CHINESE ARCHITECTURE

• indigenous system of construction – retained its principal characteristics

from prehistoric to the present
• traditional skills of Chinese architecture – still applied to construction of
vernacular architecture in rural areas

Geography/Geology
• Mountainous, fertile valleys in the middle and south, great plains in the
north
• Largest country in Asia
• Borders: Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal,
Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Korea
• Three Great River Systems:
• Yellow River or Huang He
• Yangtze River or Chang Jiang – longest river in the world
• Pearl River or Zhu Jiang
• North China – Yellow river; mostly flat and soil mostly for agriculture
• South China – Yangtze river; hilly
• Southwest China or Tibetan plateau – mountains and massive highlands

o Timber – principal building material

▪ Wood frame construction – most distinctive feature
▪ Timber buildings are raised on stone or brick platform
▪ Bamboo, pine and Persian Nanmu
o Bricks – glazed and colored
▪ Majolica – glazed tiles
o Clay tiles – colored and glazed with symbolic colors: black, red, azure, white
and yellow
▪ Colors determine the social status
• yellow - Imperial color
• blue roof tiles - symbolize the sky
• red - wooden columns and walls
• black - gods to descend on to the earth
▪ Used dragons, fish and grotesque ornaments
• decoration on the beams, pillars, and doors on Imperial
architecture
Limestone and sandstone – thresholds, stairs, balusters and engineering works
1
Climate
 Extreme cold to almost tropical
 North – cold strong winds fro Mongolia
 Effect:
o Orientation:
• north-south as major axis
• east-west axis as minor axis
 Chinese roof – outstanding architectural feature

Religion
 One of the greatest influence
 Temples and pagodas – chief structures
 Buddhism
 Taoism – Lao Tsu – doctrine of universal love as solution to social disorder:
main religion
 Confucianism – new code of social conduct and philosophy of life
 Concepts of the universe and beliefs about the future allied with
superstition, astrology and necromancy - controlled planning of
society, cities and buildings
 Indian context – Mandala
 Chinese Context
 Feng Shui – pseudo science – forces exist in every
locality which act on all buildings, towns and cities
 Yin-yang – how things work – dynamic equilibrium
 Islam – minority; pagoda like mosque

History
 Neolithic China 12,000-4,000BC
o Yangshao and Lungshan – agricultural communities, silk production,
pottery
o Xia dynasty – late neolithic cultures and Chinese urban civilization of
the Shang dynasty
o Shang dynasty – along Yellow river based on agriculture, hunting and
animal husbandry; spirit worship cult and belief in afterlife; court
rituals

2
 o Zhou dynastic 2000-256BC
• The Hundred School of Thought – Confucianism, Taoism,
Legalism, etc
• Mandate of Heaven; Son of Heaven
 Early Imperial China
o Qin Dynasty 221-206BC
• Emperor Qin Shi Huang – 1st Chinese empire
• Writing and currency
• Public works
 Great Wall built in the north as protection against
invasion
 Roads, irrigation, canals, palaces
 Famous terra cotta army
o Han Dynasty 207-220BC
• Silk weaving and copper work
• Irrigation systems in the north
• Education, government examination system for gov’t officials
o Three Kingdoms 220-265/280AD
• Buddhism spread all throughout China
o Sui Dynasty 580-618AD
• Reunification of China
• Grand Canal (longest canal in the world), building of granaries,
fortification of the Great Wall
o Tang Dynasty 618-907AD
• Return to prosperity
• Female empress, a concubine
o Five Dynasties 907-960AD
• Printing developed
• Practice of binding women’s feet
o Northern and Southern Song Dynasties 960-1279AD
• Technological invention, material production, political
philosophy, government and elite culture
• Use of gunpowder
• Foreign trade expanded with China having the best ships in the
world

3
  Later Imperial China
o Yuan Dynasty 1206-1368AD
• Ruled by foreigners – Mongols – Kublai Kahn
 Genghis Kahn – founder of the Dynasty
o Ming Dynasty
• Greatest era of orderly government and social stability
• Revival and expansion of Chinese culture
 Restoration of Grand Canal
 Repair and completion of the Great Wall
 Forbidden City 15th c.
o Qing Dynasty 1644-1911
• 2nd rule by foreigners – Manchu
• Opium Wars by Anglo-Chinese
• Boxer Rebellion – anti –foreign, anti-Christian movement

Traditional Chinese buildings

 One of the advantage of having an autocratic ruler was having standardized
and uniform features for construction, and this standards were recorded in
written manuals and drawings
 Ancient Chinese architecture – timber frame structure
o A wooden skeleton of structural pillars and beams was used to lift
the roof
o The wall treated as mere non-load bearing enclosure or curtains
providing flexibility for the walls

Architectural Character
 Structure 3 main components
 Podium - Platform
o Foundations: raised platforms – protection against damp and
flooding
 Column - Pillars and beam
• Large structural timbers for primary support
• Beams rest on raised stone pedestals or piles
• Beams tied together through brackets
• Structural connections: constructed with joinery and
doweling, seldom use glue or nails.

