Editing Chinese architecture (section)

===Cosmological concepts===
[[File:Siheyuan model.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Model of a Chinese [[Siheyuan]] in Beijing, which shows off the symmetry, enclosed heavy platform and a large roof that floats over this base, with the vertical walls not as well emphasized.]]

Chinese architecture used concepts from [[Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)|Chinese cosmology]] such as ''[[feng shui]]'' ([[geomancy]]) and [[Taoism]] to organize construction and layout.<ref name="KnappEA" /> These include:
* Screen walls to face the main entrance, which stems from the belief that evil things travel in straight lines.
* Talismans and imagery of good fortune:
** [[Door god]]s displayed on doorways to ward off evil and encourage good fortune
** Three anthropomorphic figures representing [[Fu Lu Shou]] (福祿壽 fú-lù-shòu) stars are prominently displayed, sometimes with the proclamation "the three stars are present" (三星宅 sān-xīng-zhài)
** Animals and fruits that symbolize good fortune and prosperity, such as [[bat]]s and [[pomegranates]], respectively. The association is often done through [[rebus]]es.
* Orienting the structure with its back to an elevated landscape and placing water in the front.
* Ponds, pools, wells, and other water sources are built into the structure.
* Aligning a building along a north–south axis, with the building facing south (in the north where the wind is coldest in winter). The two sides face east and west respectively.<ref name="Kohrman" /> The back of the structure is generally windowless.

The use of certain colors, numbers and the cardinal directions reflected the belief in a type of [[immanence]], where the nature of a thing could be wholly contained in its own form.

[[Beijing]] and [[Chang'an]] are examples of traditional Chinese [[town planning]] that represent these cosmological concepts.