Temple of Heaven, Beijing

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, Forbidden City, Beijing

Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over the centuries. Tian Tan redirects here For the Big Buddha statue in Hong Kong, see Tian Tan Buddha The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural styles of Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially

The architecture of China is as old as Chinese civilization. From every source of information - literary, graphic, exemplary - there is strong evidence testifying to the fact that the Chinese have always employed an indigenous system of construction that has retained its principal characteristics from prehistoric times to the present day. Over the vast area from Chinese Turkistan to Japan, from Manchuria to the northern half of French Indochina, the same system of construction is prevalent; and this was the area of Chinese cultural influence. That this system of construction could perpetuate itself for more than four thousand years over such a vast territory and still remain a living architecture, retaining its principal characteristics in spite of repeated foreign invasions - military, intellectual, and spiritual - is a phenomenon comparable only to the continuity of the civilization of which it is an integral part. ^[1]

The following article gives a cursory explanation of traditional Chinese architecture, before the introduction of Western building methods during the early 20th Century. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Throughout the 20th Century, however, Western-trained Chinese architects have attempted to combine traditional Chinese designs into modern (usually government) buildings, with only limited success. Moreover, the pressure for urban development throughout contemporary China required higher speed of construction and higher floor area ratio, which means that in the great cities the demand for traditional Chinese buildings, which are normally less than 3 levels, has declined in favor of modern architecture. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Floor Area Ratio (FAR or Floor Space Index (FSI is the Ratio of the total floor area of buildings on a certain location to the size of the land of that location However, the traditional skills of Chinese architecture, including major carpentry, minor carpentry, masonry, and stone masonry, are still applied to the construction of vernacular architecture in the vast rural area in China. Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar, and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of Civilization - creating Buildings structures and Sculpture using stone from the earth

Features

There are certain features common to most Chinese architecture, regardless of specific region or use:

Chilin Nunnery, built in Tang architectural style, Hong Kong

Horizontal emphasis

The most important is the emphasis on the horizontal axis, in particular the construction of a heavy platform and a large roof that floats over this base, with the vertical walls not as well emphasized. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders This contrasts Western architecture, which tends to grow in height and depth. Chinese architecture stresses the visual impact of the width of the buildings. The halls and palaces in the Forbidden City, for example, have rather low ceilings when compared to equivalent stately buildings in the West, but their external appearances suggest the all-embracing nature of imperial China. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. This of course does not apply to pagodas, which, in any case, are relatively rare. A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered Tower with multiple Eaves common in China, Japan, Korea These ideas have found their way into modern Western architecture, for example through the work of Jørn Utzon (see page 221 of Weston (2002) ). Jørn Utzon, AC (born 9 April 1918 is a Danish Architect most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia

Architectural Bilateral symmetry

Old Town of Lijiang, in Song/Yuan architectural style, Yunnan

Another important feature is its emphasis on articulation and bilateral symmetry, which signifies balance. Lijiang may refer to Lijiang City, prefecture-level city in Yunnan Province China Articulation, in art and architecture is first of all a joint Bilateral symmetry and the articulation of buildings are found everywhere in Chinese architecture, from palace complexes to humble farmhouses. When possible, plans for renovation and extension of a house will often try to maintain this symmetry provided that there is enough capital to do so.

In contrast to building, Chinese gardens are a notable exception which tends to be asymmetrical. The principle underlying the garden's composition is to create enduring flow and also to emulate nature.

Enclosure

Contemporary Western architectural practices typically involve surrounding a building by an open yard on the property. This contrasts with much of traditional Chinese architecture, which involves constructing buildings or building complexes that take up an entire property but encloses open spaces within itself. These enclosed spaces come in two forms: the open courtyard (院) and the "sky well" (天井).

The use of open courtyards is a common feature in many types of Chinese architectures. This is best exemplified in the Siheyuan, which consists of an empty space surrounded by buildings connected with one another either directly or through verandas. A siheyuan ( is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing.

Although large open courtyards are less commonly found in southern Chinese architecture, the concept of a "open space" surrounded by buildings, which is seen in northern courtyard complexes, can be seen in the southern building structure known as the "sky well". This structure is essentially a relatively enclosed courtyard formed from the intersections of closely spaced buildings and offer small opening to the sky through the roof space from the floor up.

