Religious

Chinese ancient architecture has its own

unique style in the world architecture. It uses
different structural materials which include civil
construction, brick work, timber construction
and bamboo construction. There are various
architecture styles such as palace, tower,
temple, garden and mausoleum which can be
generally grouped into imperial architecture,
religious architecture, garden architecture and
general architecture.
Imperial Architecture

records the great intelligence and creation

of the laborious ancient people that had a
profound influence on the design of
modern architecture at home and abroad.
it features the highest achievement of the
Chinese ancient architecture that includes
imperial palace, mausoleum and garden
architecture.
Forbidden CityThe yellow roof tiles and red walls in the
Forbidden City (Palace Museum) grounds in Beijing,
built during the Yongle era (1402–1424) of the Ming
Dynasty
The Forbidden City is a typical example.The general layout
often follows two rules: the first being the ancestral temples
must be situated at the front left of the main palace as the left
is believed to be superior, while the front right was reserved for
altars for praying to the gods of earth and grain. It is called
'ZuozuYoushe' in Chinese.The second being emperors handled
national affairs at the palace's forecourt while the rear end was
meant for living.

In Chinese, this structure is called 'Qianchao Houqin'. Many

distinctive characters were incorporated to indicate the
imperial palace. For example, a pair of stone or copper lion
often crouches in front of the main gate to ward off evil
influence. Ornamental columns, carved with exquisite floral
designs, soured into the sky. In the Forbidden City, auspicious
jars filled with water were placed in front of the palace. They
were not only decorative but also serve as fire-extinguishers.
Because of this important function, they were nicknamed
Imperial Garden Architecture

It mainly has three characteristics: stylish, super splendor scales

and harmonious unity of human with nature.

They made gardens venues for theatre-going and praying. Big and small
picturesque gardens were just like precious stones dotted about. Summer
Palace, one of the four famous gardens in China, symbolizes the highest
achievement of the imperial garden during the Qing Dynasty.
 Sacred Way, Qianling Mausoleum,
Xian

Yangling Mausoleum of Han

Dynasty, Xian
A Courtyard of Wang's Compound, Pingyao Farmers' Cave, Northern Shaanxi Province

Seal-like Compound in Yunnan Province Stilt Houses in Guizhou Province

Early in the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC) and followed by the
Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 221 BC), Chinese kings and nobilities
began the practice of developing forests and woods for the specific
purpose of hunting. In some instances these areas of forests and woods,
called 'You' in Chinese covered dozens of square kilometers or even
hundreds of square kilometers. Somewhere between 206 BC and 220 BC,
the Han Dynasty advanced the concept of these 'Natural Gardens' by
adding living quarters and adding animals that were raised and considered
to be the rudiment of Chinese garden architecture. Traditional Chinese
Garden architecture in the real sense first appeared in the Tang Dynasty
somewhere between 618 AD and 907 AD. During this era, the
construction of beautiful architecture evolved into what would include
man-made hills, pools and fountains. As time went on, and craftsman
became more accomplished, this man-made beauty was able to
successfully blend in well with the beauty of the natural environment.
The Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD) followed by the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD - 1911 AD)
saw the heyday of Chinese garden architecture. Especially in the Qing Dynasty, emperors
collected skillful craftsmen from all over the country to create even more elaborate gardens.
Gardens in this period were no longer merely places for fun, but also served as areas where
more formal ceremonies could take place such as holding court, hosting banquets, pursuing
studies, producing theatrical activities, and to provide a setting where people could worship.
 Summer Palace, Beijing

Designers placed emphasis on the

harmonious unity of architecture
with nature which contributed to
the decision to construct many
gardens in scenic mountain areas.
In northern China, Beijing is one of
the better known areas for these
beautiful gardens.
Chinese Buddhist Architecture

Pagoda, symbol of Buddhism,

where people climb to have a
bird's-eye-view, is often erected in
temples. Pagodas can be made of
stone, wood, colored glaze or
metal. Pagodas have an odd
number of layers. Seven-layer and
Nine-layer pagodas are commonly
built. The shape of cross-section is
rectangular, eight-sided or even
circular. Initially, the pagoda served
as the central axis alongside which
rows of halls and monks' rooms
spread out. Later, pagodas were
built near the main palace hall.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian
 White Horse Temple, Luoyang, Henan Buddha Statues in Maiji Caves, Tianshui

