Chinese Architecture

Group 7
BLANQUERA, CLARIBELLE A.
201910666 I. INFLUENCES
II. PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT
CANTALEJO, KIM IVAN, V. III. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
201814381 IV. SAMPLE STRUCTURES
V. DISTINCT TERMINOLOGIES
CUENO , KATHERINE S.
201910754

PANTALEON CRUZ III

I. INFLUENCES •Geographical Influence •Geological Influence •Climate Influences
•Religious Influence •Historical and Social Influence
Geographical Influence
The Republic of China covers an area larger
than the whole of Europe. It is composed of 23
provinces & the autonomous regions of Inner
Mongolia & Xinjiang Uygur.
Transport in South China is through its water-
ways & canals including Yangtze & Sikiany Riv-
ers. Since the development of the Silk Road,
land transport superseded water transport. The
Silk Road covers more than 1,500 miles.
The country is mountainous with fertile valleys in
the South & Southeast.
To the south and southeast of China are the
Himalaya Mountains.
Geological Influence
Timber is the principal construction material.
Other materials used in its architecture are
sand, clay, bamboo (particularly perseanan-
mu, the tallest & straightest), bricks, limestone
& sandstones. Coal is widely distributed but
the country is deficient in petroleum & iron.
Climate Influence
The North has severe winters while the cli-
mate in the South varies from extreme cold
to almost tropical. Because of the conditions,
Chinese roofs were accentuated with curve
eaves. The interior of the buildings were heat-
ed by means of charcoal burners. Beds were
raised on a Dais (kang) & heated underneath
with burning charcoal
I. INFLUENCES •Geographical Influence •Geological Influence •Climate Influences
•Religious Influence •Historical and Social Influence

•RELIGOUS INFLUENCE
China was influenced principally by Confucianism, Taoism& Buddhism.

Confucianism – a philosophy that dominated China until the early 20th cen-
tury; an ethical system based on the teachings of the Chinese philosopher,
Confucius. He emphasizing the love for humanity, harmony in thought & con-
duct, devotion to family & reverence for parents, including the spirits of one’s
ancestors. Believes in the golden rule: “don’t do unto others what you don’t
want others to do unto you”. Confucius’ teachings have been collected in a
book called “Analects of Confucius.”

Taoism – Chinese philosophy & religion considered next to Confucianism in

importance. Based on the teachings of the Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tzu. It
emphasizes a life of simplicity & noninterference with the course of natural
events in order to attain in a happy existence in m\harmony with the Tao
(the Way: the creative principle that orders the universe).As a religion, it dates
from AD 143, becoming popular during the decline of the Han Dynasty & the
introduction of Buddhism to China.

Buddhism – a religion based on the Four Noble Truths, Noble Truths: all life
is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; cessation of suffering is possible
through Nirvana (the extinction of craving; Nirvana can be reached through
mental & moral self-purification.
originated in India by Gautama Buddha & later spreading to China, Burma,
Japan, Tibet & parts of Southeast Asia.

The combination of these religions produced concepts of beliefs closely related to superstition, astrol-
ogy & necromancy (communication with the dead to foretell the future), which have control plan-
ning of society & cities & even designs of buildings.
Basing on the pseudo-science the “FengShui” there is a belief that forces exist in every locality & act
on all types of buildings, towns & cities, hence sites are carefully selected. In 1582 Christianity was
spread by the Jesuit missionaries, Confucianism disintegrated & ancestor worship declined.

•HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE

PATRIARCHAL DEPOTISM
Early form of government
Head of the government was the emperor

P’an Ku / Pangu
Created the earth & sky million years ago
The first living creature and the creator of the world

Jiaguwen (Chinese: “bone-and-shell script”)

Pictographic script found on oracle bones, it was widely used in divination in the Shang period (ca.
1200 BC)
The oracle bones were mainly used to keep records of activities like hunting, warfare, weather, se-
lection of auspicious days for ceremonies, etc.
Found at the site of the last Shang capital near present-day Anyang, Hena
Chinese script was written from left to right & had about 3,300 characters.
II. PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT •Xia Dynasty •Neolithic Period •Shang Dynasty •Zhou Dynasty
•Qin Dynasty •Qin and Han Dynasty •The Three Kingdom Period and Six Dynasties

Xia dynasty (c. 2070–c. 1600 BCE)

- still not known whether this dynasty was a myth or reality
- founded by a man known as Yu the Great
- Yu is a semi-mythical figure who spent 13 years stopping a great flood and bringing irrigation
to the Yellow River Valley. Yu was the ideal hero and ruler
- later identified as a deified lord of the harvest
- The fall of the Xia is blamed on its last king, Jie, who is said to have fallen in love with an evil,
beautiful woman and become a tyrant. The people rose up in rebellion under the leadership of
Zi Lü, the Tang Emperor and founder of the Shang Dynasty.

