China's Architectural Sculptures

Classical Chinese architecture

Classical Chinese architecture demonstrates not only the concepts of traditional inhabitation but also the personal aesthetic of Chinese people. Furthermore, they integrate the ethics, social structure, and world outlook. Architecture didn't belong to the conventional arts, but some of the literati thought that it was connected with the arts and there was no comparison between it and mainstream arts such as painting and calligraphy. Architecture usually ranks alongside carpenter techniques. Chinese people thought architecture was similar to other technique-based craftwork. In other words, architecture was less elegant and significant than the mainstream arts. However, the charm of classical Chinese architecture is still overwhelming. It doesn't lie in a single piece but the harmonious integration of the parts and the whole of architecture and a unique view of space layout. Ornamental sculptures used in architecture play an essential role in contrasting the charm of the architecture.

Classical Chinese architecture was based on wooden frames. Skillful frame structures fully display the wisdom of Chinese artisans and the scientific concept of Chinese aesthetics. The palaces built for emperors of different periods are symbolic masterpieces of different periods. They reflect Chinese architectural ideas and philosophy along with changes in social customs and culture.

Qin tile carvings and Han eaves-tile ornaments

Since the early Qin Dynasty, brick carvings and eaves-tile ornaments have been popular. During the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States period, each vassal state had its characteristics for palace buildings. After Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty unified China, those characteristics carried into the Qin Dynasty and continued to evolve. Most of the architectural heritage of the Qin Dynasty uses half-round and round eaves-tile ornaments with distinctive ornamental purposes. 

The eaves-tile ornament is also called eave-end, which is the overhang on eaves. It is mainly used to waterproof and for drainage, to protect the wooden frame of the roof, as well as for ornamental purposes. During the Warring States Period, most eaves-tile ornaments of the State of Yan were carved with patterns of twin birds or beasts, while those of the State of Qi was carved with patterns of trees and clouds. Some round eaves- tile ornaments of the State of Qin and the State of Zhao were designed with patterns of birds, beasts or gulosity.

It is said that the State of Qin built the spectacular Epang Palace after it unified China. Although this palace no longer exists, people can still image its magnificence through the site of another ancient palace, the second largest of the Qin Dynasty in Xianyan, Gansu Province. Large numbers of eaves-tile ornaments have been unearthed in Xianyan. They give some clues to image Qin's architectural styles. The Qin Dynasty was more advanced than the Warring States Period in the palace building. QiiVs eaves-tile ornaments are more exquisite and artistic. They include two designs: Characters and patterns. The patterns include clouds and animals. Such designs demonstrate the concise and straightforward features of Qin sculptural arts, which are different from the round and mature style of the Han Dynasty.

Qin dynasty big hollow tile is more preferable than eaves- tile ornaments. Many hollow tiles have been unearthed in Xianyan, Shanxi Province. Some are designed with dragon and phoenix relief sculptures; others use line cutting techniques to display hunting images. The tiles fully demonstrate the level of sculpture and power during the Qin. Therefore, the Qin and Han dynasties are respectively famous for tile carvings and eaves-tile ornaments.

During the Western Han Period, as architectural techniques used in palaces, temples and tombs evolved, tiles carvings and eaves-tile ornaments became popular. Round eaves-tile ornaments entered the mainstream. Character carvings on eaves- tile ornaments became popular during this period, reflecting splendid achievements in calligraphy and literature. Eaves- tile ornaments were endowed with special meaning. Various characters and patterns indicated symbolic meanings. Palace buildings used mostly round eaves-tile ornaments carved with four auspicious characters in the seal or square styles, such as "长乐未央”, "长生无极" and "延年益寿" (representing "longevity"). Some were carved with two auspicious characters, such as "万岁" and "无极" or messages with three, eight, and even nine auspicious characters. All characters express wishes of longevity or happiness. However, every character has its layout and style. Therefore, their combinations are of various forms.

Besides characters, there were also animal patterns and combinations of characters and patterns. Among animal patterns, the typical during the Han Dynasty was the pattern of "four divine animals," including Qinglong (green dragon), Baihu (white tiger), Zhuque (red phoenix) and Xuanivu (dark turtle). These are symbols used to exorcise evil spirits and bring inauspiciousness. They represent four directions including east, west, south and north and four seasons including spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each divine animal is carved in circular shape without any constraint of feeling. The powerful and smooth carvings are brilliant masterpieces of ancient patterns.

