Ancient Chinese Architecture

Ancient Chinese Architecture

The Chinese nation has created a glorious architectural culture in the long history of 5,000 years. Ancient Chinese architecture is integrating science, creativity, and art, it has a unique style and unique function; Chinese Pagodas is unique in world architecture.

Ancient Chinese architecture and European architecture, Islamic architecture are three major architecture systems in the world.

Ancient Chinese Architecture

The architecture of China from the Neolithic (New Stone Age) culture to the 20th century, represents the most significant achievements of the world’s longest continuous civilization. From large and extravagant temples to pleasant palaces, from breathtaking roofs to splendid wall paintings, there is a lot to learn and see, besides the well-known Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

Unfortunately, many precious buildings were destroyed due to the war afterward. The style began to turn to be luxuriant and meticulous in the next more than 300 years. Since 1280 A. D., The capital was in Beijing where a large number of palaces and gardens were built during the regimes of emperors. The style at this period shows the combinations of traditional style, Lama style, and western style.

Ancient Chinese architecture develops independently in its way. Thus formed its own characteristics which differ from the other two famous architectural styles, Western and Islamic architecture.

1. First of all, timber, rather than stone, was used as the primary construction material.
   
2. Secondly, its greatest achievements are the royal palaces and city planning, which reflect China’s supreme imperial authority and social estate system.
   
3. Thirdly, the structure is based on the principle of balance and symmetry. Office buildings, residences, temples, and palaces all follow the principle that the main structure is the axis. The secondary structures are positioned as two wings on either side to form the main room and yard. The distribution of interior space reflects Chinese social and ethical values.
   
4. Fourthly, its outer images are extremely special, such as the delicately decorated roofs and exquisitely carved windows.
   

The Huabiao

The Huabiao is an ornamental marble pillar engraved with entwisting dragons and auspicious clouds, used to decorate essential buildings in old China.

The History of Huabiao

According to legends, the first such pillars were used about 4,000 years ago when Yao and Shun were the country’s rulers. At that time, they were made of wood, not marble, and they were’ t just ornamental. They were landmarks used for traveling. Later, Yao and Shun found another use for the pillars. They were used as suggestion boxes of a sort. The common people could post comments and advice for their ruler on the poles.

A more plausible theory about the origin of this type of pillar focuses on an ancient instrument for measurement. In the Spring and Autumn Period (770B. C. ~476B. C. ), before a building was constructed, the designers erected a pole. This pole, called “Biao” in Chinese, cast a shadow on the ground which helped the designers determine the proper directions. Since many construction projects lasted over long periods of time and a durable “compass” was needed, the pole was made of stone. When the building was completed, the stone pole was incorporated into the structure.

With the establishment of the feudal system over 2,000 years ago, the Huabiao came to represent the power of the emperor. It would be carved with the dragons, a symbol of royalty, and placed in or in front of palaces and temples. Huabiaos were also placed in front of emperors, tombs. In this case, they were called Mubiao, or tomb columns.

As the use of these columns changed, so did their appearance. They became more ornate and gradually developed into the Huabiao we mostly see in China today. The typical Huabiao now has a round or octagonal base surrounded by a carved stone wall. Typically, dragons are carved on the column, while a dignified stone animal sits on its top.

Beast Sitting on the Top of Huabiao

Four of the most famous Huabiaos in China is to be found at Tian’anmen or the Gate of Heavenly Peace at the entrance to the Forbidden City in Bejing. They were constructed during the Qing Dynasty. Each has a stone Hou (吼) sitting regally on top of the column. Like the dragon, the Hou is also a mythical animal that represents power and good fortune. The heads of the Hou on the two columns behind the gate are turned inward, looking toward the palace’ while those on the columns in front of the gate have their heads turned outward. The positioning of the heads symbolized the hopes of the people. With the animals' heads turning inward, emperors were expected not to allow in sensual pleasures in the palace, but to leave the palace and get a better understanding of the common people and their needs. For this reason, the columns behind the gate are named “Wangjunchu” (望君出), which means “expecting His Majesty to go on an inspection.”

