Flashcards Week 1 History - China

What is history?

narrative abt the past from historian

"we live in history we make history"

Paul Klee, "Angelus Novus," oil transfer print, 1920

he is propelled forward by the storm of progress

however as historians, we are always looking back preoccupied by the past - not seeing the future

Modernization:

process of social development

- Technological advancement

- Urbanization and population growth

- Rise of bureaucracy, nation-states, and empires- Democratization

- Expansion of communication and transportation system- Expansion of world capitalist marke

Modernity:

typical features of modern time

Modernism:

ttheoretical and artistic ideas about modernit

The modern is a product

scientific and technological progress.

The modern is also an

aesthetic concept

historicism

To grasp something, we have to understand it in terms of its historical development

(n.) the theory that each period of history has its own unique beliefs and values and can only be understood in its historical context

how do you see histroy (2)

linear

cycle

historiography

The study of historical writing; how history is written; how historical time is represented in histories

The Professor Dream -1848- Charles Cockerell

overlay diff arc throughout time

arc periods collapsed into 1 space

- future + past intertwined

palinipset

clay pallets to write on and reused by old layers cld still be seen

It then became clear to me that it was not the task of architecture to invent form. I tried to understand what that task was. I asked Peter Behrens, but he could not give me an answer. He did not ask that question. The others said, 'What we build is architecture,' but we were not satisfied with that answer."

udwig Mies van der Rohe, quoted by Kenneth Frampton, Modern Architecture: A critical history (London: Thames & Hudson, 1980), p. 161.

- arc do not invent new form of arc = all invented

- focus on who when where u invent

- draw on precedents (spolia + abstract)

Winslow House, Frank Lloyd Wright, River Forest, Illinois, 1894

Winslow House, Frank Lloyd Wright, River Forest, Illinois, 1894

- classical era: symmetrical facade

- precedenet: santa sabina = apse = dining room = heart/sacred

Santa Sabina, Peter of Illyria, Domenico Fontana, Francesco Borramini, Antonio Muñoz, Rome, 425-1939 C

Stockholm Library, Stockholm, Gunnar Asplund, 1928

Stockholm Library, Stockholm, Gunnar Asplund, 1928

clasical era: Pantheon circle + square = rep earth + heavens

- in library = central 2 modern life

German Pavilion, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, 192

German Pavilion, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, 192

precedents: Basilica Ulpia (Trajan Basilica),

Rome, 98-112CE

a broad central nave flanked by four aisles

arcilon Pavilion, like many later pavilions, adopts a centralized, column-supported hall - choing the basilica's nave-aisle-apse layout.

trancepts

Utopia:

Eutopia:

Utopia: No place-

Eutopia: Good plac

What is utopia

Sir Thomas More, Utopia, 1516 •

Written in Latin- Audience wider than a national audience

Sir Thomas More, Utopia, 1516

social crit

+

contradidictions

Social critique-

Ideal society-

Urban society

Contradictions-

Slave society-

Isolated geographically but relied on trade with other polities.

Utopia is the _________-of modern architecture

ideological engine of modern architecture

chinese physical geometries

wang cheng

wang cheng

s an ancient Chinese urban planning model used from rulers city - zhou dynasty

- modular + repition

- abstract ordering of city = tradition

- emperor = middle = architect = shapes soictey = shows power

- political/social/cosmological cenyer

- unifies cosmo + world

3 gates on each side — each gate opens onto a broad avenue

9 streets in total: three running north-south and three running east-west, intersecting to form a nine-square grid

The imperial palace is placed at the center of the grid

The palatial town is at the center, with an ancestral temple to the left and a Sheji Altar (worship of the earth and grain gods) to the right

In front of the palace is the Wai Chao (outer court), and behind it is a market

周禮

zhou li

the title of a classical Chinese text on ritual, bureaucracy, and governanc

chang an

capital city - precendet for m,amy cap[ita; + imperial cities

Beijing influnces come from

chang an + wang cheng influences

The capital city shall be a square with each side nine li long and containing three gates. In the city, there shall be nine north-south and nine east-west streets. The north-south streets shall accommodate nine chariot-ways. Together they form a chessboard street pattern. On the left (east) of the city there shall be a Temple of Ancestors and on the right (west) and Altar of Land and Grain. In the front (south) there shall stand the emperor's audience halls and government ministries, in the rear (north) markets shall be located.

