CHINESE ARCHITECTURE PART 1

CIN - (Sanskrit) first recorded use of the word “China” dated in 1555 popularized by Marco Polo

CINA (with an enye) - porcelain or ceramic ware originally made in China

QIN - the dynasty that unified China; “yellow-colored” barbarian tribe from the North, unknown group of the westernmost.

SINA - sino, sinae.

ZHONGGUO - (lit) central country Zhou Dynasty; “Center of Civilization”

CATHAY/CATHAI - historical or poetic name for China, may have evolved from “Khitans” (nomadic people from NE Asia).

REPUBLIC OF CHINA - (Zhonghua Minguo) after the government’s establishment in 1912.

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - China’s name now.

CHINA - the largest country in Asia. Located in SE Asia, along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean.

9.6 million square kilometer - area of China.

3RD LARGEST COUNTRY - After Russia and Canada.

PILGRIMAGES - sacred mountains. 33% mountainous and 10% hilly.

Himalayas, Kunlun, Tianshan, Qinling, Greater Hinggan, Taihang, Qilian, Hengduan Mountains - well-known mountain ranges.

YELLOW RIVER (HUANG HE) - “The Great Surrow”, each spring the rivers would overflow their banks. (2,109 mi/5,464km)

YANGTZE RIVER (CHANG JIANG) - the third longest river in the world. (2,432mi/6,300km)

PEARL RIVER (ZHU JIANG) - 848mi (2,197km) long.

NORTH CHINA - dominated by the alluvial plains along the yellow river.

GOBI DESERT - lies to the North

SOUTH CHINA - region drained by the yangtze river and hillier than north china.

WARM AND HUMID - climate of South China.

SOUTHWEST CHINA - occupies ¼ of the land area of PRC and have mountains and massive highlands averaging from 4,000 to 5,000m above sea level.

TIBET - was annexed in 1950.

MOUNTEVEREST - (Mount Zhumulangma in chinese) located in SW China. Highest mountain in the world.

OUTER CHINA - huge area to the north and west China proper. 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.

INNER MONGOLIAN PLATEAU - a combination of prairie, mountain, and desert, much of it suitable for raising sheep and yaks.

COLD winter for most part and WARM summer - climate in china (situated north of the equator).

DIVERSE CLIMATES - Diversity in the architecture in the various regions in China.

WOOD-FRAME CONSTRUCTION - most distinctive architectural feature.

TIMBER - principal material.

PERSIA 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 and yellow).

LIMESTONE AND SANDSTONE - fit for use in thresholds, stairs, balusters, and engineering works.

SILK ROAD - trade route, led to the establishment of extensive trading which made China the largest economy of the ancient world.

CONFUCIANISM - was a new code of social conduct and philosophy of life (Middle Way).

TAOISM - founded by La Tzü which offered a doctrine of universal love as solution to SOCIAL DISORDER. Produced concepts of the universe and beliefs about future closely allied with superstition, astrology and necromancy.

FENG SHUI - based on the belief that forces exist in every locality and this affects the energy flow within space, buildings, towns and cities.

TAI CHI - a practice that advocates balance and completeness through movement.

INDIAN CONTEXT - Mandala

CHINESE CONTEXT - Yin and Yang

TAOIST IDEA - Nature has two balancing forces Dynamic equilibrium: Opposing qualifies bound together as parts of a mutual whole (outer circle)

BLACK AND WHITE - interaction of two energies, which causes everything to happen.

NUMBERS 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - are considered to be lucky numbers in China.

4 - is categorized as unlucky even though it is an even number, because its pronunciation rhymes with the Chinese word "SE" (si or shi in Chinese) meaning "death".

LO SHU MAGIC SQUARE - The numbers in every direction in every row add up to 15

15 - number of days it takes for the new moon to become a full moon (number of days in each of the 24 cycles of the Chinese solar year.

BAGUA CHART - Lu shu magic scare, each sections of it symbolizes specific properties which includes; Life area, Element, Direction, Animal and Color.

DYNASTIES - rule the country under one family.

EMPERORS - (Chinese rulers) based their government on the Confucian model: Son of GOD.

(Neolithic) ZHOUKOUDIAN CAVE - 1st evidence of human habitation

HOMO ERECTUS - commonly known as the Peking Man estimated to have lived approximately 300,000 to 550,000 years ago.

ZHOU DYNASTY - From 2000 - 256 BC Emerged in the Huang He valley, overrunning the Shang.

"MANDATE OF HEAVEN" (tianming) - the notion that the ruler "the son of heaven" or governed by divine.

QIN DYNASTY - 221 - 206 B.C. First Chinese empire - United China in a legalist government seated in Xiangyang, however it only lasted for 12 year.

QIN DYNASTY - Standardized the language and writing, and its currency as a circular copper coin with a square hole in the middle.

GREAT WALL - was built in the north, to protect against invasions, later developed by the Ming Dynasty.

QIN SHI HUANG - huge palace was built for.

HAN DYNASTY - 207 to 220 B.C., Commoner Gaozu (Liu Bang), overthrew the (Qin) emperor and assumed power

GOLDEN AGE OF CHINA - Period of prosperity, with the country embracing Confucianism.

BUDDHISM - first came to China Emperor Gaozu knew that he could not run the entire empire by himself.

BUDDHISM - became the dominant religions but at the end of the dynasty, the rulers made CONFUCIANISM the national religion and banned all other religions.

FIVE DYNASTIES - (907-960 A.D.) Attacked time and again by the Khitans and the Turks. Important development was in the field of printing. Foot binding.

NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY - 960 to 1279 A.D, Great advances were made in the areas of technological invention, material production, political philosophy, government, and elite culture.