How to appreciate the beauty of ancient architecture

China's long history has created a splendid ancient culture, and ancient architecture is an important part of it. Many architects and architectural masterpieces emerged in ancient China, creating many heirloom palaces, tombs, temples, gardens, years, and homes ....... Ancient Chinese architecture is not only a reference for modern architectural design in China, but also has long had a worldwide impact and become a cultural heritage that has attracted the world's attention. Appreciate the ancient architecture of China, it is like turning over a heavy history book. The ancient legend of the flood, the Qin Emperor Han Wu's achievements, the Tang Empire's momentum, the Ming and Qing palaces forbidden smoke and clouds, as well as history books can not be found on the record of the ingenuity of millions of laborers, are one by one by its image of the record down.

Ancient Chinese architecture in general is mainly wood structure, brick, tile, stone as a supplement to the development of. From the appearance of the building, each building has three parts: upper, middle and lower. The upper part is the roof, the lower part is the base, and the middle part is the columns, doors, windows and walls. In the columns above the eaves below there is a kind of wooden fast vertical and horizontal interspersed, layers and layers of the combination of components called arch. This is a unique component of oriental architecture represented by China. It can support the eaves and the beams and ceilings inside the house, and has a strong decorative effect. The word "arch" must be mentioned when talking about ancient Chinese architecture, because it has become the most important basis for the identification of ancient buildings due to its highly varied practice in the construction of buildings over the ages.

The roof styles of ancient Chinese buildings can be of various kinds. Representing a certain level; the highest level is the hipped roof, characterized by the front and back, left and right **** four slopes, intersecting five ridges, also known as the five ridge temple or Wu Hall. This roof only the emperor's palace or Ruajian temples can be used; rank second to the hipped roof is the hipped roof, the Department of four slopes before and after the right and left, in the left and right slopes on each side of a vertical surface, so out of the nine ridges, also known as the nine ridge Palace or Han Hall, Cao Temple, this roof is used in the nature of the building is more important, the volume of the larger buildings; rank again the roof is mainly overhanging the roof (only the front and rear of the two slopes and the left and right ends). (only two slopes in front and back and the left and right ends are picked out of the mountain wall). Hard roof (also before and after two slopes but the left and right ends do not pick out of the wall). There is also a pointed roof (all the ridges of the slopes are saved at one point) and so on. All the roofs have beautiful and gentle roof curves. Whether it is from the ancient people's imitation of cedar tree branches or other natural substances. This artistic curve is steep first and then gently curved to form a curved surface. Not only the force is more uniform than the straight slope surface, but also easy for the roof to reasonably send rain and snow.

From the architectural category, China's ancient architecture, including royal palaces, temples and halls, residential halls, mausoleums and tombs and garden buildings. Among them, the palace, temple, mausoleums and other similar architectural form and the overall layout of the symmetry of the way, the main and secondary clear. To a central axis will be a closed courtyard coherent bundle up, showing a closed strict and implicit national temperament or can be said to be authentic Confucian style. Only the garden architecture and this is very different, the layout of free and flexible, changing, and the pursuit of natural atmosphere. When is more with traces of Taoist thinking.

Compared with the Western ancient architecture, Chinese ancient architecture in the choice of materials in favor of wood, a few years ago has been so, and to the wooden frame structure. This structural method consists of the main components such as columns, beams and purlins. The joints between the members are combined with mortise and tenon joints to form a flexible frame. This form of mortise and tenon combination has been found in the primitive society building site of Hemudu in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, indicating that it has been formed more than 7,000 years ago. In ancient China, there are three main forms of wooden structures. First, the well dry type, that is, with round or square wood overlapping structure on all sides such as well, this is one of the most primitive and simple structure, now in addition to the mountainous areas outside the woodland, has rarely seen. The second is "through the bucket type", is to use through the square, the column phase through the bucket into, easy to construct, the most seismic, but it is more difficult to build a large form of the temple and pavilion, so China's southern residential and smaller halls and pavilions more in this form. Third, "lifting beam type" (also known as stacked beam), that is, lifting the beam on the column, beam on the column (short column), columns and lifting the beam of the structure. This structure is characterized by the width and depth of the building to meet the requirements of the expansion of indoor space, large palaces, altars, temples, temples, royal residences, mansions and other luxurious and magnificent buildings to take the main structural form. Some buildings also used a combination of lifting beams and wear bucket form, more flexible and diverse.