4
 o Walls
• Serves as privacy, defense
• Use of curtain walls or door panels to delineate rooms or
enclose a building
• Combination of wood, colored bricks, glazed tiles (majolica)
 Pitched Roof

Wooden Frame
 Wooden framing system support heavy tile
 The framework uses mortise and tenon joints, making it earthquake
resistant, no nails or glue
 Weight bearing frame provides flexibility for walls, windows, doors
 Two kinds of framing systems
o Pillars and beams (tailiang) - terraced beams - north
 load of the roof is transferred to the beam then to the pillars

o Pillars and transverse-tie-beams (chuandou) - south

 pillars are directly supporting the roof
 pillars and the horizontal tie beams are joined directly to the
columns to form an interlocking framework

5
Columns
 Set on a pedestal instead of being anchored to the foundation to prevent
moisture and termite
 Number of bays or space between columns - an important part of Chinese
architecture
o odd numbers are lucky, even numbers are unlucky
 Jian - space between columns

Roofs
 Decorative roof - from thatched roof to tiled roof
 Wide eaves of the roof protected the building from the sun in the summer
and allowed the sun in, in the winter months
 Hierarchy
 one roof over another in a courtyard complex
 house on the center is higher than on the sides
 Roofs – special feature
 Emphasis on horizontality
 Framework determines position of columns
 Projects out to protect walls from erosion and rainwater
 Curved roof with raised eaves enable more light to enter and for
better view
 Three main types of roofs – symbol of hierarchy:
 Straight inclined: most economical and most prevalent in
commoner architectures
 Multi-inclined: used from the dwellings of wealthy commoners
to palaces
 Sweeping: a sweeping curvature that rises at the corners of the
roof - reserved for temples and palaces
 ridges of the roof are highly decorated with ceramic
figurines.
Types of roof
 Fudian roof - hip roof used for important buildings
o characterized by 5 ridges, main and 4 sloping ridge
o all ridges are decorated with sculpture
o usually double eaved design to indicate importance
 Xie Shan roof - hip and gable
o secondary importance with nine ridges

6
 o combination of a Fudian roof and gable roof
 Types of Gable roof (commoner’s house)
• 5 ridges with two slopes or gables
o Ying shan – hard gabled roof
o Xuan shan – suspended gabled roof
 Pyramidal roof - used for small pavilions and less important buildings
 Cuan Jian roof - conical roof

 Roof apex
o ridge of tiles and statues for both decorative purposes and to weight
down the layers of roofing tiles for stability
o well decorated - especially for religious or palatial structures
• Wenshou - zoomorphic roof ornaments that occupy the roof
corners
 Number of wenshou shows the importance of the
buildings
o Wadang - eaves tile
o extended from the walls of the building to form matouqiang (horse-
head walls), serve as a fire deterrent from drifting embers
 Roof and ceiling decorations - symbolism
o Dragons (long) – symbolizes continuity and divinity
o Phoenix (feng) – affluence or good fortune
o Tiger – divine power and strength
 Color restricted to social status
o Yellow – emperor
o Green – 2nd to yellow
o Blue – symbol of heaven

Dǒugǒng
 corbel brackets (cap and block)
 most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture
 a unique structural element of interlocking wooden bracket (gong) inserted
between the top of a column and a crossbeam
 Consist of a double bow-shaped arm (gong) which supports a block of wood
(dou) on each side
 The interlocking wood are fit together by joinery, without nails or glue, and
repeated many times

7
  Essential to timber frame structure because the walls are non load-bearing
 Helps solve problems such as:
 Reduce beam span
 Brace wall sections above columns
 Support a wide eave
 Strengthen the frame

