monarch's axis'. As in China architecture was used to express political ethics and the moral principles of respect and humility, these elements were to the liking of Europe's secular and religious rulers in the 17th and 18th centuries. They used the functions of these elements as a means to justify their own power.The ideas as expressed in the illustrations of China's Imperial City influenced the layout of palaces of Europe's enlightened rulers. They stressed the construction of a central axis and of systematic urban planning as a symbol of a new image for their countries. Lateron, through the planning of palaces, these elements also became the basic concepts for the future development of European cities and thus opened up the modern development of Western cities.