HOA 3 - Chinese Architecture

Cin

- First recorded use of the word "China" , dated 1555, derived from a Persian name for China,
popularized in Europe by Marco Polo.

Cīnā

- term for porcelain or ceramic ware originally made in China.
- derived from the Sanskrit word which refers to "yellow-colored"

Zhōngguó

"Central Nation" or as the "Middle Kingdom".

Republic of China

(Zhonghua Minguo)

Zhou Dynasty

they believed that they were the "Center of Civilization"

China

the largest country in Asia.

Three great river systems:

1. Yellow River (Huang He) - 2,109 mi (5,464 km) long;
2. Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) - the third-longest river in the world at 2,432 mi (6,300 km)
3. Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) - 848 mi (2,197 km) long.

North China

- Dominated by the alluvial plain along the Yellow River (shown on the right).
- Mostly flat and the soil is well-suited to agriculture.

South China

- Region drained by the Yangtze (Yangzi) River
- Predominantly hillier than north China

Tibetan Plateau in Southwest China

- Occupies about 1⁄4 of the land area of the PRC.
- Mountains and massive highlands, averaging between 4,000 and 5,000 meters (13,000 to 15,000 feet) above the sea level.

Mount Everest (known in Chinese as Mount Zhumulangma)

- Highest point along the Tibetan Plateau
- Highest mountain in the world.
- Located on the Sino-Nepalese border and rises 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) above sea
level.

Outer China

- Huge area to the north and west of China Proper.
- Ranges from 1,000 to 5,000 meters above sea level.
- Zone includes part of Northeast China (also known as Manchuria), Xinjiang, Inner
Mongolia, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, part of the Loess Plateau, and a stretch of
mountains.

Climatic Factors:

- Climate Extreme cold to almost tropical
- Cold strong winter winds from Mongolia - Mountain ranges in the north

Timber

principal material
- Bamboo
- Pine

Persea nanmu

tallest and straightest of all trees in China

Bricks

Roofs were covered with clay tiles, colored and glazed with symbolic colors (black, red,
azure, white and yellow)

Limestone and sandstone

Fit for use in thresholds, stairs, balusters, engineering works.

Wood-frame construction

most distinctive feature

Religious Influences:

Buddhism
Taoism
Confucianism
Muslim

Taoism

(founded by Lao Tzŭ offered a doctrine of universal love as solution to social disorder -
main religion

Confucianism

new code of social conduct and philosophy of life. . Produced concepts of the universe and beliefs about the future closely allied with superstition, astrology and necromancy which have controlled the planning of society and cities as well as design of buildings.

Indian Context

mandala

Chinese Context

Feng Shui
Yin-Yang

Feng Shui

pseudo science - based on the belief that forces exist in every locality
which act on all buildings, towns, and cities for good or ill and sites were chosen or adapted accordingly.

Yin-Yang

- Represents the ancient Chinese understanding of how things work.
- Opposing qualities in a phenomenon, bound together as parts of a mutual whole;
dynamic equilibrium
- Outer circle represents "everything", while the black and white shapes within the
circle represent the interaction of two energies, called "yin" (black) and "yang"
(white), which cause everything to happen.

Yin

North, Winter, feminine principle embodied in earth, phoenix and
Empress

Yang

South, Summer, masculine principle imaged in the sky (heaven),
dragon and Emperor

Neolithic China (12,000 - 4,000 B.C.)

- The Yangshao and Lungshan
- Defined by a spread of settled agricultural communities, but hunting and gathering
was still practiced.
- Largest concentration of agriculture was below the southern bend of the Yellow River
and millet was the main crop.
- Silk production, had already been invented before this time period began and began in
Northern China.
- Pottery was also present during this time period.

Xia Dynasty

Period marked an evolutionary stage between the late neolithic cultures and the typical Chinese urban civilization of the Shang dynasty.

Shang Dynasty

- Believed to have been founded by a rebel leader who overthrew the last Xia ruler.
- Settlement started along the Yellow river and its civilization was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry.

Zhou Dynasty (2000 - 256 BC)

- Emerged in the Huang He valley overrunning the Shang.
- Under a semi-feudal system.

The Hundred School of Thought

spiritual movements including Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and Mohism being formed.

Doctrine of the "mandate of heaven" (tianming)

the notion that the ruler "the
son of heaven" or governed by divine right but that his dethronement would
prove that he had lost the mandate.

Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 B.C.)

Emperor Qin Shi Huang - first Chinese empire
- Standardized the language and writing; and its currency as a circular copper coin
with a square hole in the middle.
- Public works projects were also undertaken.
o Great Wall was built in the north, to protect against invasions, later augmented
by the Ming Dynasty.
o Roads and irrigation canals were built throughout the country.
o Huge palace was built for Shi Huangdi
o Famous for the terra cotta army that was found at the burial site for Shi
Huangdi.

Han Dynasty (207 - 220 B.C.)

- Liu Bang, a commoner overthrew the Qin emperor.
- Period of prosperity, with the country embracing Confucianism.
- The expansion of the empire led to the establishment of extensive trading links along
the Silk Road.
- Silk weaving and copper work were also important activities.
- Irrigation systems were increased to help develop the areas of North China.
- Education became more important during this period, as a new class of gentry was
introduced.
- Introduced an examination system for potential government officials.

