04 AMACE HOA3 | CHINESE

Cin

Popularized in Europe by Marco Polo and derived from a Persian name for China (first recorded use in 1555).

Cīnā

Derived from the Sanskrit word referring to a "yellow-colored" barbarian tribe from the north; associated with Qin (778 B.C.-207 B.C.) or Tibet.

Porcelain / Ceramic Ware

Originally made in China and derived from the name Cin / China.

Sina (Sino) / Sinae / Cathay / Ceres

Historical terms and designations used to refer to China.

Zhōngguó

Means "Central Nation" or "Middle Kingdom"; used in the Zhou Dynasty to denote the "Center of Civilization" and adopted officially in 1912 as an abbreviation for the Republic of China.

Yellow River (Huang He)

Great river system in North China measuring 2,109 miles (5,464 km) long.

Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)

Third-longest river in the world at 2,432 miles (6,300 km) long; drains South China.

Pearl River (Zhu Jiang)

Great river system in South China measuring 848 miles (2,197 km) long.

North China Geography

Dominated by the alluvial plain along the Yellow River; mostly flat with soil well-suited to agriculture.

South China Geography

Region drained by the Yangtze River; predominantly hillier than North China.

Tibetan Plateau

Located in Southwest China; occupies about 1/4 of PRC's land area with mountain highlands averaging 4,000 to 5,000 meters above sea level.

Mount Everest (Mount Zhumulangma)

Highest mountain in the world at 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) above sea level; located on the Sino-Nepalese border.

Outer China

Area north and west of China Proper (1,000 to 5,000 m elevation); includes Manchuria, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and Loess Plateau.

Chinese Climate

Ranges from extreme cold to almost tropical with cold strong winter winds from Mongolian mountain ranges in the north.

North-South Axis Orientation

Structural alignment used because China is north of the equator; provides solar warmth in winter and ventilation in summer.

Curved Eaves

Accentuated feature of Chinese roofs designed partly in response to climatic influences.

Timber

Principal building material in ancient Chinese architecture.

Persea nanmu

Tallest and straightest of all trees in China; frequently used for columns and major framing members.

Roof Tile Glazed Colors

Clay tiles colored with symbolic meanings: black, red, azure, white, and yellow.

Limestone and Sandstone

Materials used primarily for thresholds, stairs, balusters, and engineering works.

Wood-frame Construction

The most distinctive feature of Chinese architecture.

Buddhism

Major religion introduced from India that significantly shaped Chinese religious and architectural practices.

Lao Tzŭ

Founder of Taoism; offered a doctrine of universal love as a solution to social disorder.

Taoism

Religion founded by Lao Tzŭ emphasizing universal love, natural harmony, and balance.

Confucianism

System providing a code of social conduct and philosophy of life; influenced city planning and society through astrology, superstition, and necromancy.

Mandala

Indian context/concept representing cosmic order.

Feng Shui

Pseudo-science based on local environmental forces acting on buildings/cities for good or ill; determines site selection and alignment.

Yin-Yang

Ancient Chinese concept of dynamic equilibrium between opposing, complementary qualities bound together as a whole.

Yin

Principles of North, Winter, feminine, earth, phoenix, and Empress (represented by black).

Yang

Principles of South, Summer, masculine, sky/heaven, dragon, and Emperor (represented by white).

Muslim Minority Architectural Influence

Contributed little to Chinese architecture except for pagoda-like mosques.

Neolithic China (12

000-4,000 B.C.), Era defined by settled agricultural communities (Yangshao and Lungshan) growing millet along the Yellow River, silk production, and pottery.

Xia Dynasty

Evolutionary stage between late Neolithic cultures and the urban civilization of the Shang Dynasty.

Shang Dynasty

Founded by a rebel leader who overthrew Xia; known for Yellow River settlements, ancestor/spirit-worship rituals, and rich royal burials.

Zhou Dynasty (2000-256 B.C.)

Semi-feudal era in Huang He valley; spawned the Hundred Schools of Thought and the "mandate of heaven" (tianming) doctrine.

Hundred Schools of Thought

Spiritual and philosophical movements formed during the Zhou Dynasty, including Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and Mohism.