Neolithic Period (Pre-1600 BC)

- Banpo is the best evidence for early architecture in northern China that comes from Neolithic
villages
- Within the village there were two types of buildings, which were surrounded by a deeply dug
moat. One was circular buildings with conical roofs, which were built above ground; and the
other type was square buildings with pyramidal roofs, which were semi-subterranean.

Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC)

- first dynasty with written records
- Chinese written language and the art of casting bronze vessels were developed.
- Followed some architectural style from Neolithic period- most of the dwellings were partly sunk
beneath ground level
- buildings with a traditional Chinese style had started to take shape: rectilinear buildings set up
on rammed-earth foundations and massive earthen walls surrounding urban centers
Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC)
- iron was introduced into China;
- government controlled agriculture & stored away all the surplus crops.
- more architectural forms appeared. Long defensive walls came into being. Mourning halls,
tombs, and altars also became ordinary.
- Architectural material such as bricks and roof tiles had been created

Qin dynasty
- Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi unified China as a single country under his rule.
- He decreed that a common language (the Qin language) be used all over the kingdom.
- A written language with over 3,000 characters was invented & the calligraphic style of writing
began developing.
- Coins were also introduced. The Ban Liang- was the first unified currency of the Chinese empire
introduced by Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. It is the only currency allowed to circulate in his empire
After Huangdi’s death, the Qin dynasty lost power & the kingdom broke up into many parts.

The Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BC – 220 AD)

- the techniques used for timber buildings gradually improved and were perfected
- Builders had mastered firing tiles and could build with stones skillfully.
- Great palaces and pavilions were constructed.
- The Terracotta Army in Xi’an was part of the first emperor’s huge mausoleum.
- Another huge breakthrough was decorations: splendid paintings, silks, and ceramics became
parts of the buildings.
II. PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT •Xia Dynasty •Neolithic Period •Shang Dynasty •Zhou Dynasty
•Qin Dynasty •Qin and Han Dynasty •The Three Kingdom Period and Six Dynasties

The Three Kingdoms Period (220–280) and the Six Dynasties (220–589)
Religious buildings – especially Buddhist temples and monasteries – sprung up around China
thanks to the government’s admiration of religion.
Tiered structures were skillfully built when constructing brick or stone pagodas.
Songyue Pagoda: A circular-based stone-constructed Buddhist pagoda built in 523 CE during
the Southern and Northern Dynasties period of the Six Dynasties. It is the oldest existent stone
Chinese pagoda. Earlier wooden Chinese pagodas have not survived.

The Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) Dynasties

- The Sui and Tang eras were the golden age of China’s history.
- The application of bricks had become more popular. Vast public works, such as the Grand
Canal, were built.
- Chinese roofs became more and more exquisite as advances had been made in baking glaz-
es. The whole architectural style during this period was grand and lavish.
- Traditional Chinese architectural styles also spread to neighboring countries, such as Korea
and Japan.

The Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1279–1368) Dynasties

- The Song Dynasty was an important time for ancient Chinese architecture. Great improve-
ments had been made during that period.
- The scale of the buildings in the Song Dynasty was generally smaller than in the Tang Dynasty.
However, they were more beautiful and rich in diversity.
- During the Yuan Dynasty, many Tibetan Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques were built. The
architectural arts of Tibetan Buddhism and Islam greatly influenced the nation.
- The Miaoying Temple also known as the “White Stupa Temple” is a Chinese Buddhist temple

The Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) Dynasties

- Ancient architecture reached its zenith (success) during China’s last two imperial dynasties.
- The production of bricks had greatly increased.
- The quality and quantity of glazed tiles had exceeded any past dynasties.
- The official buildings were highly standardized.
III. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER •Principal Materials •Five main characteristics
•Structure Analysis •Features •Primary Structures