Relief sculptures on Que from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Que, similar to a tower, is a unique form of ancient Chinese architecture that includes a passage in the middle. It was usually built on both sides of the palace or tomb for decoration and safeguard. Early Que towers use stone and wood structures. Most currently preserved Que-towers are stone ones.

These ornamental structures were very popular during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Qwe-towers in front of tombs were common, while those in front of temples were rare. Preserved Que-towers from the Eastern Han Dynasty can be mainly in Sichuan, then Henan and Shandong provinces. However, the Que-towers in Sichuan stand out for their exquisite sculptural techniques. Each corner of the tower eaves includes relief sculptures. For example, Que-towers in front of the tomb of the master of Pingyangfu includes two fighting tigers on each corner of the tower eaves. Some Que-towers in front of tombs have relief sculptures in the images of four divine animals and demonstrate typical Han styles.

There are 35 unearthed stone Que-towers from the Han Dynasty, including five with verified histories. The Que-towers are surface structures. After several thousand years, most are damaged and their sculptures damaged. Therefore, the towers are more meaningful for their history than their aesthetic value. However, the general look of Han's memorial sculptures can still be seen from existing sculptures on stone Que-towers. Generally speaking, the stone Que-tower of the Han Dynasty is unique in traditional Chinese architecture. After the Han Dynasty, various sculptures and murals on Que-towers are still commonly seen. Over time, the Que-tower developed into the Paifang (memorial arch) and screen wall. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Que-tower evolved into a kind of structure similar to the Wumen of the Imperial Palace.

Ornamental architectural sculptures of the Sui and Tang dynasties

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, ornamental sculptures were widely used due to the development of palace buildings and tombstones. According to historical materials, some imperial palaces including the Daxing Palace of the Sui Dynasty, and the Taiji Palace, Darning Palace and Xingqing Palace of the Tang Dynasty are exquisite and gorgeous. Compared to the Qin and Han dynasties, the Sui and Tang dynasties produced more splendid ornamental sculptures but threw shade on the artistic value of tile patterns. Most palace buildings during the Tang Dynasty are made of brick with patterns in the shapes of lotus and grapes.

The lotus-shaped pattern is closely associated with the spread of Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty, while grape-shaped patterns are connected to the cultural exchanges between the central plains and the Western regions (Xiyu) in ancient times. Though elegant and splendid, Tang-style architectural sculptures are less dignified and powerful than Qin and Han-style ones and fully demonstrate the confidence and cultural tolerance of the Tang Dynasty. Eaves-tile ornaments are small and simple. These changes have an intimate relationship with the changes in ornamental focus. Painted lacquer and sunk-panels were also adopted by the Tang architects. More attention was transferred from eaves-tile ornaments to other parts of the architecture.

However, there are no extant palace buildings from the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Sui and Tang-style architectural sculptures we see today are only from some Buddhist pagodas and bridges. We can only find clues on the appearance of palace buildings of this period from some architectural heritage and historical materials. For example, Anji Bridge, a bridge from the Sui Dynasty in Hebei Province, was made of stone with various ornamental sculptures. It fully displays the ornamental style of the dynasty. One railing panel on the bridge is designed with Jiao (scaly dragon)-shaped pattern, which follows the Cui-shaped pattern on the bronze wares of the Shang Dynasty.