Pingyao City, in Ming/Qing architectural style Shanxi

Hierarchical

The projected hierarchy and importance and uses of buildings in traditional Chinese architecture are based on the strict placement of buildings in a property/complex. Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province ( Postal map spelling: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the People's Republic of China. Buildings with doors facing the front of the property are considered more important than those faces the sides. Building facing away from the front of the property are the least important.

As well, building in the rear and more private parts of the property are held in higher esteem and reserve for elder members of the family than buildings near the front, which are typically for servants and hired help. Front facing buildings in the back of properties are used particularly for rooms of celebratory rites and for the placement of ancestral halls and plaques. In multiple courtyard complexes, Central courtyard and their buildings are considered more important than peripheral ones, the latter which are typically used as storage or servant's rooms or kitchens.

Geomancy concepts

The use of certain colors, numbers and the cardinal directions in traditional Chinese architecture reflected the belief in a type of immanence, where the nature of a thing could be wholly contained in its own form, without reference to an evanescent belief. Immanence, derived from the Latin in manere "to remain within" refers to philosophical and metaphysical theories of the divine as existing and acting within the mind Although the Western tradition gradually developed a body of architectural literature, little was written on the subject in China, and the earliest text, the Kaogongji, was never disputed. However, ideas about cosmic harmony and the order of the city were usually interpreted at their most basic level, so a reproduction of the "ideal" city never existed. Beijing as reconstructed throughout the 15th and 16th century remains the best example of traditional Chinese town planning.

The Fogong Temple Pagoda, built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty, is the oldest existent fully-wooden pagoda in China

Construction

Structure

• Using even numbers of columns in a building structure to produce odd numbers of bays (間). The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple ( of Ying County Shanxi province China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda built in 1056 during the The Liao Dynasty ( 907 - 1125, also known as the Khitan Empire (契丹國 was an empire in northern China that ruled over the regions of Manchuria With the inclusion of a main door to a building in the centre bay, symmetry is maintained
• The common use of curtain walls or door panels to delineate rooms or enclose a building, with the general deemphasis of load-bearing walls in most higher class construction
• Use of large structural timbers for primary support of the roof of a building. Wooden members, usually large trimmed logs, are used as load-bearing columns and lateral beams for framing buildings and supporting the roofs. These structural timbers are prominently displayed in finished structures. Although, structural walls are also commonly found in Chinese architecture, most timber framed architecture are preferred when economically feasible. Ancient Chinese wooden architecture is the least studied of any of the world's great architectural traditions from the western point of view and its study is relatively new
• Flat roofs are uncommon while gabled roofs almost omnipresent in traditional Chinese architecture. A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof Three main types of roofs are found
  1. Straight inclined: Roofs with a single incline. These are the most economical type of roofing and are most prevalent in commoner architectures
  2. Multi-inclined: Roofs with 2 or more sections of incline. These roofs are used in higher class constructions, from the dwellings of wealthy commoners to palaces
  3. Sweeping: Roofs with a sweeping curvature that rises at the corners of the roof. The types of roof construction are usually reserved for temples and palaces although it may also be found in the homes of the wealthy. In the former cases, the ridges of the roof are usually highly decorated with ceramic figurines.

The Three Pagodas of Chong Sheng Temple, Dali City, Yunnan, built in the 9th and 10th century

Materials and history

Unlike other building construction materials, old wooden structures often do not survive because they are more vulnerable to weathering and fires and are naturally subjected to rotting over time. The Three Pagodas are an ensemble of three independent pagodas arranged on the corners of a symmetric triangle near the town of Dali, Yunnan province, China Although now nonexistent wooden residential towers, watchtowers, and pagodas predated it by centuries, the Songyue Pagoda built in 523 is the oldest extant pagoda in China; its use of brick instead of wood had much to do with its endurance throughout the centuries. The Songyue Pagoda, constructed in 523 CE is located at the Songyue Monastery on Mount Song, in Henan province China. The Chinese Pagoda is a Landmark in Birmingham, England. It is a stone carving of a Chinese pagoda, carved in Fujian, China A brick is a block of Ceramic material used in Masonry construction laid using mortar. From the Tang Dynasty (618–907) onwards, brick and stone architecture gradually became more common and replaced wooden edifices. The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by The earliest of this transition can be seen in building projects such as the Zhaozhou Bridge completed in 605 or the Xumi Pagoda built in 636, yet stone and brick architecture is known to have been used in subterranean tomb architecture of earlier dynasties. The Zhaozhou Bridge ( is the world's oldest open-spandrel stone segmental Arch bridge. The Xumi Pagoda ( or Sumeru Pagoda, also known as Summer Pagoda is a Chinese pagoda of the Buddhist Kaiyuan Monastery west of Zhengding

