Chinese Architecture

• The People's Republic of China (PRC- Jan. 1912 ), commonly known as China, is the most populous state in the world with over 1.3 billion people
• Population below poverty line: 13.4%
• China exercises jurisdiction over 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, four directly administered municipalities(Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and two highly autonomousadministrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau
• China's capital city is Beijing
• China's largest city is Shanghai
• Communist


  A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single - often authoritarian - party holds power; state controls are imposed with the elimination of private ownership of property or capital while claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people (i.e., a classless society)
• Sun Yat-Sen, founder and first president of the Republic of China
• China's first emperor, Shih Huang di, is known as the builder of the Great Wall, to protect the settled Chinese people from the raids of barbarian nomads who lived beyond it
• Dragon


  Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, traditionally symbolizing potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power and strength
• Total Area of China: 9,596,961 sq km

  
• Terrain of China


  • Mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west
  • Plains, deltas, and hills in east

  
• Lowest point: Turpan Pendi - 154 m
• Highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
• Official Language of China

  Mandarin (Putonghua based on the Beijing dialect) with many local dialects and minority languages
• Ethnic groups in China

  • Han Chinese 91.5%
  • Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uighur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)
• Currency of China


  Yuan or Renminbi (RMB)
• Natural hazards in China

  • Frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts)
  • Damaging floods
  • Tsunamis
  • Earthquakes
  • Droughts
  • Land subsidence
• Since the late 1970s China has moved from a closed, centrally planned system to a more market-oriented one that plays a major global role - in 2010 China became the world's largest exporter
• China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organization
• Mineral resources in China

  • In South - copper, tin, zinc, antimony, tungsten, manganese and mercury
  • In north - soil is chiefly loses and alluvium with a marked absence of trees
• Building materials used in traditional Chinese architecture

  • Timber
  • Bamboo
  • Pine
  • Persia nanmu
  • Bricks
  • Limestone
  • Sandstone
  • Glazed tiles or majolica
  • Clay tiles, colored and glazed with symbolic colors - black, red, azure, white and yellow
• Traditional religions in China

  • Buddhism
  • Taoism
  • Confucianism
  • Christianity
  • Islam
  • Hinduism
  • Dongbaism
  • Bön
  • New religions and sects
• Confucianism


  A new code of social conduct and philosophy of life; it was not a religion
• Taoism


  Founded by Lao Tzu; doctrine of universal love as his solution to social disorder
• Buddhism


  Introduced to China under the Han Dynasty
• Calligraphy and painting were higher forms of art than dancing or drama in China
• China's traditional values were derived from various versions of Confucianism and conservatism
• Feng shui


  Widely used to orient buildings—often spiritually significant structures such as tombs, but also dwellings and other structures—in an auspicious manner
• Climate in different regions of China

  • North - Winters are incredibly cold
  • Central - Summers are long, hot and humid. Winters are short and cold
  • South - Hot, humid periods last from around April through September. Typhoons are liable to hit the southeast coast between July and September
  • Northwest - Try to avoid at the height of summer, although it is a good time to visit the Lake of Heaven in the mountains east of the city-, and Turpan has unbearable maximum temperatures of around 118 degrees Fahrenheit
  • North Central - Beijing, Xian: Some snow and rain during the winter. Late winter and early spring bring regular dust storms and haze
  • South Central - Shanghai, Guangzhou: Summer is hot and humid with frequent rain. Winter is shorter, cooler and often overcast with drizzle
• Prehistoric eras in China

  • Paleolithic - Peking Man, Xihoudu, Yuanmou
  • Neolithic - Yellow River valley
• Ancient dynasties in China

  • Xia Dynasty
  • Shang Dynasty - Oracle bones
  • Han Dynasty (Eastern) - Embraced Confucianism, advances in arts and sciences
  • Northern and Southern Dynasty - Development of pagodas and grottoes
  • Tang and Song Dynasty - Architectural use of color and decoration became more exquisite
  • Ming and Qing Dynasty - High levels of skill in arrangement and layout of groups of buildings
• Oracle bones were used in as a form of divination in ancient China, mainly during the late Shang dynasty. They provide us with one of the earliest examples of writing in Ancient China
• The Daqin Pagoda, built in 640, is an example of architecture from the Northern and Southern Dynasty period
• Among a large set of architectural models, three Eastern Han Dynasty watchtowers stand in the rear of this display
• The Sarira Stupa of Tayuan Temple, built in 1582, is an example of architecture from the Northern and Southern Dynasty period
• Longhua Pagoda, built in 977, is an example of architecture from the Northern and Southern Dynasty period
• Examples of Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture

  • Forbidden City in Beijing
  • Summer Place
  • Tian tan Shrine
• Commoner houses


  Center would be a shrine for deities and ancestors, used during festivities. Two sides would have bedrooms for elders, wings for junior family members, living room, dining room, kitchen. Some built communal fortresses called Tulou for protection
• Features of imperial architecture

  • Yellow roof tiles
  • Blue roof tiles on the Temple of Heaven
  • Red wooden columns and wall surfaces
  • Black color often used in pagodas
  • Dragon never used on roofs
  • Five-arched gates with center reserved for emperor
  • Favored the color red
  • Faced south to avoid cold north wind
• Features of religious architecture

  • Buddhist monasteries have great hall with Buddha statues, accommodations for monks and nuns, sometimes pagodas
  • Pagodas tend to be four-sided or eight-sided
  • Roof is chief feature with elaborate ornamental cresting, up-tilted angles adorned with dragons and grotesque ornaments
  • Multiple gables with decorations