Chinese architecture facts for kids

The Forbidden City

Chinese architecture refers to the architecture of China. Sometimes it might also mean architecture outside of China but built in the same style. Chinese architecture is very influential in East Asia where many other countries and cultures' architecture also modeled upon it. Well known example of Chinese architecture are the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City.

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 Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.

Architectural types
- Commoner
- Imperial
Urban planning
Images for kids
See also

Architectural types

Commoner

The houses of commoners, be they bureaucrats, merchants or farmers, tended to follow a set pattern: the center of the building would be a shrine for the deities and the ancestors, which would also be used during festivities. On its two sides were bedrooms for the elders; the two wings of the building (known as "guardian dragons" by the Chinese) were for the junior members of the family, as well as the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen, although sometimes the living room could be very close to the center.

Sometimes the extended families became so large that one or even two extra pairs of "wings" had to be built. This resulted in a U-shaped building, with a courtyard suitable for farm work. Merchants and bureaucrats, however, preferred to close off the front with an imposing front gate. All buildings were legally regulated, and the law held that the number of stories, the length of the building and the colours used depended on the owner's class. Some commoners living in areas plagued by bandits built communal fortresses called Tulou for protection.

Imperial

There were certain architectural features that were reserved solely for buildings built for the Emperor of China. One example is the use of yellow roof tiles, yellow having been the Imperial color; yellow roof tiles still adorn most of the buildings within the Forbidden City. The Temple of Heaven, however, uses blue roof tiles to symbolize the sky. The roofs are almost invariably supported by brackets ("dougong"), a feature shared only with the largest of religious buildings. The wooden columns of the buildings, as well as the surfaces of the walls, tend to be red in color. Black is also a famous color often used in pagodas. It was believed that the gods are inspired by the black color to descend to the earth.

The Chinese 5-clawed dragon, adopted by the first Ming emperor for his personal use, was used as decoration on the beams, pillars, and on the doors on Imperial architecture. Curiously, the dragon was never used on roofs of imperial buildings.

Only the buildings used by the imperial family were allowed to have nine jian (間, 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.

Numerology heavily influenced Imperial Architecture, hence the use of nine in much of construction (nine being the greatest single digit number) and the reason why the Forbidden City in Beijing is said to have 9,999.9 rooms—just short of the mythical 10,000 rooms in heaven.

Urban planning

Chinese urban planning is based on fengshui geomancy and the well-field system of land division, both used since the Neolithic age. The basic well-field diagram is overlaid with the luoshu, a magic square divided into 9 sub-squares, and linked with Chinese numerology.

