﻿ Chinese Architecture History
chinese architectural history

The Liuhe Pagoda of Hangzhou, China, built in 1165 AD during the Song Dynasty.

Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over the centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details. Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural styles of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.


The following article gives a cursory explanation of traditional Chinese architecture, before the introduction of Western building methods during the early 20th Century. 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 is normally lower than 3 levels, was taken place by the modern architecture. 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.


The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty.

There are certain features common to all Chinese architecture, regardless of specific region or use.


Another important feature is its emphasis on articulation and symmetry, which connotes a sense of grandeur; this applies to everything from palaces to farmhouses. A notable exception is in the design of gardens, which tends to be as asymmetrical as possible. The principle underlying the garden's composition is to create enduring flow and also to emulate nature.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony within the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) grounds in Beijing, Ming Dynasty

Chinese buildings may be built with either red or gray bricks, but wooden structures are the most common; these are more capable of withstanding earthquakes, but are vulnerable to fire. The roof of a typical Chinese building is curved; there are strict classifications of gable types, comparable with the classical orders of European columns.


Classification by structure

Zhuozheng Garden in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, one of the finest gardens in China.

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 zaojing 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, used in clusters to support roofs

Imperial architecture

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

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. Only the buildings used by the imperial family were allowed to have nine gan (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 ancient Chinese favored the color red. The buildings faced south because the north had a cold wind.

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 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"). However, during the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Emperor's residence was moved to the western side of the complex. 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.

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 9,999.5 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.

Commoner architecture

Tenon and mortice work of tie beams and cross beams, from Li Jie's building manual Yingzao Fashi, printed in 1103.



Religious architecture

Longhua Pagoda in Shanghai, originally built during the Three Kingdoms era.


The Iron Pagoda built in 1049 AD during the Song Dynasty in the ancient city of Kaifeng.

Daoist architecture, on the other hand, usually follow the commoners' style. The main entrance is, however, usually at the side, out of superstition about demons which might try to enter the premise. (See feng shui.) 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 to observe potential Liao Dynasty enemy movements.

The oldest intact pagoda is the brick Songyue Pagoda, built in 523 CE.

^ 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 Fairbank, Cambridge (Mass.): MIT press.


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.
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