Mandate of Heaven (Tianming)

Zhou doctrine stating the ruler is the "son of heaven" governing by divine right, but dethronement proves loss of mandate.

Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.)

Period of the first Chinese empire under Emperor Qin Shi Huang; standardized language, writing, and circular copper coins.

Qin Circular Copper Coin

Standardized currency under the Qin Dynasty featuring a square hole in the middle.

Great Wall of China (Qin/Ming)

Defense wall constructed in the north against invasions; initiated by Qin Shi Huang and later augmented/rebuilt by the Ming Dynasty.

Qin Public Works

Projects including the Great Wall, nationwide roads, irrigation canals, Efanggong Palace, and the Terracotta Army.

Terracotta Army

Thousands of unique clay warriors and figures buried at the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang to serve him in the afterlife.

Han Dynasty (207 B.C.-220 A.D.)

Founded by Liu Bang; marked by prosperity, Confucianism, Silk Road trade, civil service exams, and gentry class expansion.

Liu Bang

Commoner who overthrew the Qin emperor and established the Han Dynasty.

Silk Road

Extensive trading network established during the Han Dynasty linking China to Central Asia and Europe.

Three Kingdoms Period (220-265/280 A.D.)

Period of disunity after Han collapse comprising Wei (North), Shu (West), and Wu (East); saw widespread growth of Buddhism.

Sui Dynasty (580-618 A.D.)

Period of reunification; extended the Grand Canal and fortified the Great Wall, granaries, and capital cities.

Grand Canal

Longest canal in the world; extended under the Sui Dynasty from Hangzhou across the Yangzi to Yangzhou and Louyang.

Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.)

Prosperous era featuring Empress Wu Chao; ended when warlord Huang Chao captured Guangzhou in 879 A.D.

Empress Wu Chao (Wu Zetian)

Only female empress in Chinese history; ruled during the Tang Dynasty and commissioned extensive Buddhist cave art at Longmen.

Huang Chao

Warlord who captured Guangzhou in 879 A.D. and killed 200,000 inhabitants, contributing to the end of the Tang Dynasty.

Five Dynasties (907-960 A.D.)

Period of 5 northern dynasties and 10 southern kingdoms; marked by Turkish/Khitan attacks, advances in printing, and the start of foot binding.

Northern and Southern Song Dynasties (960-1279 A.D.)

Era of technological advances, gunpowder weapons, superior ships, elite exams, and Neo-Confucianism.

Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368 A.D.)

Mongol rule established by Kublai Khan (honoring Genghis Khan as founder); first time all of China was ruled by foreigners.

Kublai Khan

Mongol ruler who founded the Yuan Dynasty in China and established his capital at Khanbalik.

Genghis Khan

Grandfather of Kublai Khan, officially recorded as the founder of the Yuan Dynasty.

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.)

Last ethnic Han dynasty; restored Grand Canal, completed Great Wall, and constructed the Forbidden City under the Yongle Emperor.

Yongle Emperor

Ming emperor who moved the capital to Beijing, built the Forbidden City (1407-1420), and reconstructed the Temple of Heaven.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.)

Second foreign-ruled dynasty (Manchus); imposed pigtail queues, restricted anti-government writing, compiled character dictionaries, and fought Opium Wars.

Manchu Pigtail Hairstyle

Mandatory hairstyle for all Chinese men during the Qing Dynasty, featuring a shaved front head and a long braided queue.

Opium Wars (1839-1842 & 1856-1860)

Two Anglo-Chinese trade wars triggered by British smuggling of Indian opium into China.

Boxer Rebellion

Violent anti-foreign, anti-Christian uprising initiated by the "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" during the Qing Dynasty.

Ancient Chinese Inventions

Characters/symbols, silk cloth, kites, fireworks, magnetic compass, and bronze tools.

Three Components of Ancient Chinese Architecture

Sloping roof (with standing pillars), House body (living space), and Terrace/Podium (foundation base).

Neolithic Square House

Early house type dug 50-80 cm into the ground with a slant slope entrance (e.g., Banpo Village).

Neolithic Round House

Early surface house with small closely lined wooden pillars for walls and slanted roofs.

