CHINESE ARCHITECTURE PART 2

LATTER IMPERIAL CHINA- Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368 A.D.)

MONGOLS - First of only two times that the entire area of China was ruled by foreigners

YUAN DYNASTY - 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 Revival and expansion of the Chinese culture Restoration of the Grand Canal Repair and completion of the GREAT WALL OF CHINA. Forbidden City.

QING DYNASTY - 2nd time when the whole of China was ruled by foreigners, the Manchu Instituted changes in the dress of the Chinese: ordered all Chinese men to have their pigtail hairstyle with the front of their heads shaved. Last imperial dynasty of China.

BOXER REBELLION - a violent anti-foreign, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of Harmony," or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China Xinhai Revolution of 1911-12 brought an end to the Qing dynasty and established the Republic of China.

BILATERAL SYMMETRY - balance Applied in both palace complexes and farmhouses. Secondary elements are positioned either side of main structures to maintain bilateral symmetry. Buildings have: even number of columns odd number of bays Main door located at the central bay 2.

ENCLOSURE - Often, building complexes take up the entire lot but enclose open spaces within themselves. Enclosed spaces come in two forms: Courtyard ((7) Siheyuan (si-haw-yan) an empty space surrounded by buildings connected with one another either directly or through verandas

SKY WELL - Common in the South, Essentially a relatively enclosed courtyard formed from the intersections of closely spaced buildings Offer small opening to the sky through the roof space from the floor up.

HIERARCHY - importance + placement of buildings within a site. Buildings with doors facing the front of the property are considered more important than those facing the sides. Buildings facing away from the front of the property are the least important.

EMPERIAL PALACES - the structure is symmetrical.

(front part) - for the emperor to handle official businesses

(rear part) - residence for emperors and concubines

(east) - shrine for the ancestors

(west) - shrine for agricultural deities

Residences of Royal Relatives - Less solemn and much smaller in size and scale, Less side steps in front of gates Ridges were decorated with engraved beasts

NUMBER “NINE” - number of beasts could not exceed nine because the number "nine" carried a special significance in old China and symbolized the emperor's supreme sovereignty

MANDARIN (BUREAUCRAT) RESIDENCE - restricted by a set of rules, as all buildings were legally regulated "Guardian lions" were not allowed to stand in front of the gate Engraved beasts were forbidden to decorate ridges of roof Wealthy businessmen Much lower social class no matter how rich they might were.

HORIZONTAL EMPHASIS - with an emphasis on breadth more than height Enclosed heavy platform + large roof that seemingly floats Vertical walls not well emphasized.

FORBIDDEN CITY - (interior) halls and palaces low ceilings; (exterior) - all-embracing nature of imperial China

COSMOLOGY - Use of Feng shui (geomancy) and Taoism to organize construction and layout, Talismans and imagery of good fortune, Three anthropomorphic figures representing Fu Lu Shou stars, Animals and fruits, Orientation, Ponds, pools, wells, the use of certain colors, numbers and the cardinal directions.

AXIAL CITY AND CITE PLAN CONFUCIANISM - influenced the design of the classical Chinese City

STRICT DOCTRINES - societal order + rules + filial piety

AXIAL SYMMETRICAL CITY LAYOUT - rigid hierarchical social system in ancient China compositional elements in an axial layout plan are interrelated all elements should reference the axis (north-south axis or the east-west axis)

CLASSICAL CHINESE CITY AXIAL PLAN - orthogonal system (grid common characteristic features: palace in the axial center, square plan and wall enclosure surrounding the city.

PALACE IN THE AXIAL CENTER- symbolizing the centralized power of Chinese emperor.

SQUARE PLAN - the streets were laid out running north-south and east-west along the plan axis to form a checkerboard grid.

CONFUCIAN CONCEPT - Harmony + happiness in a family = deference to elders happiness (hierarchy)

CLASSICAL CHINESE HOUSE - Halls for the older generations and for important ceremonies Main (north-south) axis > had the best ventilation and sunshine Higher location More exquisite decorations Younger generations (east-west) side halls more simply decorated

SURROUNDING WALL - privacy + seclusion security 1-2 doors leading to the street

TING (HALL) - the largest and the most formal room used to treat important guests

TANG (LIVING ROOM) - the place to hold family meeting

L’OU (APARTMENT)- the place for family member live and for taking advantages of scenery

TING (PAVILION) - the place for relaxation

AXIS- not only controls the layout but acts as a path ALTERNATING INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SPACES

TRADITIONAL CHINESE COURTYARD - (an exterior space) necessary part of the spatial organization

COURTYARD - the extension of the interior space + center of family activities

JIAN - rectangular standard structural unit; can be joined together to create a hall, then a building.