In the early 20th century, there were no known wood-made Tang Dynasty buildings that still existed; the oldest so far discovered was the 1931 find of Guanyin Pavilion at Dule Monastery, dated 984. ^[2] This was until the architectural historians Liang Sicheng (1901–1972), Lin Huiyin (1904–1955), Mo Zongjiang (1916–1999), and Ji Yutang (1902–c. Liang Sicheng ( 20 April 1901 – 9 January 1972 was the son of Liang Qichao, a well-known Chinese thinker in the late Qing Dynasty 1960s) discovered that the East Hall of Fuguang Monastery on Mount Wutai in Shanxi was reliably dated to the year 857 in June of 1937. Mount Wutai () also known as Wutai Mountain, located in Shanxi, China, is one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Chinese Buddhism. ( Postal map spelling: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the People's Republic of China. ^[2] The groundfloor dimensions for this monastic hall measures 34 by 17. 66 m (111 ft by 57 ft). ^[3] A year after the discovery at Fuguang, the much smaller main hall of nearby Nanchan Monastery on Mount Wutai was reliably dated to the year 782,^[4] while a total of six Tang era wooden buildings have been found by the 21st century. ^[5] The oldest existent multistory wooden pagoda that has survived intact is the Pagoda of Fogong Temple of the Liao Dynasty, located in Ying County of Shanxi. The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple ( of Ying County Shanxi province China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda built in 1056 during the The Liao Dynasty ( 907 - 1125, also known as the Khitan Empire (契丹國 was an empire in northern China that ruled over the regions of Manchuria While the East Hall of Foguang Monastery features only seven types of bracket arms in its construction, the 11th century Pagoda of Fogong Temple features a total of fifty-four. Dougong ( is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese, Japanese, and ^[6]

The earliest walls and platforms in China were of rammed earth construction, and over time, brick and stone became more frequently used. Rammed earth, also known as cob, pisé de terre or simply pisé, is a type of construction material This can be seen in ancient sections of the Great Wall of China, while the brick and stone Great Wall seen today is a renovation of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led

Classification by structure

Tenon and mortice work of tie beams and cross beams, from Li Jie's building manual Yingzao Fashi, printed in 1103. Simple and strong the mortise and tenon joint has been used for millennia by Woodworkers around the world to join pieces of Wood, usually when the pieces Simple and strong the mortise and tenon joint has been used for millennia by Woodworkers around the world to join pieces of Wood, usually when the pieces Li Jie may refer to Li Jie (guitar player, born 1981 guitar player Li Jie (footballer, born 1979 Li Jie (rifle The Yingzao Fashi (營造法式 'Treatise on Architectural Methods' or 'State Building Standards' is a technical treatise on architecture and craftsmanship written by the

Chinese classifications for architecture include:

• 樓 （楼） lou (Multistory buildings)
• 台 tai (terraces)
• 亭 ting (Chinese pavilions)
• 閣 （阁） ge (Two-story pavilions)
• 塔 ta (Chinese pagodas)
• 藻井 Caisson domed or coffered ceiling
• 軒 （轩） xuan (Verandas with windows)
• 榭 xie (Pavilions or houses on terraces)
• 屋 wu (Rooms along roofed corridors)
• 斗拱 dougong interlocking wooden brackets, often used in clusters to support roofs and add ornamentation. A terrace can be defined as an outdoor occupiable extension of a building above ground level Chinese Pavilions ( Chinese 亭 Pinyin tíng) are covered structures without surrounding walls and are a traditional part of Chinese architecture Chinese Pavilions ( Chinese 亭 Pinyin tíng) are covered structures without surrounding walls and are a traditional part of Chinese architecture The Chinese Pagoda is a Landmark in Birmingham, England. It is a stone carving of a Chinese pagoda, carved in Fujian, China A verandah or veranda is a roofed opened gallery or porchIt is also described as an open pillared gallery generally roofed built around a central structure Dougong ( is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese, Japanese, and A bracket is an architectural member made of wood stone or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight

Architectural types

Commoner

The Gao Mansion of Xian, Shaanxi

As for the commoners, be they bureaucrats, merchants or farmers, their houses tended to follow a set pattern: the center of the building would be a shrine for the deities and the ancestors, which would also be used during festivities. UserEl_C --> Xi'an ( Postal map spelling: Sian is the Capital of the Shaanxi province in the ( Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess On its two sides were bedrooms for the elders; the two wings of the building (known as "guardian dragons" by the Chinese) were for the junior members of the family, as well as the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen, although sometimes the living room could be very close to the center.

