K‘ung-ming took his leave, went forth and rode off with Lu Su to the mountains where they measured out the ground. He bade the soldiers build the altar of red earth from the south-east quarter. It was two hundred and forty feet in circuit, square in shape, and of three tiers, each of three feet, in all nine feet high. On the lowest tier he placed the flags of the twenty-eight “houses” of the heavens; on the east seven, with blue flags, on the north seven, with black flags, on the west seven, with white flags, and on the south seven, with red flags. Around the second tier he placed sixty-four yellow flags, corresponding to the number of the diagrams of the Book of Divination, in eight groups of eight. Four men were stationed on the highest platform, each wearing a Taoist headdress and a black silk robe embroidered with the phoenix and confined with wide sashes. They wore scarlet boots and square-cut skirts. On the left front stood a man supporting a tall pole bearing at its top a plume of light feathers to show by their least movement the wind’s first breathing. On the right front was a man holding a tall pole whereon was a flag with the symbol of the seven stars to show the direction and force of the wind. On the left rear stood a man with a sword, and on the right rear a man with a censer. Below the altar were two score and four men holding flags, umbrellas, spears, lances, yellow banners, white axes, red bannerols and black ensigns. And these were spaced about the altar.
Brewitt-Taylor · 1925 · public domain