Chinese Architecture

Yellow River
Yangtze River
Pearl River

THREE GREAT RIVER SYSTEMS

Northern China

Part of China that is Dominated by the alluvial plain along the yellow river

Persea nanmu

tallest and straightest of all trees in China

Timber
Bamboo
Pine
Persea nanmu
Bricks

Geological Influence of China

Buddhism
Taoism
Confucianism

Social And Religious Influence

FENG SHUI

A Cosmological concept that evolved based on the belief that forces exist in every locality which acts on all types of buildings, towns and cities for good or ills and sites were chosen or adopted accordingly

Tai Chi

A Cosmological concept that encompasses the whole concept of Feng Shui, it shows balance completeness, and it also gives the impression of movement

Lo Shu magic square

is also called a bagua chart or map. Each of the numbers of the nine equal squares of the Lo Shu represents a trigram

PINYIN JIŬ

Strongly associated with the Chinese dragon, a symbol of magic, longevity and power. Predominantly used for the emperor

Dynasties

rule the country under one family

Emperors

(Chinese rulers) based their government on the Confucian model

Zhoukoudian cave

first evidence of human presence in the region was found at the ________ _____

Peking Man

Homo erectus, commonly known as the _______ _____ estimated to have lived approximately from 300,000 to 550,000 years ago.

semi-subterranean

Houses in the Neolithic era were commonly ____________, meaning that part of the structure was dug into the ground to provide insulation and protection from extreme weather.

Clustered

Villages were often arranged with houses _______ around a central open space used for communal activities. Many settlements were also surrounded by ditches or moats for protection and drainage.

Round Houses
Square Houses

Two Types of Houses in the neolithic era

Shang Dynasty

It is considered one of the earliest historically confirmed dynasties in China. The capital cities were located along the Yellow River valley, where fertile land supported agriculture and early urban development.

Han Dynasty

-            Liu Bang, a commoner overthrew the Qin emperor

-            The country embracing Confucianism expansion of the empire led to the establishment of extensive trading links along the Silk Road

Tang Dynasty

-            Return to prosperity, but ended in huang chao (a warlord) capturing guangzhou in 879 A.D. Killing 200,000 inhabitants

-            Distinction of having had the only female empress

-            A concubine of the t'ai-tsung and kao-tsung, named wu chao reigned as emperor

Ming Dynasty

-            one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Hans

Qing Dynasty

-            instituted changes in the dress of the Chinese

-            ordered all Chinese men to have their pigtail hairstyle with the front of their heads shaved.

-             forbid writing against the government.

-            ordered the most complete dictionary of Chinese characters

Concept of Symmetry
Enclosure and/or modular system
Hierarchy
Horizontal Emphasis
Material and Construction
Cosmology

Architectural Features

Jian

The basic unit of Chinese architecture is the "______", the rectangular space defined by four columns used in the wooden framework.

Main Gate and Worker’s Quarters
the House proper
the Kitchen and back of house

3 Section of a Traditional Chinese Modular House

siheyuan House

The Chinese courtyard house is also known as the _____ ____ or the quarters combination of four courts, forming a center plaza.

Pillars and beams (tailiang)

Pillars and transverse tie beams (chuandou)

Two main kinds of WOODEN FRAMING systems

Dougongs

Another significant difference from European traditions is that Chinese timber buildings do not rely on triangular bracing to create rigidity but use instead elaborately jointed corbelled brackets known as "_________"

Chuandou System

a traditional Chinese timber framing technique (pillars-and-transverse-tie-beams) commonly used for residential construction,

Wudian
Xieshan
Xuanshan
Yingshan
Cuanjian

5 Types of Traditional Chinese Roofs

Zhengwen

They were statuettes placed along the ridge line of official buildings of the Chinese empire.