Sometimes the extended families became so large that one or even two extra pairs of "wings" had to be built. This resulted in a U-shaped building, with a courtyard suitable for farm work; merchants and bureaucrats, however, preferred to close off the front with an imposing front gate. All buildings were legally regulated, and the law held that the number of storeys, the length of the building and the colours used depended on the owner's class.

Imperial

The yellow roof tiles and red walls are visible in this Forbidden City image.

There were certain architectural features that were reserved solely for buildings built for the Emperor of China. The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of One example is the use of yellow roof tiles; yellow having been the Imperial color, yellow roof tiles still adorn most of the buildings within the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Temple of Heaven, however, uses blue roof tiles to symbolize the sky. Tian Tan redirects here For the Big Buddha statue in Hong Kong, see Tian Tan Buddha The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar The roofs are almost invariably supported by brackets ("dougong"), a feature shared only with the largest of religious buildings. A bracket is an architectural member made of wood stone or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight Dougong ( is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese, Japanese, and The wooden columns of the buildings, as well as the surface of the walls, tend to be red in color. Black is also a famous color often used in pagodas. They believe the gods are inspired by the black color to descend on to the earth.

The Chinese dragon, an emblem reserved for Imperial China, were heavily used on Imperial architecture - on the roofs, on the beams and pillars, and on the doors. The Chinese Dragon or Oriental dragon is a mythical creature in East Asian culture with a Chinese origin Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Only the buildings used by the imperial family were allowed to have nine jian (間, space between two columns); only the gates used by the Emperor could have five arches, with the centre one, of course, being reserved for the Emperor himself. The Emperor of China ( refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning since the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of The ancient Chinese favored the color red. Red is any of a number of similar Colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of Light discernible by the human eye in the wavelength The buildings faced south because the north had a cold wind.

The Putuo Zongcheng Temple, built from 1767 to 1771 during the reign of Qianlong, represents the Tibetan architectural style. The Putuo Zongcheng Temple ( of Chengde, Hebei province China is a Qing Dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built between 1767 and Emperor Qianlong (Chinese 乾隆 Qiánlóng, Wade-Giles' Ch'ien-Lung', Mongolian Tengeriig Tetgesen Khaan, born Hongli (弘历 September

Beijing became the capital of China after the Mongol invasion of the 13th century, completing the easterly migration of the Chinese capital begun since the Jin dynasty, the Ming uprising in 1368 reasserted Chinese authority and fixed Beijing as the seat of imperial power for the next five centuries. The Chinese phrase Four Great Ancient Capitals of China ( traditionally refers to Beijing, Nanjing, Luoyang, and Chang'an ( Xi'an This is an article for the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115–1234 For other Chinese dynasties whose names are also rendered "Jin" in Pinyin, see Jin Dynasty The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led The Emperor and the Empress lived in palaces on the central axis of the Forbidden City, the Crown Prince at the eastern side, and the concubines at the back (therefore the numerous imperial concubines were often referred to as "The Back Palace Three Thousand"). The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Crown Princess redirects here for the ship see Crown Princess (ship. However, during the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Emperor's residence was moved to the western side of the complex. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China It is misleading to speak of an axis in the Western sense of a visual perspective ordering facades, rather the Chinese axis is a line of privilege, usually built upon, regulating access - there are no vistas, but a series of gates and pavilions. Perspective, in context of vision and Visual perception, is the way in which objects appear to the Eye based on their spatial attributes or

Numerology heavily influenced Imperial Architecture, hence the use of nine in much of construction (nine being the greatest number) and reason why The Forbidden City in Beijing is said to have 9,999. Numerology is any of many Systems Traditions or Beliefs in a mystical or Esoteric relationship between Numbers and physical 9 rooms - just short of the mythical 10,000 rooms in heaven. The importance of the East (the direction of the rising sun) in orienting and siting Imperial buildings is a form of solar worship found in many ancient cultures, where the notion of Ruler is affiliated with the Sun.