PRINCIPAL MATERIALS STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

1. Plan
- Siheyuan
- City Planning
2. Roof
The Chinese structure built mainly in timber. Types of roof
- Hsuan shan (overhang gable roof
Brick sometimes has a glazed coloured surface with wooden truss
and walls are also faced with glazed tiles or ma- - Ngang shan (gable roof with solid
wall ends)
jolica that also uses as platform.
- Wu tien (pitched roof)
- Hsuan shan (gable and pitched
Stone was reserved for special structures and the
roof)
walls of important edifices.
- Tsuan tsien (piramida roof)
- Hsuan shan (gable roof with solid
FIVE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS wall ends and pitched roof)
- Tsuan tsien (double piramida roof)
1.Good anti-seismic function - Hsuan shan (double gable and
- Mortises and Tenons pitchd roof)
- Lightness ans strength - Wu tien (double pitched roof)
2 Types of Roof Decorations
2. Unity of structure with architectural art 1. Encaustic Tiles
2. Ridge Beasts
3. A high degree of standardization 3. Walls
-jian – bay between 2 frames, unit to mea- 4. Columns
sure room - Columns were without capitals.
-Dimensions of structural components based 5. Windows
on Standard modules – a “cai” 6. Doorways
cai had 8 permissible sizes and in Qing dy- - Are square headed, but varied in
nasty it was doukou (11 permissible sizes) outline by fretted pendants from the hori
zontal timbers.
4.Bright colors 7. Mouldings
-Commonly used colors are the primary col- 8. Ornaments
ors like yellow, blue, white, red and black - played small part in decoration
that are always associated with natural ele- 9. Structural system
ments such as water, wood, fire, metal and - It was originated from two ways to
earth. build homes. Tai Liang was originated from primi-
tive caves that were developed in North Chinese
5. The systematic grouping of buildings and Chuan Dou came from a house on a tree
-Planned buildings around courtyards and .Tai Liang structural system is a system of columns
then added more buildings and more court- and beams where the lowest beam is placed on
yards the column to the width of the building. The sec-
North-south axis in planning many cities ond structural system is called Chuan Dou. This
system has columns established towards each
other transversely and connected to each oth-
er. Log-cabin structural system (Jing Gan Shi) is a
combination of two system.
III. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER •Principal Materials •Five main characteristics
•Structure Analysis •Features •Primary Structures

FEATURES

Cosmological concepts Feng-shui

- Chinese architecture from early times used concepts from Chinese cos-
mology such as feng shui (geomancy) and Taoism to organize construction
and layout from common residences to imperial and religious structures.

Hierarchy
- 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.

Enclosure
- Courtyard and Sky well

Dougong
- Dou – bearing block; gong- cantilevered bracket. Also, tou-kung.
- dougong is a system of wooden brackets that can support the over-
hanging roofs commonly found in Chinese architecture. The underlying physics
are simple: The interlocking brackets transfer weight to vertical columns, lessen-
ing the strain on the horizontal beams. Nails or fasteners are not required.
- Wang Xi invented the Dougong

PRIMARY STRUCTURES

1. Temples
- Consist of successive open courts and porticoes with kitchen, refectories, and sleeping cells
to the priest. The normal type consists of three lofty pavilions of one-storey, with parallel open
timber roofs approached by broad flight of steps, gateways and bridges.

2. Pagodas
- Most typical Chinese building usually octagonal in plan, odd number of stories, usually 9 or 13
storeys and repeated roofs, highly coloured, and with up turned eaves, slopes to each storey.
3. Pai-lou
- A Chinese ceremonial gateway erected in memory of an eminent person.
- They consist of two or more upright post with horizontal frieze, making one, two, or three
openings, sometimes surmounted by a series of brackets like those under temple eaves.
4. Palace
- Imperial palaces and official residences were erected as isolated, one storeyed pavilion re-
sembling temples in general design and crowned with the typical roof and not imposing.
5. Houses
- Generally, of one storey like the temples, are constructed with timber supports, filled in with
brickwork.
6. Bridges
- The bridges have become an important symbol of Chinese ancient civilization, and demon-
strate the intelligence and talent of ancient Chinese people.
7. Tombs
- the famous tomb is “Xian tomb” of Qin Shihuangi near Xian.
- Typically, a tomb consists of substructure and superstructure complex made up of under-
ground chambers and aboveground buildings.
IV. SAMPLE STRUCTURES •Temples •Pagodas •Pai-lou •Palaces •Houses •Great wall of China

Temple

A. CHINESE BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE

- Symmetric style
- Main buildings will be set on the central axis
- Facing the south
- Annexed structures will be on the west and east flanks
- The hall of heavenly kings, where sculptures of four heavenly kings
Duōwén tiānwáng - of the north direction, king of yaksas.
Zēngzhang tiānwáng - of the south direction, king of kumbhāndas
Chíguó tiānwáng - of the east direction, king of gandharvas.
Guăngmù tiānwáng- of the west direction, king of nāgas.

