ChinesearchitectureDiagram of corbel wood bracket supports
("Dougong") holding up a multi-inclined roof, from the
architectural treatise Yingzao Fashi (1103 AD)Chinese architecture
refers to a stle of architecture that has taken shape in !ast Asia
o"er man centuries# $he structural principles of %hinese
architecture ha"e remained largel unchanged, the main changes being
onl the decorati"e details# &ince the $ang Dnast, %hinese
architecture has had a ma'or influence on the architectural stles
of (orea, )ietnam, and *apan#$he architecture of %hina is as old as
%hinese ci"ili+ation# ,rom e"er source of information - literar,
graphic, e-emplar - there is strong e"idence testifing to the fact
that the %hinese ha"e alwas emploed an indigenous sstem of
construction that has retained its principal characteristics from
prehistoric times to the present da# ."er the "ast area from
%hinese $urkistan to *apan, from /anchuria to the northern half of
,rench 0ndochina, the same sstem ofconstruction is pre"alent1 and
this was the area of %hinese cultural influence# $hat this sstem of
construction could perpetuate itself for more than four thousand
ears o"er such a "ast territor and still remain a li"ing
architecture, retaining its principal characteristics in spite of
repeated foreign in"asions - militar, intellectual, and spiritual -
is a phenomenon comparable onl to the continuit of the ci"ili+ation
of which it is an integral part#2iang, &su-ch3eng, 1456718$he
following article gi"es a cursor e-planation of traditional %hinese
architecture, before the introduction of 9estern building methods
during the earl :0th centur# $hroughout the :0th %entur, howe"er,
9estern-trained %hinese architects ha"e attempted to combine
traditional %hinese designs into modern architecture (usuall
go"ernment), with onl limited success# /oreo"er, the pressure for
urban de"elopment throughout contemporar %hina re;uired higher
speed of construction and higher floor area ratio, which means that
in the great cities the demand for traditional %hinese buildings,
which are normall less than 3 le"els, has declined in fa"or of
modern architecture# rince 2i %hongrun3s tomb at the ?ianling
/ausoleum in &haan-i%ontemporar 9estern architectural practices
tpicall in"ol"e surrounding a building b an open ard on the
propert# $his contrasts with much of traditional %hinese
architecture, which in"ol"es constructing buildings or building
comple-es that take up an entire propert but encloses open spaces
within itself# $hese enclosed spaces come in two forms@ the open
courtard() and the "sk well" ()#7:8$he use of open courtards is a
common feature in man tpes of %hinese architectures# $his is best
e-emplified in the &iheuan, which consists of an empt space
surrounded b buildings connected with one another either directl or
through "erandas#Although large open courtards are less commonl
found in southern %hinese architecture, the concept of a "open
space" surrounded b buildings, which is seen in northern courtard
comple-es, can be seen in the southern building structure known as
the "sk well"# $his structureis essentiall a relati"el enclosed
courtard formed from the intersections of closel spaced buildings
and offer small opening to the sk through the roof space from the
floor up#$hese enclosures ser"e in temperature regulation and in
"enting the building comple-es# Aorthern courtards are tpicall open
and facing the south to allow the ma-imum e-posure of the building
windows and walls to the sun while keeping the cold northern winds
out# &outhern sk wells are relati"el small and ser"es to
collect rain water from the roof tops while restricting the amount
of sunlight that enters the building# &k wells also ser"e as
"ents for rising hot air, which draws cool air from the lowers
stories of the house and allows for e-change of cool air with the
outside#HierarchicalA stone-car"ed pillar-gate, or que (), B m (:0
ft) in total height, located at the tomb of Cao Di in Da3an,
&ichuan pro"ince, !astern agoda of ,ogong $emple features a
total of fift-four#7108$he earliest walls and platforms in %hina
were of rammed earth construction, and o"er time, brick and stone
became more fre;uentl used# $his can be seen in ancient sections of
the Creat 9all of %hina, while the brick and stone Creat 9all seen
toda is a reno"ation of the /ing Dnast (13B5P1B66)#Classification
by structureA pa"ilion inside the Rhuo+heng Carden in &u+hou,
*iangsu pro"ince, one of the finest gardens in %hina$he Rhao+hou
=ridge, built from E4EPB0E during the &ui Dnast# 0t is the
oldest full-stone open-spandrel segmental arch bridge in the
world#%hinese classifications for architecture include@ (%hinese@ 1
pinin@ Tng) ting (%hinese pa"ilions) (simplified %hinese@ 1
traditional %hinese@ 1 pinin@ Ta) tai (terraces) (simplified
%hinese@ 1 traditional %hinese@ 1 pinin@ Lu) lou (/ultistor
buildings) (simplified %hinese@ 1 traditional %hinese@ 1 pinin@ !")
ge ($wo-stor pa"ilions) () #uan ()erandas with windows) ta (%hinese
pagodas) #ie (>a"ilions or houses on terraces) wu (Oooms along
roofed corridors) (%hinese@ 1 pinin@ $%ug%ng) dougong interlocking
wooden brackets, often used in clusters to support roofs and add
ornamentation# Caisson domed or coffered ceilingArchitectural
typesCommonerAs for the commoners, be the bureaucrats, merchants or
farmers, their houses tended to follow aset pattern@ the center of
the building would be a shrine for the deities and the ancestors,
which would also be used during festi"ities# .n its two sides were
bedrooms for the elders1 the two wings of the building (known as
"guardian dragons" b the %hinese) were for the 'unior members of
the famil, as well as the li"ing room, the dining room, and the
kitchen, although sometimes the li"ing room could be "er close to
the center#&ometimes the e-tended families became so large that
one or e"en two e-tra pairs of "wings" had to be built# $his
resulted in a H-shaped building, with a courtard suitable for farm
work1 merchants and bureaucrats, howe"er, preferred to close off
the front with an imposing front gate# All buildings were legall
regulated, and the law held that the number of stores, the length
of the building and the colours used depended on the owner3s class#
&ome commoners li"ing in areas plagued b bandits built communal
fortresses called $ulou for protection#Imperial$here were certain
architectural features that were reser"ed solel for buildings built
for the !mperor of %hina# .ne e-ample is the use of ellow roof
tiles1 ellow ha"ing been the 0mperial color, ellow roof tiles still
adorn most of the buildings within the ,orbidden %it# $he $emple of
utuo Rongcheng $emple# =uddhist monasteries sometimes also ha"e
pagodas, which ma house the relics of the Cautama =uddha1 older
pagodas tend to be four-sided, while later pagodas usuall ha"e
eight-sides#Daoist architecture, on the other hand, usuall follow
the commoners3 stle# $he main entrance is, howe"er, usuall at the
side, out of superstition about demons which might tr to enter the
premise# (&ee feng shui#) 0n contrast to the =uddhists, in a
Daoist temple the main deit is located at the main hall at the
front, the lesser deities at the back hall and at the sides#A group
of temples at the top of /ount $aishan, where structures ha"e been
built at the site since the 3rd centur =% duringthe agoda in Si3an,
built in BE: during the $ang Dnast$he Aine >innacle $he tallest
pre-modern building in %hina was built for both religious and
martial purposes# $he 2iaodi >agoda of 10EE AD stands at a
height of 56 m (:QE ft), and although it ser"ed as the crowning
pagoda of the (aiuan monaster in old Ding+hou,