According to the New History of the Tang Dynasty and the Old History of the Tang Dynasty, there are records of Empress Wu Zetian building Tianshu (a kind of memorial column). In the late seventh century, Empress Wu Zetian built a more than a 30m-high memorial column in the ancient city of Luoyang to symbolize her achievements on the establishment of the Dazhou Dynasty (690-705). This column is designed with exquisite patterns of dragons, Kylin and Phoenix. Although it no longer exists, we still can imagine its elegant look from other memorial columns from the Tang Dynasty; it is similar in structure and technique and different in size.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. It was built in the early Tang Dynasty as a chamber for the translation of Buddhist scriptures for Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka). On its door frames and lintels carved with various ornamental paintings mainly images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Four Heavenly Guardians using intaglio. Its ornamental styles and subjects are similar to the works of the same kind in other grottoes. It is a precious masterpiece from the Tang Dynasty in line-cutting ornaments. It displays the features of Tiexianmiao-style from ancient Chinese painting. Besides, the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas in Jinan, Shandong Province, is another Buddhist pagoda from the Tang Dynasty with brilliant ornamental sculptures. It is designed with patterns in the image of Buddha, Apsaras and lions and pictures of dance movements on its pedestal, Apsaras, Buddhas, dragon and Heavenly Guardians on the main body. The pattern is splendid in color and complete in structure. It is quite ornamental.

Wooden architecture experienced evolved further during the Song Dynasty. Many palace and temple buildings from the Song Dynasty adopted painted ornaments rather than excessive sculptural ornaments due to the growth of painting arts. Carved bricks were only seen in tombs.

Stone architectural sculptures of the Yuan Dynasty

During the Yuan Dynasty, architectural sculptures were rather advanced. According to the records, there were jade and stone mills to make architectural sculptures for the emperor. Though palace buildings of the Yuan Dynasty no longer existed, palace buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties followed the traditions and styles of the Yuan Dynasty in both ornament and sculpture.

The Clouds Terrace near the Juyongguan Pass in Changping District, Beijing, is the most important Yuan-style sculpture. The Clouds Terrace, the pedestal of the Over-street Tower, was built in 1342 and is located on the road to the Capital of the Yuan Dynasty. The terrace is famous for its relief sculptures in the image of the Four Heavenly Guardians inside of the arch and the ornamental sculptures outside of the arch. They are brilliant masterpieces of architectural sculptures of the Yuan Dynasty. Relief sculptures of Four Heavenly Guardians belong to Tantrist statues and have very exaggerated shapes to show their power. They are trivial in style and loose in structure. The figures lack intrinsic strength, but the statues are still grand and majestic. They vividly reflect the culture of the Yuan Dynasty, which was powerful but short in cultural cohesion which made it difficult for the Yuan Dynasty to continue growing.

Architectural sculptures of the Ming and Qing dynasties

Many buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties have survived. Architectural sculptures are also common. Besides imperial gardens, temples, and tombs, folk architectural sculptures are also profound and centered on public buildings such as academies, ancestral temples, and commercial chambers.

1 Nine-dragon patterns of imperial gardens 九龙壁

The Forbidden City is an outstanding representative of imperial architectural sculptures. It uses dragons and phoenixes as its major ornamental subjects and various sculptural techniques such as high and low relief sculpting and openwork and circular carvings. Therefore, it is more exquisite and splendid than those of the previous dynasties and perfectly combines the sculptures' ornamental and practical features. Though its sculptural ornaments look a little complicated, they perfectly present the imperial power.

The pedestals of the three main halls of the Palace Museum are enclosed with white marble carving railings and balusters. The top of the balusters is engraved with raised cloud- dragon and Phoenix patterns. The bottom of each baluster has a discharge spout made into the shape of the dragon's head Chi. The Yudao (road used only by the emperor) is carved out of three big rocks running through north-south to the steps of the three main halls. The Yudao in the shape of nine dragons under the Hall of Preserving Harmony is the most representative road. It is carved out of a whole piece of stone that is 16m long and 3m wide and weighs more than 200 tons. The lower end of the Yudao is engraved with symbolic patterns of five great mountains. The top is carved with nine huge dragons slipping through the clouds and seas. Every three dragons are lined up in the shape of the Chinese character "品," nine dragons are stringed in three groups from top to bottom, known as "nine dragons playing with pearls." The two sides of the Yudao are engraved with tangled tree branch designs in low relief, which was re-carved during the 25th year of the Qianlong period (1760).