B. TAOIST ARCHITECTURE

- Set up in the capital under imperial orders. Taoist architecture applies two architectural styles:
•Traditional style
•Bagua style

C. TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

•Known as tian tan

•Ming dynasty in 1420
•Area of 273 acres

Parts of Temple of Heaven

1. Circular mound altar (huanqiutan)
• An open-air circular marble platform on three
levels of terraces.
2. Imperial vault of heaven(huangqiongyu)
along the middle axis, it is the place housing the
gods’ tablets to be used at the heaven worship cer-
emony.
3. Danbi bridge
- Vermilion steps bridge
4. Hall of prayer for good harvests(qiniandian)
Big palace with round roof and three layers of eaves
5. Palace of abstinence
Located in the southwest of the altar of prayer for
good harvests.
6. Divine music administration
located to the southwest of the palace of absti-
nence

D. TEMPLE OF SLEEPING BUDDHA

- Located on the eastern side of the fragrant hills
- The temple was built in the 7th century during the
heyday of the tang dynasty (ad 618-907)
IV. SAMPLE STRUCTURES •Temples •Pagodas •Pai-lou •Palaces •Houses •Great wall of China

Types of Pagodas and its example

• Close - eaved Pagoda

- earliest style of Chinese pagodas
- externally twelve-sided but interior is octagonal
- 41-meter high, 14 meter diameter built entirely of blue bricks;
- Ex. Pagoda of Songyue Temple, Mount, Songshan, Henan Province

• Multi - storey or Tower Pagoda

-visitors may climb up for a bird’s eye view of the surrounding country
earliest were square in plan, but the most popular form is octagonal.
- Ex. Greater wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an

• Vase-shaped Pagoda

- evolved directly from stupas, usually built in groups,

- sometimes five or more in a line or arranged symmetrically around
a major building.
- Ex. White Pagoda, Temple of Miaoying (Divine Retribution), Beijing

• Diamond Throne Pagoda

- origin in India and is not often seen in China
common feature:
- five smaller pagodas being built on a high and solid square base
called “the diamond throne”
- Ex. Zin Gang BaoZuo Pagoda in the Zheng-jue Temple, Beijing

• Single-layer Tomb Pagoda/Single-storey Pagoda

- built as tombs for monks & nuns
- square, octagonal, circular or hexagonal
- often found in groups or lines adjacent to temples

• Pagoda Forest
- mostly decorated with carvings and inscriptions
- 3 – 7 storeys and of varying heights up to 15 meter.
- Ex. Pagoda Forest, Shaolin Temple, Henan Province
• Wooden Tower Pagoda
- The tallest and oldest surviving wooden pagoda in China
- 67 m high, 26m in diameter at its base;
- between each of the five outside storeys there is a hidden interior storey
- Ex. Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Ying County,
Shanxi Province, China

• Mother-and-child Pagoda
- architectural complex rarely seen in China;
- group arrangement of nine pagodas;
- the one in the middle is the “mother”, with her height of 16.29 meters.
- Standing around her at corners of a regular octagon are her “children“,
eight smaller pagodas 9.1 meters high.
- Ex. Manfeilong Pagodas
IV. SAMPLE STRUCTURES •Temples •Pagodas •Pai-lou •Palaces •Houses •Great wall of China

Pai-lou
derived from the Indian torana; also pailoo or paifang
monumental gateway having a trabeated form of brick, stone or wood
1, 3 or 5 openings & often bold projecting roofs, with or without glazed tiles, often carry-
ing some inscriptions on the middle beam
erected as a memorial at the entrance to a palace, tomb or sacred place

Types:
a. jar
b. polygon
c. with trellis
d. moongate
e. Candle

Ex. Pailou, Summer Palace Park,

Beijing
well-preserved pailou, built 200
years ago,
it is composed of four columns
forming three arches and carrying
on top seven roofed ornamental
units.
Inscribed in front and at the back
are two Chinese classical char-
acters each, Painted on it amidst
rich colour are 176 golden dragons
and 36 golden phoenixes