Traditional Chinese House

 Orientation: North-south provides a sunny, southern exposure to major
living spaces
 Hierarchical - internal organization reflects the orderliness of the universe
 From palaces to dwellings, the importance of a building or a room is based
on the strict placement in a property or complex
 For multiple courtyards, central courtyard and buildings are considered
more important
o Doors at front of the property - more important
o Doors away from the front of the property - least important
o for elder members of the family: South-facing center and middle
yard buildings
o for less senior members: East-west facing wing houses
o for servants: rear yard
o for rooms of celebratory rites and placement of ancestral halls and
plaques: Front-facing buildings
o Central courtyards and their buildings - more important than
peripherals
 Axial Planning – provides organized method – a sense of order and balance
o Square and symmetry with a prominent axis
 Inward planning around a courtyard
o Maximum linkage to outdoor space
o Represents unity of man and nature focusing on importance of the
family
 Courtyard: a common feature
o Siheyuan - an empty space surrounded by buildings connected with
one another either directly or through verandas.
o "Sky well" - an enclosed courtyard
 serve as vents for rising hot air

8
  Northern courtyards - facing the south to allow the
maximum exposure of the building windows and walls to
the sun
 Southern sky wells - serves to collect rain water from the
roof tops; restricts the amount of sunlight that enters
the building.
 Origin of enclosure, Feng shui,
o force Qi that is stored in the earth and moves and emerges from the
earth is best consolidated within an enclosure of mountains and
waterways
 Rooms or buildings are arranged according to hierarchy
 Uses of rooms in a typical two-courtyard house plan
o Main entrance
o Rooms facing the rear - for the servants if the family was well-off.
o First courtyard - cooking was carried out
o Second courtyard was a living space
o East and west-side rooms, for the sons and daughters, or the sons'
families
o Inner Hall - family greet guests or family ceremonies were held
o Main building - living space for parents
o Small side rooms - for the children and extended family members

Balance and Symmetry

 Emphasis on bilateral symmetry, which signifies balance
 Symmetry and the articulation of buildings are found everywhere from
common dwellings to palace complexes
 Reflects the aesthetic standard of harmony and symmetry in ancient
Confucianism and Taoist principles
 Chinese gardens tends to be asymmetrical
Principle: to create enduring flow
Horizontal emphasis
 Chinese architecture stresses the visual impact of the width of the
buildings.
o emphasis on the heavy platform and the large roof that floats over
the base
o the vertical walls are not well emphasized
o low ceilings for the halls and palaces

9
Cosmological concepts
 Feng Shui (geomancy) - organize construction and layout from common
residences to imperial and religious structures.
• Main tools: Compass and the Bagua.
• feng shui energy map or bagua - an octagonal grid
containing the symbols of the ancient oracle on which
feng shui is based
• Fu Lu Shou - Three anthropomorphic figures
representing legendary stars of blessings, prosperity, and
longevity
• Animals and fruits - symbolize good fortune and prosperity
 Screen walls to face the main entrance of the house - stems from the belief
that evil things travel in straight lines.
 Orienting the structure with its back to elevated landscape and water in the
front.
 Windowless back of the structure faces the north
 Ponds, pools, wells, and other water sources are built into the structure
 Use of certain colors, numbers and the cardinal directions in traditional
Chinese architecture
 Five feng shui elements:
 WOOD: Green, Brown
 FIRE: Red, Strong Yellow, Orange, Purple, Pink
 EARTH: Light Yellow, Sandy/Earthy, Light Brown
 METAL: White, Gray
 WATER: Blue, Black
 use color to strengthen and balance energy
 Black was the color of heaven, color of the Northern sky where the
North star is, king of all colors
 White symbolizes brightness, purity
 Red, good fortune and joy, used in columns and walls
 Yellow, color of the center, earth where yin and yang originates, the
most beautiful
 Green, symbolized bamboo shafts, represents youth and longevity
 Blue symbolizes the sky

10
Classification of Ancient Chinese Architecture
Classification by structure
 Gong (Palace) – traditionally palace or where the imperial family lives
o Initially were meant as ordinary house but grew large in scale
o Dian – large single building referred to as dadian (grand hall)
o Zhengdian – central hall; grandest of all building; symbolic of the
supreme power of the emperor
o Gong
 Zinggong – palace on tour
 Zhalgong – place where emperor prepares himself for
abstinence before he offers sacrifice at grand ceremonies
 Lou (Multi-storey Buildings) – two or more floors with a horizontal main ridge.
o Eg, Yueyang Tower, Hunan; Huanghelou, Wuchang (Tower of the
Yellow Crane)
 Tai (Terrace) –elevated terrace with a flat top used as an open side viewing
gallery
 Ting (Pavilions) – kiosk, columns to support the roof without walls
o built from stone, wood or bamboo
o comes in different forms – square, triangle, hexagon, octagon and
five flower petal.
 Ge (Storied Pavilion) – two or more storeyed pavilion
 Ta (Pagoda) – Chinese equivalent of the stupa
o White Pagoda, Chengde; West and East, Kunming
 Xuan - veranda with windows
 Wei - Pavilion or house on terraces
 Wu - rooms along roofed corridors
Classification by function
 Imperial Architecture
 Imperial City
o Square form, aligned with the 4 directions of the earth
o south orientation
o encircled by city walls
o Size reflects the hierarchy of authority
o Internal organization reflect orderliness of the universe