The ideal Chinese capital was a square, grid-planned city organized according to ritual, political, and cosmological principles. Ancestor worship stood to the east, agricultural ritual to the west, government functions to the south, and markets to the north, reflecting the hierarchical order of the Chinese state.

(chengzu) Yongle Emperor, r. 1402 1424C (8)

• 1403-1420

Third Ming emperor

- power thru coup d'teat

• Moved capital - to beijing = fresh start

Yongle Emperor, r. 1402

1424CE

bei jing

yongle empere

largest city from 1425-1635

- rapid growth = high demadn for wood = deforstation + mining for coal

zhongyouzi

中 有

everything that is chaotic has some order

layout of beijinjg (4)

4 walled city (3 nestles tf + 1 outside)

Forbidden City

• Imperial City

• Inner City

• Outer City

nature = regular/scattered = unp[lanned chaotic

Forbidden City

colors

emperor + close fam + officials + staff

made of inner + outert court + gardens

edges = vast garden - overlooked moats

red walls = center, plaster

roof = golden, glazed tiles

imperial city

royal garden, 4 gates, warehouse

inner city

market, temples, shops, courtyard, houses (hu tong)

outer city

4 gates, infromal buildings, unplanned, existing temples

sequence of the forbidden city

Outer Court

1. meridian gate

2. Gate of Supreme Harmony

3. Hall of Supreme Harmony

4. Hall of Central Harmony

5. Hall of Preserving Harmony

Inner Court

1. Gate of Heavenly Purity

2. Hall of Heavenly Purity

3. Hall of Union

4. Palace of Earthly Tranquility

---

Imperial Garden

1. Gate of Heavenly Peace

2. Hall of Imperial Peace

3. Spiritual Value Gate

west and east of forbidden city

Six western palaces Six eastern palaces

hierachy within forbidden city (4)

1. hipped roof

2. concave crests

3. tiny terra cotta figures (crests of roods) = tail men = high number = more important

4. grandeur = thru negative space/emptiness

main law of city + around city

central axus + symmety - for palaces + courtyards

around = minor building 4 court members = orthoganl alignment

inspo for FC

cambodia - chenzu architect

ruan an - anam south asia

units for measureing in chinese

bays

dai -

space/void bw coloumns

enter through

meridian gate

meridian gate

u shpaed

interrup path over moat

5 arches

3 main entrances

- used by king/wife (wedding day) successful scholars

2 side entrances

- used for commoners

pavillion connctec by 13 dail

meridian gate opens to

negative space = shows monumentality + more grand --> GOSH

outer court

assembly space - rituals (CNY) - I platform, - 3 terraces, 3 halls at the top

Gate of Supreme Harmony

1. Hall of Supreme Harmony (10)

wooden, double eaved roof, 11 tailsemn

kings throne

lattice ceiling

woodedn structure

dou gong brackets = ornamental

11 bays

sloped roof

- moves away from yingzaofashi - centracl bracket wider than the last brackets = smaller (compenstae)

- diff brackets - flat _ colorful (not dougong)

2. Hall of Central Harmony

square plan

open collonaded on 4 sides

lattice windows

intimate throne room - where the emperor waits before going to HOSH - anhd addressing public

3. Hall of Preserving Harmony

1 bay smaller in each direction

like HO supreme harmony (9 bays)

4 minor festivals = gatehrings + banquets

a smaller golden throne. Behind it is a massive marble carving of nine dragons playing with pearls, symbolizing imperial power and protection.

inner court

3 buildings = 1/2 size negative space in inner court

fronty = king

rear = wueen

1. Gate of Heavenly Purity

2. Palace of Heavenly Purity

where the emperor stays

3. Hall of Union

royal intercourse + nuptuial dudites + concubines

4. Palace of Earthly Tranquility

empress

double‑eaved, nine‑bay‑wide, three‑bay‑deep hall with red decoration symbolizing love, fertility, and imperial authori

enternace = on the side?

eunuchs

man who has been castrated, especially (in the past) one employed to guard the women's living areas in an Asian court.

heavy labor + keep order + complex sexual relation

--- guardians

eunuchs where?

central block of Inner Palace

concubines

mistress

a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives.