The Hou looking away from the palace shows people,s longing for the emperors, return. This reminded rulers not to become infatuated with the beautiful landscapes of their domain but to return in good time to run state affairs. Accordingly, the two Huabiaos in front of the gate are named “Wangjun-gui, meaning “looking forward to the emperors’ returns.”

Chinese Pagodas

Chinese Pagodas are a traditional part of Chinese architecture, introduced from India along with Buddhism as protective structures for Buddhist relics. In addition to religious use, since ancient times Chinese pagodas have been praised for the spectacular views which they offer, and many famous poems in Chinese history attest to the joy of scaling pagodas.

Most Chinese pagodas are connected to the Buddhist tradition in China. The earliest were built in the first century AD when Buddhism was introduced to China from India. Some were built for feudal rulers to commune with the “immortals” who were believed to live in the clouds. Others housed religious artifacts and relics.

The best example of these Buddhist pagodas is perhaps the imposing Wild Goose Pagoda m Xi’an Shanxi Province. This pagoda has seven stories, about 64. 1 meters high. It is of the wood-and-brick structure. It was built in the mid-seventh century to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India by the monk, Xuan Zang (玄裝). The famous Tang Dynasty pilgrim traveler and scholar collected more than 600 volumes of scriptures and later translated them into Chinese. The Wild Goose Pagoda is an architectural masterpiece and remains intact and in good condition, notwithstanding 1,300 years of weathering and a very strong earthquake.

Chinese pagodas Characterization

Chinese pagodas come in various shapes, and sizes-some look like towers, others like pavilions, still others like pyramids. Some stand-alone, while others were built in clusters.

Chinese pagodas may be square, polygonal or circular with each story separated by projecting roofs or eaves. A typical pagoda has three main elements: the underground hall, the platform, and the body. The underground hall usually housed sacred relics, books, and paintings. The platform may be a simple structure, or it may be elaborately decorated. The shaft or the main part of the pagoda may be either solid or hollow. A spiral stairway sometimes leads up through this central shaft. Images of the Buddha are usually carved on the outside walls. pagodas roofs are often crowned with ornate carvings or studded with jewels.

Lamaist pagodas (剌嘛塔), mostly seen in the west of China, are closest to what is assumed to be the Indian prototype and are shaped as a square tomb with a dome-like top In the middle. Held mostly under the cultural sway of rival kingdoms such as Tibet, Lamaist pagodas have not been sinicized to the same extent as Chinese pagodas, which undertook many changes:

The dome-like steeple (厦) was further characterized.

Multiple stories were added to lend visual power and prestige. Prior to the construction of Buddhist pagodas, traditionally, only the ruling class in China lived in multi-storied buildings.

An underground chamber or hole was added for building Buddhist relics.

The center was often built hollow to allow visitors access to upper levels, some of which had verandahs.

Pagodas were built in new locations: on raised platforms, over roads, inside temples, and on top of palaces, using a range of new materials, such as wood, bronze, gold, and pottery. Building pagodas on top of palaces imparted additional prestige.

Chinese pagodas belong to several categories. Based on their style of construction, they can roughly be classified into four categories.

First, the tower-style pagoda. It resembles a multi-story tower with protruding up-turned eaves. The oldest and tallest of this type is 汪 magnificent Ying County Wooden Pagoda in Shanxi Province. It was built in 1056 and is an octagonal structure of five stories, 67.1 meters high.

Another type is Miyashita (密檐式塔). It takes its name from the many tiers of closely-set eaves at the top. Most pagodas of this sort are built of brick and stone. They are without doors or windows, except for holes that let in light. The earliest example is at the Songyue Temple (嵩岳寺)on Mount Songshan (嵩山)in Henan Province. The Songyue Temple was built in 520; it stands 40 meters high and has 12 sides capped by 15 tiers of eaves.

