Examples of ancient Chinese and Western architectural design classics and analyze their design ideas and their significance

Differences between Chinese and Western Architecture

The best example of a Chinese building is the main hall of a temple. The main hall is surrounded by four walls and is the center of other annexes. The typical pattern of a temple is mostly divided into several courtyards; the main buildings and the main gate are all facing south. Entering the temple, one has to pass through a series of courtyards, which reminds one of the Romanesque basilicas with their atriums and colonnades, and gives one a poetic and peaceful atmosphere. Ancient and luxuriant trees adorn the environment, with their twisting and bending branches, and the rows of upright columns, which are a delightful contrast.

A series of corridors connects the courtyards, and the view from the open gate almost doubles the actual distance.

As you pass through these courtyards, you get a greater sense of the majesty, symmetry, detail, and delicacy of these buildings. Wherever there is wood, it is finely painted in oil and supplemented with gold outlines.

When you poor out of the corridor at the time, the majestic and solemn hall, will be reflected in your eyes. The hall sits north to south, the side of the hall left and right set off: calm, quiet, hidden life of the religious feelings of respect.

The main hall pedestal and the high platform on the horizontal long, symmetrical railing, soothing and eye-pleasing. The upright painted pillars of the ring corridor harmoniously and evenly set off the front face of the main hall. Fascia beams and beams of whitewash, supporting the magnificent roof. And embedded in the slats and rafters on the deep yellow glazed tiles, through the tranquil and self-contained state. The delicate and ornate workmanship eases the dullness of the lines. Both appropriate and reasonable temple layout and structure, whether in terms of the whole or part of the building, are filled with nature's vitality.

The temple structure has three main parts: the foundation, the main body and the roof. The foundation is very important in Chinese architecture. The foundation comprises the entire space: from the level ground to the terrace, as well as the railings and steps. Sometimes the terrace has two or three levels, so that the main building on the terrace is clearly visible in its form and style. The Temple of Heaven in Peking is a clear example of this, with the terrace and balustrade spreading upwards in a three-part circle. Another important role of the pedestal is to strengthen the unique character of the main building, usually through the height of the pedestal and platform to express the nobility and status of the building. Factors of the wood structure of Chinese temples: wooden pillars, lintel beams, main beams, cross beams and pillars are all disclosed. The rows of columns are connected with the main beams and lintel beams to support the sheltered roof, and the tiles are laid in rows on top of the wooden frames, and then brick partition walls are built to fill in between the columns to construct the concept of Chinese architecture.

The columns are divided into rows in proportion to the center of the main body of the building and the rectangular shape, thus forming groups of canals inside the hall. The outermost rows of pillars are divided into several rows, thus forming a series of canals inside the hall. The first row of columns facing outward is constructed of wood and utilized as a doorway. These wooden partitions are often finely carved, and the upper part is carved and embroidered to let in light. Overall, it looks as if the front is hung with a flowery veil of drapery.

The main beams, which are connected to each other, are placed directly on top of the columns. The head of the pillar is formed by two pieces of horizontal wood stretching out. Its main function is to harmonize the rhythm of the main beam with the frieze beam. Similarly, above the lintel beams, articulating with the projections of the main beams, are rows of crosspieces and projecting pillars to support the rafters. The extended eaves and cornices, as well as the double rows of slats underneath the eaves, create wonderful patterns and vary the warp and woof of the ridge and the tops of the columns to show the treasures of the world.

In Chinese architecture, the roof is a very important factor. The sloping area looks like a curtain tent made of fabric, and the tile roof covers the top of the main beam which is connected with the columns, and slopes downward smoothly, forming a beautiful curve. The edge of the head tile, its color is different, like the edge of the carpet. If the building is round, the shape of the tent is especially prominent, and the top is decorated with a golden cone, and the ridge of tiles is the light radiating from the center in all directions. Herringbone roof, although one of the characteristics of Chinese architecture, but sometimes some important buildings do not emphasize this point. For example, many of the buildings in the Forbidden City in Beiping show only a slight slope to the roof. Gently and frankly the slope highlights the graceful and dignified form of the building, Mengsheng solemn and majestic cushion. Crown and ridge and other corresponding ornaments, with the roof surface of the cross lines, in addition to play a decorative role, but also the whole building can be imagined as a ceramic texture of the magnificent curtain tent.

