General situation of ancient city construction in China

An Overview of the History of Ancient Urban Construction in China

There have been many magnificent big cities in the history of our country, which have concentrated the achievements of ancient economy, culture and science and technology, and have outstanding achievements and experiences in urban site selection, urban water supply and drainage, urban transportation, fire protection, urban greening, scenic spots and urban planning.

1. Evolution of urban development: In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, a city meant a country, and vassal states had the right to build cities of corresponding scale according to the level of titles. By the Warring States period, the rules of the Zhou Dynasty had become invalid, and cities were built by local governments as needed, which greatly increased the scale and distribution density of cities. After Qin unified the whole country, the feudal system was abolished and the centralized county system was implemented. The city became the seat of the central, government and county ruling institutions. In the feudal society of the next two thousand years, this system was basically inherited.

2. Urban site selection: The principles of urban site selection in ancient China can be summarized as follows: choose a moderate geographical location, that is, the principle of choosing one; Consider the factors of sustainable development, that is, the principle of "eat in the ground and eat in the country"; Considering the natural landscape and ecological factors, the principle of "the country must depend on mountains and rivers" is put forward; Consider the need for risk prevention; Considering water resources and traffic problems, land and water transport is often chosen.

3. The battlements system: From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, except Xianyang of Qin Shihuang, all the capitals of other dynasties had battlements system. The walled city system is an urban construction system of "building a city to protect the monarch, the country and the people" and "building a foreign country within the city". There are generally three walls in Beijing: Miyagi (Ouchi, Forbidden City), Imperial City or Inner City, and Outer City (Guo); There are two walls in Fucheng: Zicheng and Luocheng.

4. Method of city construction: In Xia and Shang Dynasties, a version of rammed earth city wall appeared; After the Tang Dynasty, there were examples of rammed earth walls with bricks. Brick-wrapped rammed earth walls were popularized only when the output of bricks increased in Ming Dynasty. The gate structure of the city gate used wood to span beams in the early days, and brick arch holes were gradually popularized after the Yuan Dynasty. Water towns are transported by rivers and have sluices. In addition, in order to prevent invasion, some cities also have facilities such as "Wengcheng", "Horse Face", battlements, battlements and towers.

5. Capital layout: There are two forms of ancient cities in China: one is a regular grid layout, mostly new cities, influenced by the idea of etiquette, such as "Flower King Gong Ji", which says:' Artisans govern the country, with three sides, nine meridians and nine latitudes in junior high schools, painting nine traces, left ancestors and right societies, facing the market outlook'. There are many examples, such as Luoyang in the Northern Wei Dynasty, Chang 'an in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty and Peiping in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The other is relatively free and irregular layout, mostly for the reconstruction of cities or old cities with complex terrain, which is greatly influenced by the terrain or the status quo. The so-called' every country is the capital' is because of its natural resources and poor geographical location. Therefore, battlements don't have to be in the rules, and roads don't have to be in the line. For example, Chang 'an in Han Dynasty and Jiankang in Southern Dynasty. Specifically, it has the following characteristics:

A. Residential areas: In order to strengthen the control of the residents in the city, all dynasties before the Song Dynasty implemented the Li Fang system, that is, the residential areas in the city were divided into many squares, with streets and lanes surrounded by high walls, guarded by Li Zheng and Gigi Lai, which opened early and finished late; After the Northern Song Dynasty, due to the development of the city, it was cancelled and replaced by the layout of commercial streets and streets, and urban residents were controlled by organizational means such as' Xiangfang' or' Jiabao'.

B. Market: Before the Tang Dynasty, the market in the city was concentrated in a few Li Fang, and there was a municipal building or department, which was managed by the municipal order and opened and closed on time like Li Fang; There are several small shops scattered in the residential alley; Outside the city, in the countryside, you can freely set up a city, which is the so-called' grass market'. After the Northern Song Dynasty, with the development of commerce, the Li Fang-style market with drums was basically abolished, forming an open commercial street and market trade centered on temples.

C. Entertainment places: From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, religious temples and scenic spots were mostly used as entertainment places for urban residents. After the Han Dynasty, the custom of going to the suburbs for repairs in March and climbing Chongyang Mountain in September gradually became popular, and more and more citizens went out for an outing, spring outing and autumn outing. For example, Qujiang in the south of Chang 'an in Tang Dynasty, scenic spots in the suburbs of Tokyo in Song Dynasty, and some private gardens are all hot spring resorts.

6. Road system: The vast majority of ancient cities in China adopted a grid layout with north-south orientation, which was extended from the south layout of buildings. In order to adapt to different situations in different places, the specific treatment is also adapted to local conditions. Newly-built cities with complete terrain (such as Sui Daxing) have a uniform and square layout; However, in cities with mountains and rivers or rebuilt cities (such as Health in the Southern Dynasties and Chang 'an in the Han Dynasty), the terrain should be flexible, the outline should be square and the road network should be unified. Before the Song Dynasty, urban roads were unpaved dirt roads. After the Song Dynasty, masonry pavement was widely used in southern cities.

7. Greening of the capital: China attached great importance to the greening of the capital in ancient times. Trees have been planted on both sides of the roads of the imperial capitals in past dynasties. In the north, Sophora japonica and elm are the main species, while in the south, both willow and Sophora japonica are used. Jing (government) is responsible for planting management. For the greening arrangement of Imperial Street on the central axis of the capital, we pay more attention to: setting imperial ditches in the road, injecting water and planting trees along the ditches. This practice of planting trees by the roadside spread to Japan in the Tang Dynasty.

8. Fire prevention: In the Song Dynasty, Tokyo developed rapidly, with dense houses and connected eaves, and often suffered from fire and candle disasters, so a fire brigade was established. An army patrol is set up every other mile in the city to patrol at night, and a brick building is built on the high ground to watch the fire. After the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there were drum towers in the capital and counties, which were used to tell the time or give an alarm. Since the Yuan Dynasty, tall bell towers and drum towers have been built in the central area of the city.

9. Drainage treatment: Han Chang 'an has adopted clay pipes and brick sewers; Tang Changan dug ditches on both sides of the street. In Song and Tokyo, there are four rivers running through the cities, which are of great benefit to water use, water transportation and drainage. In the Ming Dynasty, ditches were set up in Beijing to drain rainwater, and streets were set up for dredging and excavation. Ditch dredging in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty was inherited by a contractor named Dong, who was called' Ditch Dong' and drew a detailed map of ditches in the inner city of Beijing.

10, city scale: the scale of the ancient capital of China is rare in the history of ancient city construction in the world. In the comparison of the area of ancient cities in the world, the ancient capital of China occupies the top seven. Generally speaking, China's ancient urban construction is not only unique in theory, but also has many excellent examples. In ancient China, the hierarchy of ritual system and the geomantic omen theory which paid attention to the relationship between heaven, earth and people had a very important influence on the construction of ancient cities in China. The five ancient capitals (Xi, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Nanjing and Beijing) are the precious historical heritage of the Chinese nation. These are all things that modern China planners and architects should attach great importance to and seriously study, learn from and learn from.