Images for kids

A model of Jiangzhai, a Yangshao village
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. 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.
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。)
The Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City
A tomb mural of Xinzhou, dated to the Northern Qi (550–577 AD) period, showing a hall with a tiled roof, dougong brackets, and doors with giant door knockers (perhaps made of bronze)
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.
Han yuan tu by Li Rongjin, Yuan dynasty
Jianzhang Palace, Yuan dynasty
Que 闕 towers along the walls of Tang-era Chang'an, as depicted in this 8th-century mural from Prince Li Chongrun's tomb at the Qianling Mausoleum in Shaanxi
Nanchan Temple (Wutai), built in the late 8th century during the Tang dynasty
A timber hall built in 857 during the Tang dynasty, located at the Buddhist Foguang Temple of Mount Wutai, Shanxi
Models of watchtowers and other buildings made during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25–220); while these models were made of ceramics, the real versions were made of easily perishable wood and have not survived.
A stone-carved pillar-gate, or que (闕), 6 m (20 ft) in total height, located at the tomb of Gao Yi in Ya'an, Sichuan province, Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD); notice the stone-carved decorations of roof tile eaves, despite the fact that Han Dynasty stone que (part of the walled structures around tomb entrances) lacked wooden or ceramic components (but often imitated wooden buildings with ceramic roof tiles).
These rammed earth ruins of a granary in Hecang Fortress (Chinese: 河仓城； Pinyin: Hécāngchéng), located ~11 km (7 miles) northeast of the Yumen Pass, were built during the Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD) and significantly rebuilt during the Western Jin (280–316 AD).
Remnants of the Great Wall of Qi on Dafeng Mountain, Changqing District, Jinan, which was once part of the ancient State of Qi during the Warring States Period (475–221 BC).
The Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, near Beijing, built during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
A pavilion inside the Zhuozheng Garden in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, one of the finest gardens in China
The Zhaozhou Bridge, built from 595 to 605 during the Sui dynasty. It is the oldest fully stone open-spandrel segmental arch bridge in the world.
The Gate detail at the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia contains Chinese architectural influences.
A group of temples at the top of Mount Taishan, where structures have been built at the site since the 3rd century BC during the Han dynasty
Nanshan Temple in Longkou, Shandong.
Lianhuashan (lit. "lotus flower mountain") Temple in Dalian
Songjiang Square Pagoda, built in the 11th century
The Nine Pinnacle Pagoda, built in the 8th century during the Tang dynasty
A Chinese pavilion instead of a minaret at the Great Mosque of Xi'an.
The Fogong Temple Pagoda, located in Ying county, Shanxi province, built in 1056 during the Liao dynasty, is the oldest existent fully wooden pagoda in China
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, rebuilt in 704 during the Tang dynasty
The Songyue Pagoda, built in 523 AD during the Northern and Southern dynasties
The Liuhe Pagoda of Hangzhou, China, built in 1165 AD during the Song dynasty
Hua Si Gongbei (the mausoleum of Ma Laichi) in Linxia City, Gansu
A timber hall built in 857 during the Tang dynasty, located at the Buddhist Foguang Temple in Mount Wutai, Shanxi
The Liaodi Pagoda, the tallest pre-modern Chinese pagoda, built in 1055 during the Song dynasty
Yungang Grottoes（云冈石窟）, Datong（大同）, China.
Temples in Mount Wutai（五台山）
The Grand East Hall of the Foguang Temple（佛光寺东大殿）, in Mount Wutai
Birdview of the Zunsheng Temple（尊胜寺） in Mount Wutai
Goddess Temple of Jinci（晋祠圣母殿）, Taiyuan
Pingyao（平遥） City Wall
A market street in Pingyao ancient city
Wang Family Compound（王家大院）, in Lingshi
Qiao Family Compound（乔家大院）, Jingyi Court in Qi County
Chang Family Studies, Yuci
Yaodong（窑洞） in Lingshi（灵石） County, Shanxi
The Ho Ancestral Hall in Panyu, Guangzhou; Built in 14th century, it utilizes manner door – a second door behind the main one, which is related to Cantonese Feng shui culture.
Chan Clan Academy in Gwongzau is often cited as a representative example of Lingnan architecture.
A cold alley in Chan Clan Academy; A "Narrow Door" leads to the next alley.
A monument in honor of the Cantonese folk hero Wong Fei-hung, in Foshan.
Most Hongkongese are of Cantonese origin. Thus, Hong Kong naturally has a lot of buildings of classical Lingnan style. Pictured is a Mazu temple in Shek Pai Wan, Hong Kong.
Nanfeng Ancestral Temple at Chiàu-an, Changchow, Hokkien (the name of Fujian in the Hokkien language.
Cut porcelain carving decorations above the main door of Nanfeng Ancestral Temple.
A Mazu temple in Chiayi City, Taiwan.
A shrine for Tudigong, a Taoist earth deity, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; It is an example of a less garish swallowtail roof.
Front entrance of Thian Hock Keng Temple, Singapore.
Confucian academy in Fuzhou
Jiangxi's indigenous architecture – Liukeng village.
A "Pai tau uk" (牌頭屋) in Nanchang, Jiangxi.
A residence in Jinxi county, Fuzhou.
Entrance to a residence in a hutong.
Shikumen in Xintiandi lanes in Shanghai.
Great Wall of Qi in Shandong.
Du Fu Thatched Cottage in Sichuan.
Jinci in the Jin Chinese-speaking province of Shanxi.
An enclosing courtyard on four sides from the Astor Court in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, USA.
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