These are the three main parts of the Chinese temple architecture, each element, and the Western architectural ideas do not coincide.

First, the pediment: in Chinese architecture, the pediment has a very important place, unlike in Western Europe, where it is usually hidden, or at least placed in a secondary position. On the contrary, the importance of the foundation is often emphasized in large Chinese buildings by fences and steps.

Secondly, we come to the main body of the building: this differs from Western buildings in several fundamental ways. Chinese temples have fronts that extend horizontally, whereas Western sanctuaries extend upward in a herringbone shape. It is a very old Chinese tradition that the front of a Chinese building often sits in a north-south orientation, taking the direction of facing south. Buildings, palaces, courthouses (yamen), and even entire cities, as far as possible, are oriented to the south. The south-facing side is developed as horizontally as possible, which is inversely proportional to the narrow upward development of the herringbone shape of Western building fronts.

Chinese architecture is typically rectangular and horizontal. Many people believe that the horizontal development of Chinese architecture is due to the fact that ordinary buildings are one-story. There is no basis for this interpretation, because even in a tower of several stories, which shrinks equally from the base upward, the horizontal development of the base remains unchanged.

Similarly, the city gate tower, although several floors, its upward stretch is still not focused on the height, but supplemented by the roof, the foreign platform, the middle floor and other forms to emphasize the horizontal spread of the qualities. It is because the Chinese architecture always maintains the horizontal long, and make people in the mind to produce a kind of peace and a feeling of relaxation. The horizontal direction of Chinese architecture is fundamentally different from that of the Gothic style, which is mainly upward, and the key to this horizontal extension is derived from the Chinese number character. The Roman numerals are like straight hands, while the Chinese numerals are like horizontal hands. Therefore, no Western European architectural form can attack the mood of Chinese architectural art, and the Chinese architectural type is exactly the contrast with the Gothic of Western Europe.

The third point of difference with European buildings is the Chinese roof. The tendency in Western Europe is to minimize the importance of the roof, and even to cover the roof with a flying gable, or a short wall on the top edge. The Chinese, on the other hand, crowned their roofs with a great deal of architectural splendor, thus allowing the imagination of Chinese art to flow and express itself.

In the Chinese consciousness, it is the roof that provides shelter from the wind and rain, and to emphasize this idea, their roofs are sometimes built with a two- or three-story mezzanine. Since the pillars are made of wood rather than stone, they also feel that the tile roof occupies too large an area; it must be reduced in order to have a lively feeling; in order to achieve this effect, they make the tip of the eaves, forming a wonderful curvature, as if it were a tent, which can be typified by the Chinese pavilion. In order to regulate the rigidity of the tile roof of the vast width of the circle, they divided the roof area into intervals of several parts, and the ridge of the roof is built high, with the guide line of the roof is divided into parts, more or less to decorate. Tile roof in addition to gold and ceramics and other trivial decorations, make it more lively, these crown ornaments, became a masterpiece of decorative arts.

We have already said that the Chinese do not favor the wall but the roof in order to shelter from the wind and rain. Walls don't seem to serve much purpose when compared to roofs. In that case, wouldn't it be unreasonable to say that the Great Wall of China, and other tall city walls, and many smaller walls, are not reasonable? But what we are talking about at this point is the enclosure of a building, and in common parlance, walls serve two purposes in China: protection and isolation. The Chinese do not use walls to support buildings, and therefore walls play only a secondary role in the architecture of Chinese temple dwellings. In European architecture, walls do not serve as protection and isolation, but primarily support the building, so that the walls are enlarged and the roofs are reduced in size. In China, on the contrary, the walls serve only to protect and isolate, and the roof is the main part. The walls were like the periphery of a camp, and the enclosing walls were the tents of the families!