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

- End of the Han Dynasty was followed by a long period of disunity and civil war.
- Buddhism began to spread throughout China although it was introduced in the 1st c.
A.D. but did not really begin to spread until after the Han empire collapsed.

Kingdoms that grew out of the three chief economic areas.

1. Buddhism Wei, in northern China,
2. Shu to the west,
3. Wu in the east

Sui Dynasty (580-618 A.D.)

- Reunification of China after the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
- Internal administration also improved during this time, which is evident by several
things:
o Building of granaries around the capitals,
o Fortification of the Great Wall along the northern borders,
o Reconstruction of the two capitals near the Yellow River,
o Building of another capital in Yangchow.

The Grand Canal

(longest canal in the world to date)

Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D)

- 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.

Five Dynasties (907-960 A.D.)

- Are the officially recognized dynasties of the north, while the south had 10 kingdoms.
The north was continually ravaged by warfare during this time as they were attacked
by the Khitans and the Turks.
- Important development was in the field of printing
- The practice of binding women's feet also began during this time.

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

- Great advances were made in the areas of technological invention, material production, political philosophy, government, and elite culture.
1. used gunpowder as a weapon in warfare,
2. foreign trade expanded greatly, and the Chinese had the best ships in the
world.
- Education and the examination system became central to the upper class.
- Neo-Confucianism was developed during this time, especially during the Southern Song dynasty.

Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368 A.D.)

- First of only two times that the entire area of China was ruled by foreigners - the Mongols.
- Established by Kublai Khan, he had his grandfather Genghis Khan placed on the official record as the founder of the dynasty

Ming Dynasty

- One of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history,
was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Hans
- The Yongle Emperor's reign was the most flourishing time.
- Revival and expansion of the Chinese culture.
1. Restoration of the Grand Canal
2. Repair and completed the Great Wall of China.
3. Establishment of the Forbidden City in Beijing during the first quarter of the 15th c.

Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911)

- 2nd time when the whole of China was ruled by foreigners, the Manchu.
- Instituted changes in the dress of the Chinese
- Forbid writing against the government.
- Ordered the most complete dictionary of Chinese characters.
- Two Opium (Anglo-Chinese) wars and lasted from 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860, the climax of a trade dispute between the British Empire.
- Boxer Rebellion was a violent anti-foreign, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of Harmony," or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China

metal coins

Used in community bartering.

Silk

was traded for other goods or services as they traveled the "Silk Route."

Emperors

(Chinese rulers) based their government on the Confucian model.

Ancient Chinese

- used characters and symbols as their written language.
- fished, farmed, and irrigated the land.

The Great Wall of China

built by Shi Huangdi. He united China and built a strong,
centralized, authoritarian government.

Inventions

kites, silk cloth, fireworks, compass, and bronze.

Fine arts

Calligraphy, painting and poetry

Sculpture, architecture and crafts

artisan work

Ancient Chinese architecture

(timber frame structure)

(timber frame structure) is composed of:

1. SLOPING ROOF - with standing pillars formed a relatively fixed structure, while the walls
only form the role of fencing.
2. HOUSE BODY- provides the living space
3. TERRACE - solid, or hollow formed by timber frame

Two Types of Houses:

1. Square shape - dug into the ground 50-80 cm. deep on square form with a slant slope
leading to the cave from the ground
2. Round shape - most built on ground with small wooden pillars on all sides closely lined as
walls with slanted roofs to help drain the rain and snow.

COURTYARD STYLE

Bays are combined into a house and houses are combined into a group of houses.

North-South Orientation:

• Solar-orientation provides a sunny,
southern exposure to the major
living spaces.
• Halls for the older generations and
for important ceremonies were
arranged along the main axis,
which usually was the north- south
axis, to have the best ventilation
and sunshine.

Axial planning:

• Provides an organized method for
giving Chinese houses a sense of
order and balance.
• The young generation occupied the
side halls facing east and west.

Chinese houses

Composed of:
1. Front, middle and rear yards
2. Master of the family, parents occupy the center, middle yard - stay on the axis
3. 2nd and 3rd generation stay in the wing houses on both sides
4. Servants stay in the rear yard

Inward planning concept (EXTERIOR-INTERIOR)

• Houses are planned around a courtyard with the maximum linkage between the indoor and
outdoor space.
• Represents the unity of man and nature, while focusing on the importance of the family.

Courtyard:

• Allows sunlight into the inner spaces of the house
• Provides an outdoor activity space for the celebration of festivals.
• Sometimes it is a garden.

Walled Enclosure:

• Secures privacy
• Serves as a defense
• Defines a physical space inside which people belong to one another, a place for the unity of
family.

Square and symmetry with a prominent axis

- formula of feudal ritual system for Chinese ancient architectural groups

Three main elements of a Chinese structure:

- PODIUM - buildings were raised on a stone or brick platform as protection against damp
and flooding from the river.
- COLUMN
- ROOFING- expressive, curving and sweeping. Emphasis on horizontality.