 Forbidden City

11
 o Chinese Imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of Qing
o Built by Emperor Yunglo, Son of Heaven
o Center of Beijing, home of the emperor and their household
o Ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government
o Nine in length on 4 sides
o 3 gates with nine vertical and nine crisscrossing streets
o Main palace in the center with huge gate
 side buildings maintaining the symmetry
o Only buildings used by the Imperial family were allowed to have nine
jian (space bet columns)
o Only the gates used by the Emperor could have five arches -the
center for the Emperor
Main parts of the Forbidden City:
 Main front court
 Three main halls
o Supreme Harmony
o Middle Harmony
o Preserving Harmony
 Rear part – for emperor’s daily life
o Palace of Heavenly Pure
o Palace of Union and Peace
o Palace of Earthly Tranquility
 East side – residences for concubines and sons
 West side – for Empress Dowager and past concubines
 Buildings for religious sacrificial purposes
 Gardens and services
 Watch towers – Corner towers for observation and protection
 Main gates
o Meridian Gate – Noon Gate -Most important gate
o Middle gate
o East gate
o West gate
 Gate of Supreme Harmony
 Other features
o Water vats – for firefighting
o Screen wall - to deflect bad spirits
o Wenshou – roof ornaments

12
 o Makara – rain spouts
o Dragon and cloud relief

 Architectural Features: City and Site

o Axial symmetry in city and site planning - palace or other important
government building in the axial center symbolizing the centralized
power of Chinese emperor.
o Designed with a square plan –the streets/houses were laid out
running north-south and east-west along the plan axis to form a
checker-board grid.
o Enclosed inside a wall
o Modular system - jian
o Alternate Interior and Exterior Architectural Space - courtyards
o Design Techniques - framing
Types of Cities
 Imperial Cities – highest and biggest
o South orientation
o Encircled by city walls
o Great wall symbolizing power – enclose the cities
o Three gates, nine in length, nine streets crisscrossing the city
o Size reflects hierarchy of authority
o Square or rectangular aligned with the four direction of the earth
o Internal organization reflect orderliness of the universe
o Social functions have appropriate place
o Imperial palace – heart of city
o Temples and mansions of princes – important locations
o Ancestral temple at the central axis with the altar of heaven
o Markets and shops – secondary sites
 Capital of fiefdoms belonging to vassal lords
 Cities of imperial relatives

13
 Tomb
 Emperors lay emphasis on the construction of mausoleums
o built against hills or mountains and facing plains
o Shendao (the Sacred Way) – broad ways at entrances
 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
o Situated under a 76 meter tall tomb mound
o has not yet been uncovered beneath the hill covered with mercury
moat
 Ming Tomb
o 13 imperial tombs over 40sq kms Changping district
o Two parts, divine road and the burial place
o Marble archway (paifang) - pattern of cloud and dragons
o The divine road is passage in front of the tombs to facilitate the
sacrificial ceremonies
o Two hexagon stone pillars are the sign of a divine road
o Behind the engraved pillars are 24 stone animals
 4 horses, 4 qilin, 4 elephants, 4 camels, 4 xiezhi and 4 lions
o 12 stone figues behind the animals
 Qin Tombs - famous Terracota Army

 Grottoes
 Two forms of grotto:
o Small cave in square plan with niches inside where monks meditate
o Big caves with pagoda built in the rear part
 Longmen grottoes, Tang dynasty, more than 100,000 statues in over 1,400
caves
 Mogao Caves, caves of the thousand buddhas, located near the Silk Road
route

 Temples
 Cave Temples
o follows symmetric style
o cave temples begun in the north
 Chinese temple are more down to earth, being more in tune with nature,
human beings as part of nature.
o most temples are located in mountains and forest.
o Timber frame structures

14
 o Three lofty one-storey pavilions with parallel open timber roofs
o Broadway, steps, gateways and bridges
 Buddhist temples
o Follows the imperial style but with green roof
o Strict symmetry
o Main bldg oriented to the south
o Annex bldg on the west and east
o Service bldg on the right side
o Visitors on the left side

