CHINESE ARCHITECTURE

HISTORY
• Only ancient civilization that
has continued to this day
• Succession of emperors and
dynasties and warring states
• 1750 BC, a kingdom
emerged in the middle
reaches of the Yellow River
in China, ruled by Shang
Dynasty
• Lasted 1000 years but broke
up into many smaller
kingdoms
HISTORY
• 221 BC, Shi Huangdi of Chin took control and
became the first emperor of China
• Ruled with armies and officials
• Organized huge number of laborers to work for
him
• Built the Great Wall of China to repel northern
enemies
• Terra-cotta army of 6000 life-size soldiers, horses
and chariots was buried with the emperor
• Shi Huangdi died in 210 BC, Chin dynasty was
replaced by Han and western Jin dynasties
History of Ancient China
History of China has been divided into 4 eras:
• Prehistoric Era
• Ancient China
• Imperial China
• Republican China (or Modern Era)
History of Ancient China
• Ancient China ranges from 2100 BC till 221 BC and is subdivided into 3 dynasties,
namely;

• Xia dynasty (c. 2100 – c. 1600 BC)

• Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC)

• Zhou dynasty (1046–221 BC)

• Spring and Autumn period (722–476 BC)

• Warring States period (476–221 BC)
Xia Dynasty
• Xia dynasty is related to the excavations at Erlitou
in central Henan province, where a bronze
smelter from around 2000 BC was unearthed.
• Early markings from this period found on pottery
and shells are thought to be ancestral to modern
Fig. Zhou bronze vessel
Chinese characters.
• With few clear records matching the Shang oracle
bones or the Zhou bronze vessel writings, the Xia
era remains poorly understood and little is known
about the architecture of Xia Dynasty.
• According to mythology, the dynasty ended
around 1600 BC as a consequence of the Battle of
Mingtiao. Fig. Shang oracle bones
Shang Dynasty
• Archaeological findings providing evidence
for the existence of the Shang dynasty, c.
1600–1046 BC, are divided into two sets.
• The first set comes from sources at
Shangcheng. The second set is at An-yang, in
modern-day Henan. The findings at An-yang
include the earliest written record of Chinese
past so far discovered.
• In the cities people lived in rectangular
houses laid out in rows, built of wood and
rammed earth. In the center of the city,
there was a big palace or temple on a high
earth platform. One building at An-yang was
a big hall with pillars all the way around it.
Shang Dynasty
• These buildings can be compared to Greek temples
from around 800 BC, which also have wooden
columns all the way around them and thatched,
slanted roofs.
• There was a city wall of rammed earth around the Fig. Shang Dynasty Altar
Shang capital at An-yang. These were built by piling
up dirt and pounding it until it was as hard as rock.
• Other people at that time were building rammed
earth altars, in circular patterns like this one to
worship Heaven, and square ones to worship Earth.
• In the summertime, people moved out of their dark
sod houses and lived instead in a tree-house built on
a wooden platform, with the roof made of poles and
branches. Living high up in the air kept them safe Fig. Shang Dynasty city wall around Zhengzhou
from animals and snakes.
Zhou (Chou) Dynasty
• The Zhou dynasty was the longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history, from 1066
BC to approx. 256 BC. By the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the Zhou dynasty
began to emerge in the Yellow River valley, overrunning the territory of the
Shang.
• There had been a lot of big palaces and shrines. These palaces were built mainly
of big wooden beams. They had rammed earth walls, like the buildings of the
Shang Dynasty. They had courtyards. Archaeology tells us that some of these
buildings had clay roof tiles.
• Rich people's houses already looked a lot the way rich people's houses looked in
later China, with walls around them and courtyards and more private areas for
the women in the back.
• The Zhou emperors made laws about how fancy house could be. Only the
emperors were allowed to have artists carve their pillars and paint them red. Only
the very richest families could paint their pillars black. People who were not so
rich painted their pillars yellow.
Social Influence
• Foreign trade by land and
sea
• Theorists, schools of
philosophy Confucius,
Lao-Tzu
• Writing, calendar and
money
• Arts, painting, calligraphy,
architecture
Religious Influence
Religious and ethical influences:
• Confucianism, code of social conduct
and philosophy of life, family and
ancestor worship
• Taoism, universal love as solution to
social disorder
• Buddhism
Geographical Influence
• Larger than Europe in area, 1/13 of
total land area of the world
• Mountainous with extensive fertile
valleys, great plains and deserts,
excellent harbors
Geological Influence
• Metals, trees, bamboo, clay
Architectural Character
PRINCIPLE OF BALANCE
• Balance and symmetry
• The main structure of a building is supported by its axis
• The secondary structure are two rooms are arranged
either on the side to form a center room or open space
• Distribution of space
• Other buildings and gardens followed the method of
free combination
• Sense of flow
Types of Ancient Chinese Architecture
Classification by structure:

• Chinese Pavilions
• Terraces
• Storeyed Pavilions
Chinese Pavilions
• Covered structures without surrounding walls
• Types: round, square, triangular

Practical function:
• Used for military and governmental purposes
• As a place for rest
• As a roof to a stone tablet

Aesthetic function:
• Pavilions provided a place to sit and enjoy the
scenery, and they also became part of the
scenery itself, being attractive structures
Terraces
• As an ancient architectural structure of
Chinese, the Tai was a very much
elevated terrace with a flat top,
generally built of earth and stone and
surfaced with brick

