The Cultural Spirit of Ancient Chinese Architecture: Part 1

An ancient civilized nation and a great country on the East Asian continent, China possesses a vast territory covering 9.6 million sq. km. and a population accounting for over one-fifth of the world's total, 56 nationalities and a recorded history of 3,OOO years, during which it has created a unique, outstanding traditional Chinese Culture. China's architectural art is a particularly beautiful branch in the tree of Chinese civilization.

Generally speaking, there were about seven main independent architectural systems in the ancient world, some of which had long been interrupted, or had not been widely circulated. Therefore their achievements and influence were relatively limited, such as ancient Egyptian, West Asian, Indian and American structures. Only Chinese, European and Islamic structures are considered to be the world's three major architectural systems. The Chinese and European structures continued over the longest period of time and spread over the widest area and therefore they gained more brilliant achievements.

China's earliest prehistoric structures were born at the juncture of the Old and New Stone Age about 1O,OOO years ago, when primitive agriculture began to emerge and people's desire to settle in one place began to become stronger. Structures, which showed the earliest initial demand for beauty, i.e., the artistic demand in its broad sense, appeared in the middle and later parts of the New Stone Age around 4,OOO years BC. In terms of a structural system, traditional Chinese structures ended in the early 2Oth century.

An ancient civilized nation and a great country on the East Asian continent, China possesses a vast territory covering 9.6 million sq. km. and a population accounting for over one-fifth of the world's total, 56 nationalities and a recorded history of 3,OOO years, during which it has created a unique, outstanding traditional Chinese Culture. China's architectural art is a particularly beautiful branch in the tree of Chinese civilization.

Generally speaking, there were about seven main independent architectural systems in the ancient world, some of which had long been interrupted, or had not been widely circulated. Therefore their achievements and influence were relatively limited, such as ancient Egyptian, West Asian, Indian and American structures. Only Chinese, European and Islamic structures are considered to be the world's three major architectural systems. The Chinese and European structures continued over the longest period of time and spread over the widest area and therefore they gained more brilliant achievements.

China's earliest prehistoric structures were born at the juncture of the Old and New Stone Age about 1O,OOO years ago, when primitive agriculture began to emerge and people's desire to settle in one place began to become stronger. Structures, which showed the earliest initial demand for beauty, i.e., the artistic demand in its broad sense, appeared in the middle and later parts of the New Stone Age around 4,OOO years BC. In terms of a structural system, traditional Chinese structures ended in the early 2Oth century.

In the long process of development, China's architecture has consistently kept intact the basic character of the system. Its entire history can be divided into several major stages. For example, the period from the Shinju and Thou dynasties to In and Han dynasties was its embryonic growth stage; the Qin and Western Han dynasties were the first high tide of development; the period from Wei and Jin through to Sui, Tang and Song dynasties were a time of maturity and peaking.

The achievements of the Tang and Song dynasties were even more brilliant, representing the second high tide, which can be regarded as the summit of Chinese architecture. The period from the Yuan to Ming and Qing dynasties were the enrichment and summary stage; and the period from the Ming to early Qing dynasty was the third high tide of development.

It can be seen that each upsurge was correspondingly accompanied by the unification of the country, long-term stability, radical Cultural exchanges and other social backgrounds. For example, the unification of the Qin and Han dynasties accelerated exchanges between central plain culture and the Chu and Yue cultures.

The unification of Sui and Tang dynasties increased the cultural exchanges between China and other Asian countries, as well as between north and south China; the unification of Ming and Qing dynasties strengthened exchanges among various Chinese nationalities and began the exchange of Chinese and Western architectural cultures.

It can be said that unification, stability, economic prosperity, enhancement of national strength and cultural exchange are the internal opportunities for development of architectural art.

Traditional Chinese architecture is based mainly on Han architecture, comprising roughly 15 types such as city, palace, temple, mausoleum, monastery, Buddhist pagoda, grottoes, garden, government office, folk public building, landscape, tower and pavilion, imperial palace, residential house, great wall and bridge.