"Walls fall down, the house does not collapse" a Chinese folk saying, fully expresses the characteristics of the beam-column structure system. Because this structure is mainly to columns and beams to bear the weight, the wall is only used as a spacer, and does not bear the weight of the upper roof, so the position of the wall can be installed according to the size of the required indoor space, and can be changed at any time according to the need. Because the walls do not bear the weight, the walls of the doors and windows can also be opened as needed, can be large or small, can be high or low, and can even be opened into an empty window, open hall or pavilion.

Because of the beam and column structure built of wood, is a flexible framework, which makes it also has an outstanding advantage of strong seismic performance. It can disappear the huge vibration energy into the very elastic nodes. This is extremely favorable for earthquake-prone China. Therefore, there are many built in the hard-hit earthquake area of the wooden building, thousands of years still well-preserved. For example, like the Liao Dynasty Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, Shanxi, which is more than 67 meters high, the tallest existing wooden pagoda in the world, and the Liao Dynasty Guanyin Pavilion of the Dule Temple in Jixian County, Tianjin, which is as high as 23 meters high, the wooden structures have been in place for nearly a thousand years or more than 1,000 years. The latter had experienced in the vicinity of the occurrence of more than eight major earthquakes, and in 1976 by the impact of the Tangshan earthquake, but also unharmed, fully demonstrated the superiority of the seismic performance of this structural system. This is one of the characteristics of ancient Chinese architecture.

Ancient Chinese architecture with its beautiful soft contours and varied forms and attract attention, appreciated. But such a shape is not caused arbitrarily, but to adapt to the performance of the internal structure and the actual use of the need to produce. Such as those pavilions such as cover, flying eaves and corners of the roof, that is, in order to exclude the rain, the need for shade and sunshine, to adapt to the conditions of the internal structure and the formation of. More than two thousand years ago, poets used to describe the form of large roofs with the poem "Albums fly". In the treatment of the pillars, the main part of the building, generally the arrangement of the upper end of the pillars into the column head inward tilt, so that the outside of the column feet of the "side feet" show the form of the upper small and lower big, but also the height of the pillars from the center to the outside of the gradual increase in the height of the pillars, so that it shows the head of the outside of the high inside the curve of the form of the low. These practices not only solve the stability of the building function, but also increase the beautiful curve of the building shape, the practical and aesthetic properly combined, can be said to be a good example of the unity of the application and aesthetics.

Ancient Chinese buildings in the plane, elevation and roof form colorful, square, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, dodecagonal, circular, semicircular, sun-shaped, moon, peach-shaped, fan-shaped, plum blossom-shaped, round, diamond-shaped set and so on. The form of the roof has flat roof, sloping roof, cupola, pointed roof and so on. Hipped roofs are divided into hipped, hiatus, overhanging hills, hard hills, save the tip, cross cross * and other types. There are also several different roof forms into a complex combination of twisting, changing new styles.

The plan layout of a building is an important factor in determining the shape of a building, a group of buildings, a group of buildings, or even a village or a city. In ancient Chinese architecture, there are basically two kinds of plan layout. One is solemn and majestic, neat and symmetrical, and the other is zigzag, flexible and varied. Cite the emperor's Kyoto, the palace, altar temple, mausoleum, the government's Yamen Hall, the royal residence, house, religious temples, palaces and ancestral halls, halls and so on, most of them are to take the form of the former. Its layout is characterized by a clear central axis, the main buildings arranged on the central axis, on both sides of the central axis arranged to accompany the buildings. The layout of this main and secondary, left and right symmetry. Taking the temple in Beijing as an example, there is a shadow wall or pagoda at the very front of the central axis, and then there is a gate, and within the gate there is a front hall, followed by the main hall (or Daxiongbao Dian), and then the back hall and the scripture collection building, etc. The main buildings are arranged on both sides of the central axis. In the central axis on both sides of the layout of the accompanying buildings, neatly organized, two relative, such as the gate on both sides of the side of the side door, the Hall on both sides of the Hall, the rest of the Hall on both sides of the corridor, the Hall, and so on. Craftsmen used baking clouds to the moon, green leaves to red flowers and other techniques, set off the main building of the solemn and majestic. This type of building, regardless of the number of buildings, the size of the complex, generally using this layout. From a door to a hall to two, three to nine palaces, a huge emperor Kyoto is such a law. This solemn and majestic, neat and symmetrical, to accompany the main way to fully satisfy the rulers and the teachings of God and Buddha for the reverence of lofty, solemn needs, so thousands of years has been passed down, and gradually improved. Another layout is the opposite of the way, do not seek neat and tidy, do not use the symmetry of the left and right, according to local conditions, appropriate arrangement. All landscape gardens, residential houses and mountain villages and water towns, etc., most of this form. The layout of the method is in accordance with the situation of mountains and rivers, the geographical environment and natural conditions, such as flexible layout. For example, residential and even temples, government offices, where located at the foot of the river, always welcome the river back mountain and built, and according to the mountain terrain, layer by layer on the building. This situation is most suitable for the southwestern mountainous areas and the Jiangnan water network areas and more changes in the terrain of the location. This layout principles, because of the vast areas of different natural conditions and multi-ethnic different cultural characteristics, customs and habits of China's needs, thousands of years has been used, and has a scientific theoretical basis. Chinese-style gardens are even more flexible layout, zigzag changes in the example. Mountain towns, water towns of cities, villages and towns layout is also based on the natural situation, the river water network, according to the local system announced Bureau, there are many both practical and beautiful ancient town planning and architectural style.

