Editing Chinese architecture (section)

==Features==
{{multiple image|perrow = 1|total_width=200
| image1 = 三彩建筑模型.jpg
| image2 = Tang Tricolored Model of Quadrangle.jpg

| footer = A [[sancai]] (tri-colored) ceramic mansion from the [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907), excavated from a Tang era tomb at Zhongbu village in the western suburbs of Xi'an.<br />The rectangular compound has two sections of courtyards. The buildings on the axis include central entrance, four-pointed pavilion, mountain-shaped front hall, artificial mountain and ponds, eight-pointed pavilion and mountain-shaped retiring quarters. The two sides of the axis are arranged with corridor rooms symmetrically.
}}

===Bilateral symmetry===
[[File:Beautiful Scene of the Square Pot.jpg|thumb|300px|The Wonderland of Fanghu in the Old Summer Palace.It was destroyed by Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860. (Fanghu is one of the wonderlands on the sea in Chinese myths. It is the same as Fangzhang. "方壶", 同"方丈", 是中国传说中海上三仙山之一.)]]
[[File:故宫午门 - panoramio (2).jpg|thumb|300px|The Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City]]
An important feature in Chinese architecture is its emphasis on [[articulation (architecture)|articulation]] and [[bilateral symmetry]], which there signifies balance. These are found everywhere in Chinese architecture, from palace complexes to humble farmhouses.<ref name=KnappEA>{{Citation| first = Ronald G. |last= Knapp |year=2006 |title=Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage of a Nation |publisher=Tuttle Publishing | isbn=978-0-8048-3537-4}}</ref> Secondary elements are positioned on either side of the main structures as wings to maintain overall symmetry. Buildings are typically planned to contain an even number of columns to produce an odd number of bays (間). Placing the main door in the center bay maintains symmetry.

In contrast to buildings, Chinese gardens tend to be asymmetrical. Gardens are designed to provide enduring flow.<ref>{{citation |title=Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture |first=Sarah |last=Handler |publisher=Ten Speed Press |date=January 19, 2005}}</ref> The design of the classic Chinese garden is based on the ideology of "Nature and Man in One", as opposed to the home itself, which shows the human sphere co-existing with, but separate from nature. The intent is that people feel surrounded by, and in harmony with, nature. The two essential garden elements are stones and water. The stones signify the pursuit of immortality, while water represents emptiness and existence. The mountain belongs to ''yang'' (static beauty), and the water belongs to ''yin'' (dynamic wonder). They depend on each other and complete each other.<ref>Cui, Huaizu, and Qingqing Hu (2015), ''Creation and Appreciation of "Nature and Man in One" and Chinese Classic Beauty of Garden – Taking the Suzhou classic garden as an example'', (https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/abs/2015/04/shsconf_icmetm2015_02001/shsconf_icmetm2015_02001.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602185601/https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/abs/2015/04/shsconf_icmetm2015_02001/shsconf_icmetm2015_02001.html |date=2 June 2018 }}). Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.</ref>

===Enclosure===
In much Chinese architecture, buildings or building complexes surround open spaces. These enclosed spaces come in two forms:<ref name="KnappEA"/>
* ''Courtyard (院)'': Open courtyards are a common feature in many projects. This is best exemplified in [[Siheyuan]]: It consisted of an empty space surrounded by buildings connected with one another either directly or through verandas.
* ''"Sky well" (天井)'': Although large open courtyards are less commonly found in southern Chinese architecture, the concept of an "open space" surrounded by buildings can be seen in the southern building structure known as the "sky well". This structure is essentially a relatively enclosed courtyard formed from the intersections of closely spaced buildings and offers a small opening to the sky through the roof space.

These enclosures aid in temperature regulation and in ventilation. Northern courtyards are typically open and face south to allow the maximum exposure of the building windows and walls to the sun while keeping out the cold north winds. Southern [[lightwell|sky wells]] are relatively small and collect rainwater from the roof tops. They perform the same duties as the [[Ancient Roman architecture|Roman]] [[impluvium]] while restricting the amount of sunlight that enters the building. Sky wells also vent hot air skyward, which draws cool air from the lower areas and the outside.