 Parts of a typical temple

o Paifang - symbolic gateway
o Screen wall
o nine dragon wall indicates imperial sponsorship of the temple
o Entrance gate or mountain gate
 flanked by towers and guarded by the temple guardian
o Bell Tower and the Drum Tower
o Symbolic brazier- for throwing of coins by the devotees
o Hall of the Heavenly Kings, first main building, named after the four
guardians
 King of the North, Vaisravana, carries an umbrella and a
mongoose
 King of the South, Virudhaka, blue, green or black skin with a
lightning sword
 King of the East, Dhrtarastra, carries a Chinese flute
 King of the West, Virupaksa, red faced figure, holds a magical
snake, dragon and a pearl
o At the center of the Hall, is the laughing Buddha
o directly behind is Skanda, warrior and guardian
o The main courtyard at the exit of the hall
o The Main chamber - most important Buddha image - Sakyamuni
 Some larger temples will have smaller shrines
 Pagoda is usually located at the rear of the temple
 Buddhist temple development
o Eastern Han Dynasty, early Buddhist temple followed the Indian style
with the stupa at the center
 White horse temple

15
 o Northern and Southern, height of Buddhism
 bigger temples were built with more exquisite walls and a
Buddhist pylon
 Big wild goose pagoda
 Taoist temples
o also called gong
o Less grand
o Main hall in front
o Entrance at the side to confuse demons
o Blue roof
 Temple of Heaven
o Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing; symbolizes the relationship
between earth and heaven
o Square and Circle, Earth and Heaven,
o south and north wall, circular temple on square base
o Nine on the circular mound altar, representing the Emperor
o Hall of prayer for good harvest, 4 inner pillar, 12 middle and outer
pillars, 4 season, 12 months, 12 traditional Chinese hours
o Buildings have dark blue tiles, representing heaven
 Chinese Pagoda
o equivalent of the stupa
o to house relics and sacred writings
o square, circular, or octagonal-base towers
o built of brick and stone
o classic gradual tiered eaves marking each storey
o each storey smaller than the previous
o height is lower than the previous to look higher
o multiple stories for visual power and prestige
o walls partially open at one side, which allows one to view the interior
of the pagoda
o inner column shaped as another pagoda inside
o Songyue Pagoda
 A circular-based stone-constructed Buddhist pagoda built in
523 AD.
 Oldest existent stone Chinese pagod
o The Iron Pagoda of Kaifeng, China, built in 1049 during the Song
Dynasty, with articulated dougong and wind bells under the eaves

16
 Garden Architecture
4 principal elements
o Rock – yang - strong and durable
 top heavy rocks that seem to float and defy gravity
o Water - central component of the garden
 balances the other elements in the garden
o Buildings connected thru walkways
o Plants - visual effect were more important than the plant
4 types of classification
o Imperial Garden - spacious, exquisite with a variety of plants, trees
and smaller gardens
o Private Garden - built in urban areas, small and simple
o Monastic Garden - solemn within the natural environment
o Scenic resorts - large public areas, combining natural scenes and man-
made landscape
 Bridge Architecture
 Beam Bridge
o Anping bridge, Song dynasty beam bridge, 2,070 meters long, made
with stone beams, was once the longest bridge in China until 1905
 Arch Bridge
o Anji Bridge, world’s oldest stone segmental arch bridge
 Multi-arch bridge
o Lugoquiao bridge
o Marco polo bridge
 Floating Bridge
o linking boats together to form a floating bridge
 Suspension bridge
o cable suspension bridge made out of rattan, bamboo, leather and
iron chain
o Luding Iron chain bridge
 Zigzag bridge
o landscaping structure used in gardens and parks
 Pavilion bridge
o also a landscaping structure

17
 Pailou or Paifang
 elaborate Chinese commemorative archway erected in honor of someone
highly esteemed
 Similar to the Indian torana
 Ceremonial entrances and archways
o one or multiple openings
o four heavy square pillars topped with horizontal crossbeams
o buttressed with conventionalized lions
o incised memorial tablet placed against or near the center crossbeam
 Other structures
 Huabiao - Ornamental Pillars
o architectural ornaments seen on the grounds of palaces, imperial
gardens and mausoleums, also seen on crossroads
 Bangmu - commentary board
o seen outside palaces
 Shendaozhu - spiritway columns
o seen outside tombs

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang,
 a united defense system against invasions from the north
 world's largest military structure
 6-9m lowest height; 7.6m base; 4.5m top
 a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and
other materials
 built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of
China in part to protect the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various
nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces

Xièxiè
"thank you"

Ar. Maria Lourdes Ticzon-Rigunay, uap

UST HOA 3

18