The third style is the pavilion-style or one-story pagoda. Most of them were used as tombs for abbots and other high-ranking monks. The earliest of these still extant is the 1,400-year-old Simen Pagoda (四门塔)at the Shentong Temple (神通寺)in Shandong Province, East China. It is square, with a single roof and one door on each side.

The fourth is the Lamaist style (喇嘛教风格). Similar to Indian dagobas (舍利子塔), the pagoda is a dome-shaped structure set on a large pyramidal platform. One famous example is the White Pagoda (白塔) in Beijing’s Beihai Park.

Chinese pagodas may stand-alone or in groups. The largest group of pagodas is the Pagoda Forest at the famous Shaolin Temple in Henan Province. This group is composed of 220 brick and stone structures.

De-emphasis over Time

At first, pagodas were the central building of a temple, around which the monks prayed. Later, they were placed elsewhere on the temple grounds.

In keeping with the tradition of the White Horse Temple, pagodas were generally placed in the center of temples until the Sui and Tang dynasties. During the Tang, the importance of the main hall was elevated, and the pagoda was moved beside the hall, or out of the temple compound altogether. In the early Tang, Dao Xuan wrote a Standard Design for Buddhist Temple Construction in which the main hall replaced the pagoda as the center of the temple.

The design of temples was also influenced by the use of traditional Chinese residences as shrines after they were philanthropically donated by the wealthy or the pious. In such pre-configured spaces, building a central pagoda might not have been either desirable or possible.

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Chan (Zen) sect developed a new “seven-part structure” for temples. The seven parts-the Buddha hall, dharna hall, monks, quarters, depository, gate, pure land hall, and toilet facilities completely exclude pagodas; and can be seen to represent the final triumph of the traditional Chinese palace courtyard system over the original central-pagoda tradition established 1000 years earlier by the White Horse Temple.

A prominent, later example of converting a palace to a temple in Beijing’s Yonghe Temple, which was the residence of Yongzheng Emperor before he ascended the throne. It began to be used as a lamasery after his death in 1735.

In recent centuries, pagodas have more practical needs. In North China, for instance, pagodas were built as military watch-towers. In South China, seaside and river bank pagodas aided navigation. Sailors used to climb the Guangta Pagoda(光塔)in the Huaisheng Temple (怀圣寺) in Guangzhou to observe weather conditions before going to sea. The Liuhe Pagoda (六和塔) on the Qiantang River (钱塘江), Zhejiang Province, has served as a lighthouse for navigation for centuries.

Garden Architecture

cchatty.com/article/Chinese-Garden-Art-and-Culture" target="_blank">Garden architecture, an important part of ancient Chinese architecture, is a combination of structures and man-made landscape with natural scenery. It does provide not only lodging but also landscaping with architecture, environment, and human in full harmony.

History

The cchatty.com/article/Chinese-Garden-Art-and-Culture" target="_blank">ancient Chinese garden originated in the Shang and Zhou dynasties when monarchs began to build parks for the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period; it was a fashion to build gardens. Until the Han dynasty, private gardens appeared. After the Jin, and Northern and Southern dynasties, private gardens came into vogue as the rich and powerful sought to express their sentiment in landscaping. During the Tang and Song dynasties, a poetic touch was added to the layout and scenes of a garden and became a general feature. In the Qing dynasty, garden architecture reached its peak.

Classification

There are many classifications according to different criteria. Herein garden architecture falls into four categories. 

Imperial Gardens: These gardens, usually spacious, exquisite and grandiose, were built for royal families by thousands of people. Images of these gardens will linger in one,s mind forever. Now, most former imperial gardens are in Bering.

Private gardens: These gardens are usually built in urban areas, neighbored with residences. Since land is expensive in cities, private gardens are small and simple but delicate and look tasteful and play multiple functions. Most famous private gardens are situated in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

Monastic Gardens: These gardens are commonly found m monasteries against quiet and verdant mountains. With natural beauty, these gardens are solemn within the sacred atmosphere.