Chinese architecture and Chinese history and tradition are unquestionably one and the same as in any other civilization. The artistic expression of the Chinese is proof of the wisdom of their people. Chinese architecture, no less than its literary attainments, and complement each other, reflecting the special qualifications and ambitions of the Chinese nation: the Chinese nation's speechless heart. Chinese architecture, as a whole, is indeed rich in religious thought, benefiting from the influence of nature and the sublime mind of mankind.

There is nothing more inspiring than the altar at the Temple of Heaven in Bejing. It is a tribute to the one, infinite, eternal, and ever-existing God. It has been said that Lao Tzu, in his Tao Te Ching, seems to have pointed out that there is such a conception of the Divine. This seems to indicate that even without the blessing of revelation, human beings can reach the concept of "supreme being" if they strive for it in the mystery of the universe in the spirit of reason. Unfortunately, this conception of "God" is only vague, and is infused with the idea of multiple gods.

When man wishes to live a life of excessive contemplation and unity with the Divine, it is natural for him to withdraw, to be silent and to collect his thoughts. This mood has led St. Benedict to retreat into the mountains and St. Bernardo to the hidden valleys. The Chinese, on the other hand, built their shrines and temples in the most beautiful surroundings. All of the country's lofty mountains, secluded forests, the banks of the river, along the lake, rocky caves, isolated islands in the sea, where there is a sense of mystery, as if you can touch the deep and mysterious hidden God's terrain, are suitable for the construction of temples. Although the fantasy of mountains, rivers, clouds and trees in shape and turned into ghosts and gods, quite ridiculous and out of bounds, but surprising and noteworthy is that the Chinese people make good use of their care and aesthetics, the construction of temples and the natural environment, can be with the one; so that the temple embedded in the beautiful environment, like a baby sleeping soundly in the mother's arms! Chinese people this specific, with the natural environment, the construction of temples skills, I believe that no other nation, can override it.

The Chinese temple was the model for the palace, the court (yamen), and any other Chinese architecture. This form of architecture y influenced other common buildings. Therefore, it can be said that most of the Chinese buildings have some religious atmosphere. If you visit the Imperial Palace, you will feel that it has the atmosphere of a monastery, and you will never get the impression of secular pomposity. To summarize, the ancestral temples (zhidang) of each family fully illustrate the religious atmosphere of Chinese family life. Chinese architecture has blended natural religious feelings with everyday life, which is an heirloom of Chinese history and culture. What do we say to those who build churches without even considering these factors? What can we say to those who build churches without taking these factors into consideration? They replace traditional Chinese styles with imported forms, and they do not even have a purely artistic vision, and they still try to solve the basic problem of faith transmission. Wouldn't it be more effective to promote the cause of faith transmission by adopting indigenous architectural techniques? Such an approach is obviously logical; if we do so, we will be contributing to Chinese culture and proving our respect and admiration for it.

The Chinese people are known for being very conservative in their traditional customs, habits, and views. We know that the Chinese people have a strong aversion to innovations or things foreign to them. This is enough to advise some people that the essence of the truth of the Catholic Church is absolutely universal. In the wisdom of the Chinese people, they would never regard this universal truth as foreign. However, if this universal truth is given an unnecessary foreign dress, it is very likely that the Chinese people will have a feeling of "foreignness" towards it. As we have seen, the Chinese have solved the problem of architecture since time immemorial, and in a form and style very different from that of the West.

We believe that ...... those Western churches, in Italy, France or Germany, are very much to the taste of their natives, but they may not all be suited to Chinese customs. ...... We can try to match the Chinese patterns to the inventive spirit of the people.