Chiese architecture: past and contemporary by Su, Gin-Djih 1964

Contents

Introduction

Chinese architecture of the past

 The ancient period (before 200 B.C.)

 The two Han period (206 B.C.—219A.D.)

 The Wei, Tsin, and Nan Pei Chao period (220A.D.—588 A.D)

 The Sui and Tang period (589 A.D.—906 A.D.)

 The five Dynasties, Sung, Liao, Chin period (907 A.D.—1279 A.D)

 The Yuan, Ming, and Ching period (1280 A.D.—1911A.D.)

 The Republic of China period (1911 A.D.--)

Contemporary Chinese architecture

 From semi-colonial Era to Chinese renaissance

 Taiwan versus Mainland

Characteristics of Chinese architecture and features of Chinese housing

Conclusion

Index

The plates

Introduction

  Chinese architecture is deeply rooted in the distant past. For this reason, any attempt at a thorough understanding of contemporary Chinese architecture and its future trends will of necessity involve a study of its historical background as well as its characteristics and the features of housing.

  If the architecture of the world is classified into East and West, then Chinese, Saracemi ? (Saracen古阿拉伯) and Moslem architecture stand out as the three great schools of Eastern architecture. Although each of the three is unique and independent of the others, yet persistent research has produced abundant proof that each also has had a long historical development. However, Chinese architecture is the only one among them that has retained its oldest form with little modification and has enjoyed the longest continuous historical prestige.

Of the great styles of the world, Chinese architecture is the most remarkably functional in structure and logical in planning, and beautifully blends with and fits into the natural surroundings. The old form with all its plastic beauty and flowing, sweeping stream-lings will indeed be the foundation of future creative Chinese architecture with new materials and new methods of construction.

  Like all other types of architecture in the world, the Chinese form owed its birth not only to natural requirement but also to political, economic and social necessity.

  In the beginning, the form grew out of practical needs. Later, available building material such as timber, and improvement of construction method evolved it into a most functional and elegant type of architecture.

The beginnings of the great Chinese civilization had only recently been established by evidence and historic relics recovered from the first archaeological excavation of An-Yang (安陽), Honan (河南), the ancient capital of Yin, or Shang Yin (商殷), (1766 B.C. –1154 B.C.), carried out between 1928—1937 by the instate of history and philology, Academia Sinica (中研院史語所), under the direction of Dr. Li Chi (李濟). Before this discovery, many believed that Chinese history and civilization began in Chou (周) Dynasty (1122 B.C.—255 B.C.). On the basis of the evidence obtained from the excavation, the legendary records of Shang Yin Dynasty passed from the status of heroic myth to that of documented history, just as the age of Agamemnon, Menelaus, Helen, and Hector came to be recognized as fact rather than fiction as a result of Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations at the site of Troy. Perhaps, in future, more extensive archaeological expedition may help to unravel the mysteries surrounding still older dynasties of Hsia (夏), Yao(堯), Shun(舜) or even Huang-Ti (黃帝) the first mythical king.

The craft of building, as it was the custom in all historic nation, was taught from generation to generation by the master buildings to their apprentices. Throughout the ensuing thousand years, there were only two books written on methods of construction. One is Yin Cho Fa Shu (營造法式), by Li Chieh (李誡) in the year A.D. 1100, and the other, a construction manual (工程作法則例), by the Ministry of Works in the Ch’ing Dynasty (1734 A.D.). These two books were written in order to create a standard for temples, public and other important buildings.

In ancient times, buildings did not have time to learn letters while they were obliged to devote all their time to work in buildings. The proper names of materials and terminologies of craftsmanship printed in these two books were for the most part difficult to understand even for the craftsmen, not to mention the laymen. From historical records and annals such as the Records of Five Elements (五行志) and the Records of Ceremonies (禮儀志), we can read about the planning and arrangement and dimensions and particulars of the buildings and cities but also the aesthetic effects produced by these buildings which were permeated with their scenic natural surroundings.

Chinese architecture, since its remote birth about 3000 years ago, already had become highly developed by the Han Dynasty. Subsequently elaborated and enlivened with sweeping curves during the Six Dynasty (六朝) (6^th Century A.D.), it eventually attained perfection in the 2,000 or more years before the Revolution in 1910 A.D.  Yet throughout this vast stretch of time, the general style and architectural elements remained intact. Even when the country was ruled several times by the northern invaders, buildings of importance always took the style of Chinese lineage. The influences arising from commercial, religious and political contact with the western nations until half a century ago could by no means change the elements of Chinese architecture, for the great Chinese civilization possessed peculiar powers of absorbing the good features of western architecture and incorporating them into something that was characteristically Chinese in mode. Perhaps, it was because the impact of intercourse with western nations on the soil of China before the 18^th Century was feeble, sporadic, infrequent and very slow. Furthermore , superstition, self-deceit and prejudices of the old ruling classes were also at work to bar the intrusion of western terms.

China had been trading with the West ever since the Han Dynasty. The introduction of Buddhism from India started a new religion which had great effect upon Chinese architecture. The importation of Christianity into China began very much later during the 10^th century. However, as missionaries were few and too far between until the latter part of 18^th century, Christianity had no effect whatever on Chinese architecture then. After the Opium War there came a big clash of the two great civilizations, East and west. In the east, China had been a nation composed largely of farmers and a small proportion of scholars. Although their nation abounds in natural resources, the Chinese people were ignorant of science and machines. In the west, nations stepped into a new era of machinery and industrial revolution, and trade and commerce constituted the life-blood of their national economies. Concessions wrung from China paved the way for the opening of many treaty ports to the West. As a consequence, buildings of western style involving new methods of construction with materials other than timber were erected in great number until these treaty ports became huge metropolises in the 20^th century. Chinese students were fist sent abroad in 1847 to study western science. Consequently, students who studied architecture in Europe and the U.S.A. and had acquired the new knowledge of arts and the new science of building took the place of master builders. A school of architecture was first founded in 1930. The period of Chinese Renaissance had begun. The inauguration in February 16^th, 1930, of the Society for Research in Chinese architecture (中國營造學社) led to a period of two decades of intense research work on Chinese Architecture by scholars who had had western training. The Society was merged into other departments after the communists took over the government in 1949. The task of finding or creating a new style in Chinese Architecture with new material, new methods of construction and new knowledge in strength of materials and engineering mechanics which will fit in with the present way of life, rests upon the shoulders of Chinese architects. This paper aims to present introductory references for such a task. The outline of this paper is as follows:

Chinese architecture of the past

Contemporary Chinese Architecture

Characteristics of Chinese architecture and features of Chinese Housing

Owing to the dearth of authentic references, the writing of this paper runs the risk of incompleteness. However, the topic merits a place of importance particularly in this period when Chinese architecture is in need of a new way of expression to manifest its new uses with new mediums.