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ART & LEISURE: Chinese Heritage. Interplay of Architecture
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Chinese Heritage: Interplay of Architecture

By Rose Salas

BT 201812 art 01中国建筑是亚洲长期存在的文化遗产之一,几千年来一直保持不变。 它深深扎根于中国古代文化和封建社会制度的悠久历史中,鼓励人们拥有相似的价值观和生活方式。 中国建筑以其精湛的艺术,设计和错综复杂的图案而闻名,描绘了我们丰富的文化。 纵观历史,它在每个王朝都有了显着的改进和变化,但不可否认的是,很多同样的特征仍然是现代建筑的基础和灵感,为中国建筑带来了特殊商标。 让我们回顾一下建筑的一些显着历史。

中国建筑历史

中国建筑的历史可以追溯到2000年前,并分为不同的朝代。每个王朝都为我们丰富的建筑和工艺做出了贡献。

中国建筑特征

中国建筑被全世界认可的一个引人注目的特征是黄色瓦屋顶。直到今天,中国龙仍然在设计中发挥着重要作用。

Chinese architecture is one of Asia’s long-standing heritages that have remained unchanged through thousands of years. One of the reasons for its unchanging beauty is due to its being deeply rooted in ancient Chinese culture and the long history of feudal societal system that encourages people to have a similar set of values and lifestyle. Hence, Chinese architecture is well-known for exquisite art, design and intricate patterns that greatly describe our rich culture. Throughout history, it made remarkable improvements and changes in each dynasty, but it is undeniable that same features were still the foundation and inspiration of today’s modern architecture, bringing a special trademark for Chinese architecture in the world. Let’s look back into the history of some notable characteristics of our architecture.
 

History of Chinese Architecture

History of our architecture can be traced back till 2000-years back and divided into various dynasties. Each dynasty contributed to our rich architecture and craftsmanship. Architecture of China can be traced from the Neolithic Period while some existing architecture is found in the Banpo Village of Northern China, east of the Xi’an province. Houses back then were known to be surrounded by moats.

BT 201812 art 02
Model of Neolithic Era Architecture in Jiangzhai village

In the Shang Dynasty, traditional Chinese architecture officially started to emerge with a rectilinear building. Rammed - earthen walls and foundations started to emerge, especially in urban parts of China. As years passed by, the Zhou Dynasty also contributed to the Chinese architecture where bricks and roof tiles were invented along with mourning halls, tombs, and altars. Whereas in the Qin and Han Dynasties stone crafting, timber buildings, and firing tiles were all mastered like the famous Terracotta Army in Xi’an Province.

BT 201812 art 03
Terracotta Army Museum in Banpo Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

The Sui and Tang Dynasties, also known as the Golden Era of the Chinese civilization, featured bricks that became their main feature in terms of architecture and the best example is the Grand Canal in Beijing-Hangzhou that connects China’s five great rivers - Hai River, Yangtze River, Yellow River, Huai River and Qiantang River.

BT 201812 art 04
The Grand Canal in Beijing-Huangzhou

If there is one thing that the world admires and recognizes about China, it is how we have been able to preserve the famous sceneries in many cities which had been the pride and sense of achievement of our ancestors. Today, we still hold that gratification because foreigners can speak boldly of what a Chinese architecture is like and express their understanding of how we connect with nature and elements to come up with such uniqueness.
 

Even up to this day, Fengshui has always been the core of our culture and architecture. It is believed that one’s success and failure is based on Fengshui for it is a tradition that inspires people to live in harmony with the environment. Fengshui is literally translated as 风 fēng: wind and 水 shuǐ water. Fengshui consultants suggest on the correct positioning of a building, house or gardens but with some twists of modern touches. In tradition, it is still the basis for positioning the burial sites in the belief that spirits are sensitive on where they are placed.
 

Features of Chinese Architecture

Materials
Wood is the main feature of architecture: poles, pillars, floorboards, walls, windows, roofs are all made from wood. But as centuries and dynasties passed by, various materials were included like rammed-earth, stones, bricks, tiles and metals, thus beautifying and strengthening the Chinese architecture. Stones and Bricks were mostly used in building walls and fortifying our villages and kingdoms from enemies and common structures like bridges, arches and even temples and pagodas.
 

Roofing Style

One of the most striking features of Chinese architecture is the roof which mostly comprises of slopes with 4-8 sides depending on the shape of the building which are square, rounds of hexagon or octagon. It uses tiles and has eaves and ridges with beautiful carvings and colour that help against the rain and look artistically elegant at the same time.
 

Structure Type

Our architecture bases each design and material to be used depending on purpose. For example, if it’s a house, social status is considered. One of the striking features that the world recognizes is the yellow-tiled roofs which are imperialistic in nature. Chinese dragons still play an important role in designs till this day.
 

In summary, modernization did not wholly eliminate the true attributes of Chinese heritage when it comes in architecture. In fact, the unique features are still present in almost every modern building and infrastructure that we have presently. The elegance, material combinations and the vivid colours are still the symbol of sophistication. Interplay between art and modern technology did not conceal the beauty of our heritage. For this, China is still the focal point for cutting edge and innovative architecture.

BT 201812 art 05The National Stadium in Beijing

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