The colors of ancient Chinese buildings are very rich. Some of the hues are sharp and contrasting, while others are harmonious and pure and elegant. Architects choose to apply according to different needs and customs. All palaces, altars, temples, temples and other buildings more contrasting, distinctive colors: red walls and yellow tiles (or other colors of the tile) against the green trees and the blue sky, coupled with the eaves of the gold and blue paintings, so that the entire ancient architecture appears to be extraordinarily gorgeous. In the performance of the characteristics of Chinese ancient architectural art, glazed tiles and color paintings are two very important aspects.

Lucite tile is a very strong building material, waterproof performance, the royal building and some important buildings will be a large number of use of glazed tiles. Glazed tiles are bright and colorful, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, red and so on. Generally use more yellow, green and blue colors, and yellow for the most noble, only used in the palace, the Jikji, altar and temple and other major buildings. It is in the palace, not all buildings with yellow glazed tiles, secondary buildings with green and green "cut edge" (edging). In the royal family and temples, generally can not use all yellow glazed tile roof. Yongzheng in the Qing dynasty, the emperor authorized the Confucian temple can use all yellow glazed tiles, in order to express the sole respect for Confucianism. Glazed tiles can be divided into four categories: one is a tube tile, plate tile, is used to cover the roof. The second category is the ridge decoration, that is, the ridge decoration, there is a large ridge on the scops owl (kiss), pendant ridge on the pendant beast, bump ridge on the beast, etc., the number of beasts according to the size of the building and the level and decide. The Ming and Qing dynasties stipulated that the most is eleven, the least is three, their arrangement is, the foremost for the riding crane immortal, then the dragon, phoenix, lion, unicorn, Xiezhi, Tianma ...... and so on. The third category is glazed bricks, used for masonry walls and other parts. The fourth category is glazed veneer floral decorations, with a variety of different flora and fauna and human stories and a variety of geometric patterns, highly decorative.

Color painting is an important part of the art of ancient Chinese architecture. We see today the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, three halls and the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Yonghe Palace and other important buildings indoor and outdoor, especially under the eaves of the gold, blue, red and green paintings, so that these shaded parts of the components to enhance the contrast of colors, while making the yellow and green roofs and the lower part of the vermilion red pillars and doors and windows between the transition, so that the building feels more brilliant and splendid, which is really a very successful technique. Architectural color painting also has the role of practical and beautification in two aspects. Practical aspect is to protect the wood and wall surface. In ancient times, there is a kind of pepper house, that is, in the color paint with pepper powder, not only can protect the wall and beams and columns and can also emit aroma insect repellent. The role of decoration is to make the house inside and outside bright and beautiful. The pattern of color painting is painted on the building with color in the early days, and gradually painted various kinds of plants and animals and patterns, and then gradually towards the specification and programming, to the Ming and Qing Dynasties completed the customization. Ming and qing dynasties of color painting is mainly divided into two categories, one is completely become a pattern of color painting, divided into and seal (to gold dragon and phoenix as the main theme), gold line big point gold, ink line big point gold, gold faceted ink, smoke faceted ink, XiongHuangYu, YaWuMo, etc., they are to use gold how much and the main theme used to determine the level of its expensive *. Another category is the later rise of the "Su-style color painting" (Su refers to Suzhou), which is characterized by a large area on the beam square to draw a baggage-shaped outline, in the baggage skin painted a variety of landscapes, figures, birds, flowers, fish and insects, as well as a variety of stories, drama themes. There are also some original paintings, such as the Forbidden City, Taihe Temple of the columns to the gold leaching powder wrapped around the dragon for the decorations, Zunhua Qingdongling Cixi Mausoleum in the nanmu beam square on the bottom of the gold paintings, to the point of brilliant peaks.

