Chinese Architecture

Chinese Ancient Architecture

Development of Chinese Ancient Architecture In the Paleolithic Age, men lived on fishery and hunting, and were sheltered in trees and caves. In the Neolithic Age, men engaged in raising animals and farming, and settled down by digging caves and by building simple houses with twigs and lumber, thus commencing their architectural activities.   During the 3,000 years of the feudalist society, Chinese ancient architecture formulated gradually its unique system, coupled with a considerable pr... More

Types of Chinese Architectures

Palace (Gong) The Chinese word for "palace" is Gong. The Forbidden City of Beijing, which still stands intact and which served as the imperial palace for both Ming and Qing emperors (1368-1911) covers an area of 720,000 square meters and embraces many halls, towers, pavilions and studies measured as 9,900 bays. It is one of the greatest palaces of the world. In short, palaces grew into a veritable city and are often called Gongcheng (palace city). Apart from the palace, ot... More

Internal Architectural Characteristics

Deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture, ancient Chinese architecture boasts the following national cultural characteristics:    Readability Ancient Chinese architecture, like a silent cultural language, bears rich cultural symbols that reveal Chinese beliefs in life and society. For instance, houses belonging to people of higher social status will definitely have different types of roofs, steles, and couplets, compared with those of lower-status people.   ... More

External Architectural Features

Flexibility Configurations and functions of ancient Chinese architecture, if necessary, can be easily changed, and rooms within them are easy to be dismantled, rebuilt, or shifted for other uses. China's architecture focus particularly on the beauty of group combination, and often adopts a central-axis, symmetric compact composition method. But some types, such as gardens, certain mountain forest Taoist temples and certain residences adopt the method of free combination. The focus is p... More

Graceful Garden Architectures

The Chinese garden architecture is one of the four essential factors for garden landscaping. The garden architectures should satisfy the requirements both for practical purposes and for landscaping the garden. They should blend with the environment within the garden and the natural environment, either as a central scenic spot or as an individual small scenic spot easy to access.   ... More

Traditional Vernacular Dwellings

Siheyuan The Siheyuan is a building complex formed by four houses around a quadrangular countyard. The siheyuan is a typical form of ancient Chinese architecture, especially in the north of China. They are designed to make it as comfortable as possible to live in a climate that is at times inhospitable. For instance, the Siheyuan are enclosed and inward facing to protect them from the harsh winter winds and the dust storms of spring. Their design also reflects the traditions of China, f... More