{{Gallery
|File:Zhangzhou_Tongyuan_Miao_20120225-4.jpg|A skywell in a Fujian temple with enclosing halls and bays on four sides.
|File:捷發乾記茶莊-天井.JPG|A mid-20th-century colonial style Taiwanese building containing a skywell.
|File:JiQingLouWide.jpg|A [[tulou]] outer building encloses a smaller circular building, which encloses an ancestral hall and courtyard in the center.
|File:Cave Dwelling - Courtyard.jpg|A dugout dwelling enclosing an underground courtyard.
|File:Chinese Courtyard in the Style of the Ming Dynasty, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA 2012 7.JPG|An enclosing courtyard on four sides from the [[Astor Court]] in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], [[New York City]], USA.
}}

===Hierarchy===
[[File:Tomb of Northern Qi Dynasty in Jiuyuangang, Xinzhou, Mural, Building.jpg|thumb|A tomb mural of [[Xinzhou]], dated to the [[Northern Qi]] (550–577 AD) period, showing a hall with a [[Roof tiles|tiled roof]] with [[Chiwen|''chiwei'']] roof ornaments, [[dougong]] brackets, and doors with giant [[door knockers]] (perhaps made of bronze)]]
The projected hierarchy of importance for different building uses in Chinese architecture is based on the strict placement of buildings in a property/complex. Buildings with doors facing the front of the property are considered more important than those facing the sides. Buildings facing away from the front are the least important.

South-facing buildings in the rear and more private areas with higher exposure to sunlight are held in lower esteem and reserved for elders or ancestral plaques. Buildings facing east and west are generally for junior members or branches of the family, while buildings near the front are typically for servants and hired help.<ref name=zggjz>{{citation |title=中国古建筑 |publisher=齊魯音像出版社出版发行 |last=浙江长城纪实文化传播公司 |year=2004 |isbn=978-7-88408-237-7|oclc=057661389 }}</ref>

Front-facing buildings in the back of properties are used for celebratory rites and for the placement of ancestral halls and plaques. In multi-courtyard complexes, central courtyards and their buildings are considered more important than peripheral ones, the latter typically for storage, servants' rooms, or kitchens.<ref name=KnappEA/>

===Horizontal emphasis===
Classical Chinese buildings, especially those of the wealthy, are built with an emphasis on breadth and less on height, featuring an enclosed heavy platform and a large roof that floats over this base, with the vertical walls deemphasized. Buildings that were too high and large were considered unsightly, and therefore generally avoided.<ref>{{cite book|author-link1=Li Yih-yuan |last = Li |first = Yih-yuan |title = Ancestors |publisher = DE GRUYTER MOUTON |isbn = 9783110805314 |doi = 10.1515/9783110805314.329 |chapter = Chinese Geomancy and Ancestor Worship: A Further Discussion |year = 1979 |pages = 329–338 }}</ref> Chinese architecture stresses the visual impact of the width of the buildings, using sheer scale to inspire awe.<ref>{{cite book |date = 2017-01-31 |publisher = Princeton University Press |isbn = 9781400885138 |doi = 10.1515/9781400885138-018 |chapter = Twelve. Typical Design Features of Ming Palaces and Altars in Beijing |title = Traditional Chinese Architecture |pages = 315–348 }}</ref> This preference contrasts with Western architecture, which tends to emphasize height and depth. This often meant that [[pagoda]]s towered above other buildings.<ref name="Kohrman">{{cite journal |last = Kohrman |first = Matthew |date = March 1998 |title = Technology and Gender: Fabrics of Power in Late Imperial China:Technology and Gender: Fabrics of Power in Late Imperial China |journal = American Anthropologist |volume = 100 |issue = 1 |page = 236 |doi = 10.1525/aa.1998.100.1.236.1 |issn = 0002-7294 |doi-access = free }}</ref>

The halls and palaces in the [[Forbidden City]] have rather low ceilings when compared to equivalent stately buildings in the West, but their external appearance suggests the all-embracing nature of imperial China. These ideas have found their way into modern Western architecture, for example through the work of [[Jørn Utzon]].<ref>{{cite book |first = Richard |last = Weston |title = Utzon |publisher = Edition Blondal |year = 2002 |isbn = 978-87-88978-98-8 |page = 221 }}</ref>

===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.