CLASSICAL CHINESE ARCHITECTURE - aesthetic of wood Texture and color of the wood was exposed (stained with wood oil to preserve it)

MOST EVIDENT IN SOUTHERN CHINA - the weather is hot and humid, so the walls are thinner and not only the interior wood structure but also all the columns and beams were exposed or half embedded in the outside walls of the building.

WALLS - were used only as enclosing elements. Interior space was divided freely according to the needs, solid fixed partitions

TEMPOIRARY PARTITIONS - sliding screens, folding panels, decorative panels (marked "separation" but allowed continuity of visual connections)

ANCIENT CHINESE ARCHITECTURE - Mainly timberwork = buildings are quite flexible

LAYOUT - The whole layout is symmetrical

MAIN STRUCTURE - is located on the central axis

LESS IMPORTANT STRUCTURES - are located to the left and right

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE (NEOLITHIC PERIOD) - Lived in settled communities

PIT DWELLINGS- (sunken courtyards)

DIET - included millet or rice, they domesticated pigs and dogs

SLOPING ROOF - with standing pillars formed a relatively fixed structure, while the walls only form the role of fencing.

HOUSE BODY- provides the living space

TERRACE - solid or hollow formed by timber frame

FOUNDATION OF A HOUSE - is made of rammed earth (RE).

CLAY - is a common material for making tiles for roofing.

THATCH AND BAMBOO - common materials for the poor

WOOD - (if available / affordable) was used for framing and roof support

2 MAIN KINDS OF WOODEN FRAMING- pillars-and-beams (tailiang), pillars-and-transverse-tie-beams (chuandou).

HUTONG - A type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities

SIHEYUAN - Quadrangles / Courtyard Houses The young generation occupied the side halls facing east and west. Halls for the elders and for important ceremonies

TULOU - A large, enclosed and fortified earth building Rectangular or circular in configuration 3-5 storeys high With very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls.

FUJIAN TULOU - 46 earthen buildings, Built along an inward-looking, circular or square floor plan as housing for up to 800 people each. Known as "a little kingdom for the family" or "bustling small city.

DECORATIVE ROOFS- Elaborate cupolas were reserved for the ceilings of the most important structures such as tombs and altars Traditional Chinese architecture roofs and ceiling were constructed without nails.

ZAOJING - (coffer or caisson ceiling) Elaborate wooden coffers bordered by a round, square, or polygon frame with its brackets projecting inward and upward from its base.

UPTUMED EAVES - these gave the roofs their distinctive graceful, curved shapes.

ROUNDED TILES - commonly used; rows interlocked with one another

ROOF COVERING - roof surface; the part between the top and the eaves

EDGING FINISHING - roof near the eaves often had a different color from the upper part

FULL-FACE RIDGE - ridge at the highest point of the building roof formed by the intersection of the front and back slopes; viewed as a horizontal line from the front

FULL-FACE RIDGE DECORATION - various decorations are often set on the roof ridge; common roof crown (in the middle of the full-face ridge); different decoration carvings in the shape of flowers, grass, or dragons are also found on the front and back elevations of the full-face ridge.

VERTICAL RIDGE - for Hip Roofs, Hanging Hill Roofs, and Hard Hill Roofs, any ridge other than the positive ridge is called a "vertical ridge."

DIAGONAL RIDGE - in Resting Hill Roofs, the ridge starting from the Eaves gable board below the vertical ridge and ending in the entangled animal heads

EAVES - the part of the roof that protrudes beyond the truss

RIDGE BEAST- a protruding beast head is fixed on the lower corner end of the eaves to protect the beam head from rain

BAODING - roof crown

SHANHUA - the triangular wall formed on both sides of the Resting Hill Roof

DOUGONG - structural element of interlocking wooden brackets and one of the most important in traditional Chinese architecture, helped make buildings highly resistant to earthquakes. Bracket systems help to solve problems as the building gets bigger.

GROTTOES Small cave in square shape - gate in front within the cave - are niches arranged in parallel on three sides, which are for the monk to sit in and meditate.

GROTTOES Bigger with pagoda - built in the center of the rear part, place in front of the pagoda, is for the disciples to get together to pay respects to the Buddha.

YUNGANG GROTTOES, Datong of Shanxi Province - 50,000 statues from the 52 caves survive.

LONGMEN GROTTO - Also called Dragon's Gate Grottos; Location: Northern Wei capital of Luoyang; cave-chapels

TEMPLES - Resemble Indian temples, consisting of open courts, porticos with kitchen, refectories and sleeping cells of priests.

NORMAL TYPE- consist; 3 lofty one-storey pavilions with parallel open timber roof Approached by broad steps, gateways and bridges