•Grotto, another type of Buddhist architecture, is often chiseled into cliffs. In the 3rd
century, Chinese Buddhists began to build grottoes and Xinjiang is the first area where
grottoes were hewn. Grottoes are decorated with painted sculptures, carvings and
frescos. Craftsmen revealed real life pictures and their understanding of society in
these art works, which gave them great historical and cultural value. The four famous
grottoes in China are: Mogao Caves, Longmen Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes and Maiji
Caves. They are well preserved and attract many visitors from home and abroad.
 Temple of the Eight Immortals, Xian Yuquan Temple, Tianshui, Gansu

Taoist architecture includes temples, palaces, nunneries, altars and huts where
religious activities are performed and the power that envelopes and flows through all
things, living and non-living, is worshipped. Similar to Buddhist architecture, it can be
divided into holy halls for sacrifice, altars to pray at, houses to live in, rooms to chant
scriptures in according to their use. But the difference is that Taoist architectural style
is closer to that of worldly buildings. For example, Taoist statues and wall paintings are
more familiar to common people.
 Confucius Temple, Qufu
Main Hall, Shaolin Temple, Luoyang

Chinese temples are well kept cultural artifacts of every dynasty. And temple culture
has influenced every aspect of Chinese people's life such as painting, calligraphy,
music, sculpture, architecture, temple fairs, folk-customs and many others. The
following are typical religious architectural styles in China.
White Horse Temple, Luoyang Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Xiangguo Temple, Kaifeng

Buddhism was introduced into China mainly during Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220) via
the South China Sea and Western Region. Figures of Buddha and the bones of
Buddha's relics are worshipped in the temples which were called Futu, Lanruo,
Chanlin, Daochang, Jialan and Zhaoti in different dialects of Chinese.
The Buddhist temple was adapted to Chinese tastes when it arrived in China. Its
general layout follows Chinese traditional type - courtyard with dome-shaped
structure called a stupa as its principal part. A lecture hall, refectory, sutra depository
and monks' rooms are distributed along the central axis. Unlike the paintings and
decorations in Christian churches which present a heavenly afterlife, Chinese Buddhist
temples reveal an atmosphere closer to worldly life.
 Guiyuan Temple, Wuhan

Temple Layout

The layout of Buddhist temples has been long established. Generally speaking, the mountain gate (front
gate) is the entrance part. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower stand on the two sides inside the mountain gate.
The Hall of Heavenly Kings, where sculptures of Four Heavenly Kings stand on the two sides with two in a
group and Maitreya (the fat laughing Buddha) laid in the middle altar, is the first main hall. Next follows the
Grand Hall where the sculpture of Sakyamuni sits. Bodhisattva Hall
Taoist temples of different scales are scattered all over China. Generally, they can be
divided into three kinds: palace-like and ordinary temples, and simple hut or caves.
Though of various sizes, they are built to serve the same function.
Confucius (551BC-479BC) also called Kongzi or Kongfuzi in Chinese, was a great thinker,
educator and the founder of Confucianism in the late Spring and Autumn Period
(770BC- 476BC), which occupies a dominant position in Chinese culture. Kongzi was
among the best recognized sages of that period. He devoted his whole life to
education. He had some 3,000 disciples and many of them were knowledgeable and
highly talented.

Dacheng Hall, Confucius Temple, Qufu Dongguan Mosque, Xining

The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, built in
652 during the Tang Dynasty
The Nine Pinnacle Pagoda, built in the 8th
century during the Tang Dynasty
The Three Pagodas of Chong Sheng Temple,
Dali City, Yunnan, built in the 9th and 10th
century
The Fogong Temple Wooden Pagoda of Ying
county, Shanxi province, China (山西应县佛宫
寺释迦木塔); this fully-wooden pagoda was
built in 1056 AD during the Khitan-led Liao
Dynasty of China.
Hua Si Gongbei (the mausoleum of Ma Laichi)
in Linxia City, Gansu
The tallest pre-modern building in China was
built for both religious and martial purposes.
The Liaodi Pagoda of 1055 AD stands at a
height of 84 m (275 ft), and although it served
as the crowning pagoda of the Kaiyuan
monastery in old Dingzhou, Hebei, it was also
used as a military watchtower for Song
Dynasty soldiers to observe potential Liao
Dynasty enemy movements.