Combination of wood and bricks (red or grey)

Bricks have glazed colored surface and walls are also faced with glazed tiles or majolica.

Stone

were reserved for special structures and walls of important edifices.

Timber Frame and Flexible Structure to counter earthquakes:

- Framework of the roof determines the position of the columns, often of nanmu wood.
- Rigidity of the framework and roof beams was relied on to keep the columns in position
on the stone foundation.

Two main kinds of framing systems developed:

1. Pillars-and-beams (tailiang),
2. Pillars-and-transverse-tie-beams (chuandou)

Use of corbel brackets "Dougong"

a system of brackets inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam. Unique structural component and one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture.

Dou

Wooden block

Gong

Bow-shaped brackets

Bracket systems help to solve problems that arise as buildings get bigger:

1. how to reduce beam spans
2. how to brace wall sections above columns
3. how to support a wide eave
4. how to strengthen the frame

TIMBER FRAME STRUCTURE

Advantages:
• Much easier to cope with than
stone - from collecting, transporting
to processing which save bother
time and labor.
• Resist earthquakes because of the
use of tenons and mortises
• Timber frame structure carries all
the weight of the roof as wee as the
beam, walls perform as enclosures
and partitions.

Disadvantages:
• Can be easily destroyed by fire.
• Vulnerable to humidity and pest. Must
be raised and columns must be on a
stone base

BIG ROOF

- special feature
- Project out especially far from the walls on four sides since they protect walls from erosion of rain water.

Walls

built with clay, bricks with wooden windows and doors are all subject to wearing or deterioration due to water

Tiles

one line after another, run from the upper to the lower reaches and eave edges are added with flowery decorations.

Ridges

flowery patterns formed by bricks and tiles or images of various kinds of
animals and plants

Intersections

Images of dragon, phoenix or pagoda, etc.

Roofs one over the other

- Sign of dignity
- Grandeur could be signified by the number of tiers - in terms of floors or roofs.
- Protect interior from extreme heat and cold

Emphasis on the horizontal axis

- Stressed the visual impact of the width and symmetry of buildings
- Does not apply to pagodas

Halls and palaces in the Forbidden City

have rather low ceilings when compared to stately buildings in the West, but their external appearances suggest the all-embracing nature of imperial China.

Use of color was restricted according to strict social status classification.

1. yellow - symbol of the emperor
2. green - 2nd to yellow
3. blue - temples because of the symbol of heaven

Decorations

also convey through symbolization and analogy, certain cultural connotations.

Dragons (Long)

reborn from its own ashes symbolizes continuity and divinity.

Phoenix (Feng)

- affluence or good fortune
- They are used to represent emperors and their consorts and were the main
decorative patterns to be seen on various imperial structures. Palaces, columns,
pathways and screen walls were all inscribed or carved or painted with their
images.

Tiger

divine power and strength

The more important a building

the more guardians it includes to protect from evil spirits, fire,
etc.

Palaces, temples and even Hutongs (alleys of simple common people dwellings)

were usually surrounded by a gated wall.

Quadrangle

basic form of combination in Chinese architectural group

Rites

- ancient Chinese political ideas
- Criteria which determines the human relations, distinguishes right from wrong, and the
regulation from which to formulate virtue and benevolence.

SYSTEM AND REGULATION CONCERNING ARCHITECTURE

• Proportion of the house and utensils used the higher and bigger the loftier
• Applicable in the height of the tomb and thickness of coffin timbers
• Regulates ancestor worship. The most senior the ancestors should be placed in the
middle in arranging the tablets of ancestors and tomb location. The rest are placed
on the left and right according to seniority.

CLASSIFICATION OF CITIES:

1. IMPERIAL CITIES - highest and biggest
2. Capitals of fiefdoms belonging to the vassal lords
3. Cities of imperial relatives in the locality

IMPERIAL CITY

takes a square form, each side is nine in length and encircled by city walls
on all sides, three gates, nine vertical and nine streets crisscross the inside city.

Planning and layout:

1. Size of the capital should reflect its significance in the hierarchy of authority.
2. City should face towards the brightness of the south.
3. Should be laid out in squares and rectangles aligned with the four directions of the earth.
4. Internal organization should reflect the orderliness of the universe.
5. Each social function should have its appropriate place.
- Imperial palace, temples and mansions of the princes should be positioned in
more important locations. The imperial palace should be placed at the heart of
the settlements
- Lesser activities such as markets and mercantile shops - should be situated at
secondary sites.
6. The ancestral temple should
be to the right of the central
axis, with the altar of heaven
7. A great wall symbolizing the
power of the emperor should
enclose the whole metropolis

Palaces

- meant as an ordinary house.
- Qin Dynasty (221- 207 B. C.) - group of buildings in which the emperor lived and worked.

Dian

Large single building in traditional Chinese architecture and generally referred to as dadian (grand hall).

zhengdian

(central hall) as it is invariably built on the axis of an architectural complex.

Example of palaces

1. Efanggong of the First Emperor of Qin
2. Weiyanggong of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC.-24 AD. )
3. The Forbidden City of Beijing,

Gong

other abodes of the emperor