Functions of Terraces:
• As an observatory
• As beacon towers along the Great Wall
• In honor of the sincere friendship
Storeyed Pavilions
• Were like simple pavilions stacked on
top of each other

Functions of Storeyed Pavilions:

• Used in ancient times for the storage
of important articles and documents
• A place where educated men used to
gather to write articles and hold
banquets
• Used for enjoying the sights
Classification by function
• Imperial Palaces
• Traditional Chinese Gardens
• Altars and Temples
• Religious Structures
• Tombs and Mausoleums
Imperial Palaces
• Usually built on a grand scale,
closely related to imperial
sovereignty and were also
constructed for the entertainment
of rulers
• Where emperors lived and
administered their court during
their reign
• Most revered, luxurious, and
grandiose architectural types from
ancient China
• The ancient palaces were
strictly laid out on central axis
• Yellow roof tiles were used
• Wooden columns of the
buildings, as well as the
surface of the walls, tend to
be red in color
• Chinese dragon was heavily
used on Imperial Architecture
Traditional Chinese Gardens
• Most distinguishing feature
is their natural mountain
and water style
• Chinese Garden Architecture
includes both grand imperial
gardens and delicate private
ones
Altars and Temples
• Built in ancient China were meant
for practice of rites

Three categories:
• Imperial temples and altar for
worshipping of Heaven, Earth,
Sun, Moon, and the imperial
ancestors
• Commemorative temples for dead
people of great virtue
• Family temples
Religious Structures
Taoist Temples
• Holy hall where Taoists perform
their religious ceremonies

Buddhist Temple Construction

• Includes Buddhist temples,
monasteries, pagodas, Buddhist
halls, and grottoes
Tombs and Mausoleums
• People of all social classes had
their tombs carefully built
• Over the centuries, the craft of
tomb construction gradually
merged with arts like painting,
calligraphy, and sculpture
• Eventually became its own art
form
Architectural Features
DOUGONG MAGUIJA
• Bracket sets • Timber frames
Architectural Features
TAIZI COURTYARD
• Podium
Architectural Features
WU’ DING
• Roof
1) Renzi Xuan Shan
2) Renzi Yin Shan
3) Juan Peng
4) Lu Ding
5) Fudian
6) Xie Shan
7) Conical Cuan Jian
8) Pyramidial Cuan Jian
9) Renzi with Parapet Wall
Architectural Features
TAI-LIANG CHUAN DUO
• Pillars and Beam • Pillar and Transverse Tie Beam
EXAMPLES
PAGODAS
• Buddhist temple, most typical Chinese
building of religious significance
• Later gained a secular nature: monuments
to victory or a memorial to hold relics
• Based on the Indian stupa and stambha
EXAMPLES
PAGODAS
• Octagonal in plan
• Odd number of stories, 9 or 13
• Roofs projecting from each of its many
floors, turned up eaves
• Slopes inwards to the top
EXAMPLES
PAI-LOU
• Monumental,
ceremonial gateway and
basic symbolic structure
in Chinese architecture
• Erected as memorials to
eminent persons
• Led to temples, palaces,
tombs or sacred places
• Related to the Indian
torana and Japanese torii
EXAMPLES
PAI-LOU
• Trabeated form, in stone
or wood
• Bold projecting roofs
• 1, 3 or 5 openings
EXAMPLES
TEMPLES
• Chief feature was the roof
• Supported on timber uprights
and independent of walls
• A sign of dignity to place roofs
one over the other
• Up-tilted angles, with dragons
and grotesque ornaments
• Lofty pavilions, 1 storey each
• Successive open courts and
porticoes, kitchens, refectories,
sleeping cells for priests
EXAMPLES
PALACES & HOUSES
• Imperial places and official residences
• Isolated, 1-storeyed pavilions
resembling temples
• Governed by building regulations
limiting the dimensions and number of
columns
• emperor - 9 bays
• prince - 7
• mandarin - 5
• ordinary citizen - 3
EXAMPLES
FORTIFICATIONS • 6 to 9 m high, with 1.5 m high
The Great Wall of China parapets
• Most famous of ancient Chinese • Base is 7.6 m thick, 4.5 m thick
buildings at top
• by Shi Huangdi • Paved road wide enough for 5
horses to run abreast
• 3700 miles long, from Pacific
Ocean to Gobi Desert • 25,000 towers, 12 m high and
700 ft apart (2 bow shots apart)
• Mostly gray granite blocks, but
also used whatever materials
were available in the locality
EXAMPLES
FORTIFICATIONS
The Great Wall of China
Famous Ancient
Chinese Structures
Great Wall of China
• Built in 220-206 BC
• By first Emperor of China, Qin
Shi Huang
• Protection and border control
purposes
• Length: Approximately 21,196
km
Famous Ancient Chinese
Structures
FORBIDDEN CITY
• Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace
• Built from 1406 to 1420
• Largest ancient palatial
architecture in the world
• Built to showcase the
extravagant lifestyles of the
emperors
Famous Ancient
Chinese Structures
TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
• Built from 1406 to 1420 during
the reign of the Yongle Emperor
• For annual ceremonies of prayer
to Heaven for good harvest
REFERENCES
• https://www.slideshare.net/Arsalanahmedmalik/ancient-chinese-
architecture