studied music + literature

few means of moving up rank

- groomed at a young age

concubines and wives where?

dense courts on either side of inner court

scholar officials

utongs are the narrow alleys that connect and surround siheyuan, which are traditional four‑sided courtyard houses

- studied texts confusciasn. daoism, histroy

- passed texts = tenures position at FC

used imperia palace but lived far away hu tongs - long alleys in gridded blocks

lived w fam in couryards (si he yuan)

- small pavillion _ w perimeter wall

- grey rppd + homo + uniform

forbidden city buildiers

Rǔan ān/Nguyễn An (阮安） - arc

• Cài Xìn (蔡信) - master planner

• Chén Gūi (陳珪) master planner

• Wú Zhōng (吳中) master planner

• Kǔai Xiáng(蒯祥) - naster carpenter

• Lù Xiáng (陸祥 - master mason

Imperial Workshop System

zàobànchù

zàobànchù

- System of labor organization implemented = Han dynasty = maintenance + creation of objects + built works for the court and imperial family

- System was "continuous" across dynastic change- established throughout China

• Certain areas become well-known for a single type of craft (eg. Jingdezhen and porcelain)

- Critical in creating sumptuary codes

• Certain styles were for certain classes

• Built on a Confucian or Legalist social structure:

- 士農工商 (shì nóng gōng shāng)(scholars, farmers, artisans/craftsmen, merchants)

• Outside ofthis, the emperor and imperial family and 賤民 (jiànmín) (lit. "mean people": entertainers, prostitutes, etc.) • *Same in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam

• Not socioeconomic classes

• Not hereditary in principle (different from European feudalism and the varna system)

• 方式"magician-technicians" (Joseph Needham)

• Used methods of mass production long before the factory assembly line in "the West

Guiding principle/treaties

Yíngzào fǎshì - lijie

Yíngzào fǎshì - lijie

handbook - government standard - song dynasty

- no water, no money theft

- political move

- was lost but then borught back

- x2 eaved roof = right proprtion = lower eave over the porch

cai fen - modular system + dou gong brackets

proportions + labor costs + material + stnadar building tpes

- illustrations = precise

braces used

explain

sparrow

- brackets. timber, support joins

wing s= sparrow

- ornament not structure

How does traditional Chinese architectural space typically develop?

Horizontally rather than vertically.

What basic spatial form organizes traditional Chinese building complexes?

Four-sided enclosed courtyards.

Where is the most important building located in a traditional Chinese complex?

On the main axial line as the focal building of the spatial unit.

What architectural elements mark entrances in traditional Chinese architecture?

Gates mark the entry to both the overall complex and individual compounds.

What scale is emphasized in traditional Chinese architecture?

Human scale.

What structural system is characteristic of traditional Chinese buildings?

A flexible timber-frame system.

How are building components organized in traditional Chinese timber construction?

Every component is modular.

What does the module size indicate in traditional Chinese architecture?

The rank and status of the building.

What was the coloring of FC?

polychromatic

uildings use multiple colors, often in painted decoration.

Where is completely private space usually found in traditional Chinese architecture?

Behind a facade, hidden from public view.

History: Míng dynasty builders display a renewed interest

in the built forms, construction techniques, and ideas of the past.- Revival of the Yingzao Fashi • The Míng dynasty ushered in a period of rigid standardization • U

topia: Míng builders articulate

ideal social relations through physical geometries- Draw on the Wang cheng and previous plans of dynastic capitals (esp. Chang'an)

Labor for imperial works organized through the

Imperial Workshop system •

Míng architecture accomplishes a lot through

succinct use of technology; modularity, flexibility of structure, and rank can all be rendered through an economical building vocabulary.

• Produces harmony between contradiction

chaos/order, nature/man, rigidity/repetitiveness, structure/ornament

necroplis 4 Ming Dynasty

Chengzu also initiated the Ming dynasty's necropolis at Changling

NW of beijing

FC = for spirits

1. Granite Pallor

2, Gate of Eminent Favor

3. Hall of Eminent Favor

1. Granite pailou,

five-bay square arch

derived from the Indian Buddhist torana gates.

Spirit Path, lined with thirty-six pairs of granite statues, depicted a

dream world of giant camels, elephants, horses, and men.