The simple and elegant tone in China's ancient architecture also plays a very important role. Such as Jiangnan residence and some gardens, temples and temples, with white walls, green and gray tile roof reflected in the jungle, bamboo, green mountains and water, looks fresh and beautiful. Northern mountain dwellings of the earth walls, tiles or slate tiles also make people have a sense of tranquility and comfort. There are even some royal buildings are also deliberately pursuing this simple and elegant mountain fun, the Qing Kangxi, Qianlong period of operation of the Chengde Summer Resort is a prominent example.

Chinese ancient architecture has a rich sculpture decoration. Sculpture of ancient buildings is generally divided into two categories, one is on the building, or carved in the columns, beams and squares above, or molded in the roof, beams, pillars above. Themes have characters, gods and buddhist stories, birds, animals, flowers, birds, fish and insects, etc., the dragon and phoenix theme is more widely used. The material of the sculpture depends on the material of the building itself, there are wood and stone, brick and tile, gold and silver, copper and iron. Another category is inside the building or both sides or before and after the sculpture, most of them are detached from the building and the existence of the building is the preservation of the building or accessory. Sculptures inside buildings are mostly Buddhist and Taoist content in Buddhist and Taoist temples.

Chinese ancient architecture in the building and the environment with the coordination and harmonization of high achievements, there are many incisive theory and successful experience. Ancient people not only consider the internal environment of the building between the primary and secondary, each other's cooperation and coordination, but also pay attention to their coordination with the surrounding natural environment. Ancient Chinese architecture has a pay attention to the yin and yang five elements of the "geomancy" of the science, that is, to see the science of feng shui, which, although mixed with a lot of feudal superstitious things, but remove the dregs, there are still a lot of lessons to be learned. Especially in the topography, wind direction, hydrology, geology and other parts, or reference value. Ancient Chinese architects and craftsmen, in the planning, design and construction, are very attentive to the surrounding environment, the surrounding mountains and rivers, geographic features, climatic conditions, forests and vegetation, etc., should be carefully investigated and studied, and make sure that the layout of the building, the form, the color, the volume, etc., and the surrounding environment compatible. For example, "Tube" discusses the selection of the capital city conditions are emphasized, not in the mountains, must be in the wide river above, high not close to the drought and water with enough, low not close to the waterlogged ditch defense province, due to the natural materials, on the ground, and so on. As for mountain towns, castles, villages, temples, gardens, residential and so on, are also with the mountain terrain undulating and twisting, high and low, appropriate deployment. Buildings on the banks of rivers, lakes and seas are bound to be arranged with the topography of the harbors and bayous. The tombs of the past dynasties pay special attention to the topography of the environment. The so-called "dragon vein" that is, taking into account the surrounding miles, dozens of miles, or even hundreds of miles range of terrain, feng shui. The garden is a synthesis of the art of space and time, the scene at any time, step by step, the scene turns. The relationship between the environment inside and outside the garden, with each other the most demanding. "Borrowed scenery" is the gardening techniques in the skillful use of the environment of a performance method. Ming Ji Cheng "garden metallurgy" book specifically "borrowed scenery" chapter. He said: "the garden is skillful in borrowing ...... borrower garden, although different inside and outside, get the scene is not confined near and far", the garden outside the distant peaks and mountains, pavilions and towers to the shadow of the mountains, trees, sea and mountain scenery can be borrowed into the garden into the scene. Between the scene and the scene, but also for each other to borrow, the courtyard terrace, out of the wall red apricot can be borrowed from each other, constituting a large environmental space.

Consolidated above, China's ancient architecture has a high appreciation value. It gives us aesthetic enjoyment, provides evidence for the study of history and science, and provides reference for new architectural design and new artistic creation. It is not only a historical testimony to the development of Chinese civilization, but also an extremely valuable textbook of patriotism.