Literally meaning “dew terrace” or “exposed terrace” (Kroll 285; 440), a lutai is a raised platform within a building complex. In the literature of the Han and Tang dynasties, lutai referred specifically to a structure built by Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty. The term later appeared in a large number of Song dynasty texts to indicate a space for the performance of theater, music, and dance in cities, private gardens, and temples, as well as the places at which sacrifices were made to the gods. There are also a few records that refer to the platform of the ramp of the city gate as a lutai (Li 2009,15.3b).