The architectural sculpture that is based on the nine dragons also includes a nine-dragon screen. There are three excellent representatives of nine-dragon screens. The first is in Beihai Park; the second in Ningshou Palace (Palace of Peace and Longevity) of the Palace Museum and the third is in Datong, Shanxi Province. The nine-dragon screen is a screen wall engraving with the patterns of nine dragons. The screen wall is usually located in front of or inside the gate of a house to shelter it from the view of the courtyard. Therefore, pedestrians cannot look into the courtyard and guests can tidy up clothes and hats in front of the screen wall and then visit the host. Screen walls in ancient China were arranged by grade. According to the ritual system of the Western Zhou, only palaces, accommodations of lords and temples can use screen walls. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, common people also set screen walls in their courtyards, the quadrangles in Beijing are a model.

The nine-dragon screen in Beihai Park was built during the 21st year of Qianlong. The whole wall is 26m long, 7m high and nearly 1.5m thick. It is composed of 424 glazed tiles that emboss the screen. There are nine huge dragons on each side of the screen, with big or small dragons in different postures decorating the two ends and the eaves, making a surprising total of 635 dragons.

The nine-dragon screen in the Ningshou Palace was built in 1771 during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. Its pattern is similar to that of the Beihai Park, but the details are quite different.

The nine-dragon screen in Datong was built in 1392 for the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It has been well preserved and remains intact to this day. It is nearly 43m long, 8m high and 2m thick. It is the largest of these works. The pedestal of a statue of Buddha of the screen wall is engraved with patterns of lions, tigers, elephants, Kylins, and horses. The top is a mill-framed structure. The most eye-catching part is the pool in front of the screen wall, from which the nine dragons can reverberate. When the winds float and drift the water surface, it looks as if the nine dragons are playing in the water, showing a vivid and artful design.

2 Lions

The lion has been the guardian of palaces and tombs since the Han Dynasty. It was designed into an image that is like and unlike that of an actual lion during the later Qing period. In ancient China, the lion has always been considered as a precious and auspicious animal. After Buddhism was introduced into China, it was endowed with godhood.

Images of lions in the palaces of the Ming and Qing are stone carvings or bronze statues with square pedestals of a statue of Buddha. Most lion statues squat at two sides of the gate. The gate is guarded on either side by a huge statue of a female and male lion. The male lion steps on the Siukiu while the female lion plays with a young lion.

Lion statues in the Palace Museum mainly include two types. One is the stone lions in front of Tian'anmen and the bronze lions in front of the Taihe (the Gate of Supreme Peace) Gate. They are powerful and martial, with the mighty character of the palaces. The second type is embodied in the gilt bronze lions in front of Qianqingmen (the Gate of Celestial Purity). By size, they are not as strong as the first type, but they are more exquisite and complicated. These lions are exquisitely wrought and are similar in decoration to the Kylin or other auspicious animals. In fact, the differences are based on the designers' consideration of the different functions of the palaces and outer courts. Tian'anmen and Taihe Gate are the places where emperors hold ceremonies and make important decisions, these places show the awesome dignity of the palaces and royalty, so the lion statues have a strong sense of dignity. Qianqingmen and Ningshoumen are the places where royals live, so they don't need the style full of dignity and stress, but are exquisite, kind and gorgeous.

The lion images were not thought to belong to the Royals. Small stone lions could be used to protect houses or regular people. For instance, in the rural areas of northern Shaanxi Province, local people placed stone lions on the edge of a Kang to exorcize evil spirits and protect children.

3 Folk architectural sculpture

Besides the architectural sculptures of palaces, there are also many folk architectural sculptures with diverse themes and excellent skill. Common architectural sculptures are brick sculptures and woodcarving. Some sculptures are affected by images of birds, flowers, and figures showing scenes of birds and flowers and stories.

Folk sculptures from different regional styles. The woodcarving in Chaozhou of Guangdong Province and the woodcarving in Dongyang of Zhejiang Province are most famous. Chaozhou woodcarving adopted multiple carving skills, such as full relief, high relief sculpture, openwork carving, and others. It reveals different expressions of society with delicate artistic effects.

The excellent brick sculptures are centered at public buildings, such as memorial temples, Guandi Temple and the Temple of Town God. Most of these works are distributed in the southern region, especially in Guangdong, Anhui, and Shanghai, etc.

China's antique architectural sculptures underwent noticeable and subtle changes over time. Each dynasty developed its unique style. The gorgeous color of the buildings gradually faded over time. However, we can still recall the prosperity and loneliness of those days from the surviving works.