Garden architecture in scenic resorts: These gardens usually occupy large public areas since they are based on the combination of natural scenes and man-made landscape and structures in suburban areas of mountains.

Aesthetic Features of Chinese Gardens

To enjoy or appraise a Chinese garden, there are six aspects to keep in mind.

1. Conception

2. The way rockery and waters are arranged

3. Pavilions, terraces, halls, and chambers

4. Flower and tree arrangements

5. Appropriate names

6. Poetic touch

Elements in Chinese Gardens

A Chinese garden consists of four parts:

1. Rock formations

2. Water scenes

3. Architecture

4. Flowers and trees

Buddhist Constructions

The three main Buddhist constructions are temples (佛寺), pagodas (佛塔) and grottoes (石窟). Thousands of them scatter everywhere in China, accompanying the development of China’s Buddhism. These buildings, though continuously being built and tom down, see both the flourishing and declining of Buddhism and China’s growth of cultures in feudal societies.

The history of temple construction started from India, and it prevailed in the Southern and Northern dynasties (A D. 420 -580) in China. According to the record in the book of A Record of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang, there were more than one thousand temples in and out of the city Luoyang which was then the capital of North Wei. A typical temple includes a bell tower, a drum tower, a Tianwang (Heavenly King) Hall, a Daxiong Hall which is the main hall, the scripture tower, and monks, dormitories. After entering the gate of a temple, the first building you see behind the bell and drum towers is Tian-wang Hall in which stands four guardian Gods. Daxiong Hall is the main and most significant building in a temple. Daxiong is an appellation of the initiator of Buddhism, Sakyamuni.

White Horse Temple in Luoyang, with a history of over 1900 years, is the earliest temple that was built by the temporal government. Lhama Temple in Beijing is the largest Lamaism temple in Beijing city while Nanchan Temple, built-in 782, in Wutai Mountains are the earliest temple made of wood. All these temples show the greatness of the temple architecture.

Pagoda is also the main integrating part of the Buddhist architecture, with varied styles and strong local favors. Pagoda followed Buddhism into China around the first century and developed into pavilion like a pagoda on which one can view scenery after immediate combination with traditional Chinese architecture.

Chinese Dragon Screens

There were three ancient dragon screens in China. Each is illustrated with nine dragons. These are sometimes referred to as Jiulongbi.

The Nine Dragon Screen facing the Gate of Imperial Supremacy (皇极殿门) in the Forbidden City is the best of its kind and the biggest in China. The glazed tile screen was built in 1771 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and is 3.5 meters high and about 30 meters long. Composed of 270 glazed tiles, it depicts nine writhing dragons playing with pearls against a background of the sea and clouds. The screen, figured in high relief, is colored in gorgeous shades of yellow, blue, white and purple.

The number of dragons are significant and symbolize the supremacy of the Emperor. Nine is the highest single number, while five occupies the mid-position between one and nine. Hence, the screen is illustrated with nine dragons, with five further dragons in the border. The Chinese dragon represented yang, the principle of heaven, activity, and maleness in the yin-yang of Chinese cosmology and from ancient times was the emblem of the imperial family. The illustration, therefore, can be interpreted as representing the emperor as the Son of Heaven.

The oldest is located in Datong city, Shanxi Province. It was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).The third was built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in Beihai Park, near the Forbidden City.

The most recent addition to the Nine Dragon Screen family was the one built inside the Xijiao (West Suburb) Park in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province in 1985.

The traditional dragon screens were mosaics of glazed tiles. The Qianlong dragon screen in the Forbidden City is imperfect. One of the dragons has its belly replaced by a piece of wood. It is said that the original tile broke-some say it broke in the kiln, others that it fell and smashed. If this had been discovered, it would have meant execution for the person responsible. There was no time to craft a replacement, so the piece of wood was used instead.