Bay (Jian)

The basic rectangular module unit of house floor space, defined by four timber pillars.

Courtyard-style Grouping

Aggregation where bays form a house, and multiple houses enclose a central courtyard.

Chinese Home Axial Planning

Organized method providing order and balance; elders/ceremonial halls occupy the primary North-South axis, while younger generations occupy East-West side halls.

Inward Planning Concept

Architectural concept where houses face inward toward a central courtyard to maximize linkage between indoor/outdoor spaces and promote family unity.

Chinese Courtyard Functions

Admits sunlight to inner spaces, provides outdoor activity/garden space for family festivals, and secures privacy and defense via walled enclosures.

Sheyuan Quadrangles

Traditional courtyard courthouses featuring graduated privacy from outer/lower to private inner/upper zones.

Podium (Platform)

Stone or brick platform base that elevates a Chinese building to protect against dampness and flooding.

Columns in Chinese Architecture

Vertical wooden posts (often nanmu) supporting roof framework without load-bearing exterior walls.

Roofing in Chinese Architecture

Expressive, sweeping, and curved roof structure placing strong visual emphasis on horizontality.

Tailiang

Pillars-and-beams framing system used in Chinese timber construction.

Chuandou

Pillars-and-transverse-tie-beams framing system used in Chinese timber construction.

Li Jie

Song Dynasty author of the building manual "Yingzao Fashi Zhushi" (1035-1110, edited by Liang Sicheng in 1983).

Dougong

Interlocking corbel bracket system consisting of a wooden block (dou) and bow-shaped arm (gong) placed between columns and crossbeams.

Dou

Square wooden block component in a Dougong bracket system.

Gong

Bow-shaped wooden bracket arm component in a Dougong bracket system.

Four Functions of Dougong Brackets

Reduces beam spans, braces wall sections above columns, supports wide eaves, and strengthens the structural frame.

Tenon and Mortise

Interlocking wood joinery technique enabling timber frames to flex and resist earthquake damage without nails or glue.

Big Roof Eave Overhang

Deeply projecting roof overhang designed to protect clay/brick walls and timber doors from rainwater erosion.

Glazed Roof Tiles and Ridges

Decorative roof coverings featuring patterned tile lines, ridge figurines, and end-crest images (dragons, phoenixes, pagodas).

Hierarchy of Chinese Roofs

Roof forms graded by size, color, and tiers to reflect the occupant's social status and dignity.

Imperial Yellow Roof Tiles

Yellow glazed tiles restricted strictly for use on imperial palaces and structures.

Blue Roof Tiles

Cobalt-blue glazed tiles used primarily on temples to symbolize Heaven.

Green Roof Tiles

Glazed tiles second in rank to yellow; commonly used on secondary imperial buildings and Buddhist temples.

Dragon (Long) Symbolism

Reborn from its own ashes; symbolizes continuity, divinity, and the Emperor.

Phoenix (Feng) Symbolism

Represents affluence, good fortune, and the Empress.

Tiger Symbolism

Represents divine power and strength in Chinese decorative arts.

Wenshou

Zoomorphic roof corner ornaments (lead figure: immortal riding a phoenix or man on a chicken; end figure: dragon) used to protect against fire and evil spirits.

Book of Rites (Liji)

Ancient text containing political ideas, social etiquette rules, and regulations governing architectural proportions, tomb sizes, and ancestor tablet placements.

Imperial City Layout

Square city plan (9 leagues per side) encircled by walls with 3 gates per side and a grid of 9 vertical and 9 horizontal avenues.

Classification of Cities

Ranked hierarchically as 1) Imperial Cities, 2) Capitals of vassal lords' fiefdoms, and 3) Local cities of imperial relatives.

Placement of Ancestral Temple and Altar of Heaven

Ancestral temple is placed to the right of the central axis, aligned with city planning principles.

Dian (Dadian / Zhengdian)

Large single grand hall in traditional architecture; invariably built on the main axis as a symbol of supreme imperial power.

Efanggong

Enormous Qin Dynasty palace measuring 2.5 km east-to-west and 1,000 paces north-to-south.

Weiyanggong

Western Han Dynasty palace complex containing 43 halls and terraces within an 11 km perimeter.