The tombs and mausoleums of imperial family members, such as the 8th century Tang Dynasty tombs at the Qianling Mausoleum, can also be counted as part of the imperial tradition in architecture. The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by The Qianling Mausoleum ( is a Tang Dynasty (618&ndash907 tomb site located in Qian County, Shaanxi province China, and is 85 km (53 miles These above-ground earthen mounds and pyramids had subterranean shaft-and-vault structures that were lined with brick walls since at least the Warring States (481–221 BCE). The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the ^[7]

The Zhaozhou Bridge, built from 595–605 during the Sui Dynasty. The Zhaozhou Bridge ( is the world's oldest open-spandrel stone segmental Arch bridge. The Sui Dynasty ( 581 - 618 AD and in the undertaking of other construction projects including the reconstruction of the Great Wall. It is the oldest fully-stone open-spandrel segmental arch bridge in the world.

Religious

Generally speaking, Buddhist architecture follow the imperial style. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices A large Buddhist monastery normally has a front hall, housing the statue of a Bodhisattva, followed by a great hall, housing the statues of the Buddhas. In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta In Buddhism, buddhahood ( Sanskrit: buddhatva. Pali: buddhatta. Accommodations for the monks and the nuns are located at the two sides. Some of the greatest examples of this come from the 18th century temples of the Puning Temple and the Putuo Zongcheng Temple. The Puning Temple (普宁寺 or Temple of Universal Peace of Chengde, Hebei province China (commonly called the Big Buddha Temple is a The Putuo Zongcheng Temple ( of Chengde, Hebei province China is a Qing Dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built between 1767 and Buddhist monasteries sometimes also have pagodas, which may house the relics of the Gautama Buddha; older pagodas tend to be four-sided, while later pagodas usually have eight-sides. A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered Tower with multiple Eaves common in China, Japan, Korea Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder

Daoist architecture, on the other hand, usually follow the commoners' style. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions The main entrance is, however, usually at the side, out of superstition about demons which might try to enter the premise. Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief (See feng shui. Feng shui ( ˈfəŋˌʃueɪ fehng-shway in English is an ancient Chinese system of Aesthetics believed to utilize the Laws of both heaven (astronomy and earth (geography ) In contrast to the Buddhists, in a Daoist temple the main deity is located at the main hall at the front, the lesser deities at the back hall and at the sides.

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. The Liaodi Pagoda ( of Kaiyuan Monastery Dingzhou, Hebei Province China is the tallest existing pre-modern Chinese pagoda, built in the ( Postal map spelling: Hopeh) is a northern province of the People's Republic of China. A watchtower is a type of Fortification used in many parts of the world The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms The Liao Dynasty ( 907 - 1125, also known as the Khitan Empire (契丹國 was an empire in northern China that ruled over the regions of Manchuria

See also

Zhuozheng Garden in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, one of the finest gardens in China. The Humble Administrator's Garden (or Zhuozheng Yuan) ( located at 178 Dongbei Street Suzhou, is one of four great Chinese gardens At 51950 m² Suzhou ( ancient name 吳) is a City on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Lake Taihu in the province of Jiangsu ( Postal map spelling: Kiangsu) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country

• Architecture of the Song Dynasty
• Architecture of Hong Kong
• Architecture of Penang
• Caisson (Asian architecture)
• Chinese art
• Chinese pagodas
• Architectural history
• Feng Shui
• Ancient Chinese wooden architecture
• Hakka architecture
• Hutong
• Imperial roof decoration
• Imperial guardian lions
• Jiangnan architecture
• Lingnan architecture
• Pagoda
• Shanghai - for a gallery of modern buildings
• Shikumen
• Siheyuan
• Walled villages of Hong Kong
• Yu Hao
• Beijing city wall
• Precious Belt Bridge

Note

References

• Liang, Ssu-ch'eng 1984, A pictorial history of Chinese architecture : a study of the development of its structural system and the evolution of its types, ed. by Wilma Fairbanks, Cambridge (Mass. ): MIT press
• Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. "Liao: An Architectural Tradition in the Making," Artibus Asiae (Volume 54, Number 1/2, 1994): 5–39.
• Weston, Richard. 2002. Utzon : inspiration, vision, architecture. Hellerup: Blondal.

Further reading

• Sickman L and Soper A. The Art and Architecture of China (Penguin Books, 1956).

External links

• Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home To explore an in depth look into the ancient architecture of the Huang family’s domestic life in China, the Yin Yu Tang house offers an interactive view of the typical domestic architecture of the Qing dynasty.

• Herbert Offen Research Collection An excellent bibliography of publicly accessible books and manuscripts on Chinese architecture.