Ornamental Gateway (Pailou) from Han Dynas- Paifang at the Cemetery of Confucius, tomb
ty (202 BCE – 220 CE) across a street lined with of Lady Yu, wife of Kong Xianpei (72nd genera-
small shops. Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, Chi- tion) in Qufu, China
na (1875).
IV. SAMPLE STRUCTURES •Temples •Pagodas •Pai-lou •Palaces •Houses •Great wall of China

Imperial palace “forbidden city” , beijing

Ordered by the 3rd ming emperor, yong le displays an extraordinarily harmonious balance
between buildings and open space within a more or less symmetrical layout
GATES

Wumen (meridian gate) – Donghuamen (east flowery/mag-

main entrance nificent gate)

Shenwu men (gate of di- Tiahemen (gate of supreme har-

vine prowess/divine might) mony)- gateway to the outer court
– main exit

Xihuamen (west flowery/ Qianqingmen (gate of heavenly

magnificent gate) peace) - main gateway to the in-
ner living court

OUTER COURT

Hall of supreme harmony Hall of central harmony Hall of protective/preserved harmony

(taihe dian) (zhonghe dian) (baohe dian )

INNER COURT
•Inner court
•Palace of heavenly peace (qianqing gong)
•Palace of union and peace (jiaotai dian)
•Palace of terrestrial tranquility (kunning gong)
•Hall of imperial peace
•Six eastern palaces
Palace of great benevolence (jingrengong)
Palace of celestial favour (chengqiangong)
Palace of eternal harmony (yonghegong)
Palace of great brilliance (jingyanggong)
Palace of accumulated purity (zhongcuigong)
Palace of prolonging happiness (yanxigong)

•Six western palaces

Palace of eternal longevity (yongshougong)
Palace of earthly honor (yikungong)
Palace for gathered elegance (chuxiugong) GARDEN
Hall of the supreme principle (taijidian)  Imperial garden
Palace of eternal spring (changchungong) Mental cultivation hall (yangxin dian)
Palace of universal happiness (xianfugong)
IV. SAMPLE STRUCTURES •Temples •Pagodas •Pai-lou •Palaces •Houses •Great wall of China

Houses
- one storey building facing towards south; indicates owner’s stature:

Bays- meaning “the space between“

9 bays – Emperor’s House

7 bays – Prince’s House
5 bays – Mandarin
3 bays – Ordinary Citizen

Ancient Chinese A five-bay house in A south-facing three

Ancient Chinese houses: Zhejiang Province bay house in Inner Mon-
a typical Chinese house houses: a mod-
el of a two-story golia
Poor People
house (China, ca.
100 AD)
Rich people

Bird’s eye view of courtyard house Ji Hongfu’s house, a 664-year-old courtyard in

in Beijing Shanxi province’s ancient Pingyao town, has
been owned by 23 generations of his family.

TheGreat Wall of China

- most famous among the ancient structures
- 6,000 km (1,700 miles)
- 6-9 meters high (20 to 30 ft)
- thickness of wall is 25 ft (8m) at the base & 15 ft (5m) at the top
with square plan, towers at interval
- constructed of gray-granite blocks
construction started in the 5th century BC
the only human-made object that can be seen from outer space.
V. DISTINCT TERMINOLOGIES

1. Zhonglou – bell tower or pavilion located at the right side of a city gate, palace entrance
or forecourt of a temple.
2. Gulou – large drum tower or pavilion located at the left side of a city gate, palace entrance
or forecourt of a temple.
3. Ang – a lever arm in traditional Chinese construction placed parallel to the rafters & raked
at an angle to counterbalance the forces applied by the inner & outer purlins. The ang
supports the outermost purlins by means of a bracket or cross-beam &is pinned at the
inner end against the purlin.
4. FengShui – in Chinese means “winter & water” literally it is the art of placement of things
ranging from the orientation of building to furnishing of interiors to make the fullest use of
it, to enhance the lives of a person so that he will enjoy good health & property.
5. Qi (chi) – a movable +/- life force which plays an essential role in fengshui; refers to energy.
6. Yin – literally shady place, North slope, dark area; passive, slow, soft, yielding, diffuse,
cold, wet/tranquil; associated with water, earth & moon; femininity & night time.
7. Yang –literally sunny place, South slope, brightly lit portion; active, fast, hard, solid,
focused, hot, dry/aggressive; associated with fire, sky & sun; masculinity & day time.
8. Geomancers – term for the person who believe in FengShui by Victor Dy&Merliton Merton