- path lined w 36 granite structure

distance - same as outercity FC - 2 HO supremem harmony

2. Gate of Eminent Favor

enter ganrity pailou

3. Hall of Eminent Favor

Hall of Eminent Favor appeared as a near replica of the For-

bidden City's Hall of Supreme Harmony, like a parallel world

for the spirit. O

Tiantian REbuilt (basic)

REbuilt Tiantian/Altar of Heaven in Chenzhou - 1420

OG outside FC

larger than FC

OG used 4 emperor 2 perform ceremonies 2 yearly solstice - agriculture

JIAJING rebuilt it

Jia Jing REBUILT the Altar of Heaven

1530 - surrounded ritual area w woodedn estate + enclosing site w cocentric set of inner +outer horseho shaped wall

- circle = heaven

- square = earth

Jia Jing rebuilt sequence

1. Palace of Abstinence

2, Early Mount

3. Dasi Hall

(1) Palace of Abstinence; (2) Earthly Mount; (3) Vault of Heaven; (4) ramped thoroughfare; (5) Dasi Hall

1. Palace of Abstinence

3 day period fasting - prep 4 ceremonies

- 2 set of walls + moats

- 160 garrison chambers

- built from masonry

2, Early Mount

carried wooden tav = top = burnt offering + music + dancing

- central sequence of 3 shrines

ascen w 4 staircase = cardinal direction

- then EM --> CH - by following axis = bridge ramped up

a triple terrace of ascending circular stages, ringed by marble balustrades and accessed by four stairways radiating in the cardinal directions.

The circle in Chinese cosmology signified heaven and the

square, earth.

3. Dasi Hall

scarifice, burnt offering, on 1st moon of spring

- square set of outer walls framed O platform

- east = slaughter pavillion 4 sacrifice

- north = pavilion tablets of heavly spirit

cylindrical hall rose

37 m (118 ft) and was unique in type, capped by three dimin-

ishing levels, each skirted with a broad apron of eaves sup-

ported by complex brackets.

all offered a soaring void structured on cantile-

vered brackets.

og color = top blue, gold, green - shows heaven and earthnature

Suzhou as a city

less rigid opposed to beijing

0blique turns

crop yeild = inc --> inc wealth

no autonomy - but large mercehant c;ass = high education = lots of schools =

garden design

rebel against the strict emperor through the use of gardens and designing them

wedged between the city's regular patterns of courtyard

houses and canals.

- showed multiple paths

- multiple different experiences

- no control over the viewer

- differs from the FC = one axis = one way

The scholar-officials conceived sites for nonhierarchical experiences in their gardens, allowing visitors to discover them a bit at a

time. Both the design of the pathways and the gardens' political symbolism remained indirect. subtle statment of dissaproval gardens offered a new point of view, while the imperial land- scapes unfolded with relentless uniformity

2 garden design

1.wangshiyuan - net masters garden

2.suzhou - artless administrator garden

, Wang Shi Yuan (the Net

Master's Garden),

few scholars' gardens attached to a residence;.

leave

the rooms of the house on three different paths to explore

the series of enclosed landscapes

each entry = oblique turn

A nonhierarchical

system of crooked galleries (fang) skirted the lake , an

The

open pavilions, or tings , all had names and occupied special

viewing platforms-one hexagonal ting, named "Moon Ar-

riving and Breeze Coming," rose three steps above the path

to jut into the lake for multiple points of view - pavillion of cloud and moon

southern orientation

many diff ting shapes = show love of variety

irregularly shaped lake set up the studied compo-

sitions of tai hu rocks. - landscape chrsvcter = water and mountain

Artless Administrator's Garde

The title "Artless Administrator's Garden" is a political joke and allegory. After retreating from court service, Wang Xianchen implied that an honest scholar could no longer govern effectively in a corrupt political system, so he would "administer" a garden instead of the state.

Suzhou, China. Artless Administrator's Garde

outhern orientation. One passed through

multiple courts while visiting over forty pavilions

A large

lake had evocative islands , while zigzag bridges served

the smaller ponds. The plentifu l water came from springs

on the site and drained out to the canals. Tai hu composi-

tions awaited the visitor in intimate courts. In the farthest

court, t

he pergola from the western terrace

framed the view to the North Pagoda, situated

a few blocks away, an example of jeijing , a

"borrowed landscape"