Question 1

What are the main features of traditional Chinese architecture?

Accepted Answer

A wooden frame, 木结构 (mù jiégòu), on a raised stone platform: columns, 柱子 (zhùzi), carry a heavy tiled roof through brackets, 斗拱 (dǒugǒng), so the walls are only screens. Buildings stand in rows round courtyards, laid out symmetrically along a central axis, 中轴线 (zhōngzhóuxiàn), with the main hall facing south, 坐北朝南 (zuò běi cháo nán). Colour showed rank: red walls and yellow roofs were for the emperor. The Forbidden City, 紫禁城 (Zǐjìnchéng), is the biggest example.

Question 2

Why do Chinese roofs curve up at the corners?

Accepted Answer

Several reasons are given. The upturned eaves, 飞檐 (fēiyán), throw rainwater clear of the wooden walls and columns, and they let more low winter sun in while the deep eaves shade the rooms in summer. They also make a heavy roof look light, like wings, and the higher and more sweeping the roof, the more important the building.

Question 3

What are the animals on Chinese roofs?

Accepted Answer

The ridge beasts, 脊兽 (jǐshòu): a line of small glazed figures on the corner ridges, led by an immortal riding a bird and followed by a dragon, a phoenix, a lion, a sea horse and others. They guard the building, and their number shows its rank; only the Hall of Supreme Harmony, 太和殿 (Tàihé Diàn), in the Forbidden City has ten. The big dragon heads biting the ends of the main ridge are 鸱吻 (chīwěn), said to protect against fire.

Question 4

What is a Chinese pagoda?

Accepted Answer

A 塔 (tǎ) or 宝塔 (bǎotǎ): a tower that came to China with Buddhism, from the Indian stupa, built to hold relics of the Buddha and sacred texts. Chinese pagodas usually have an odd number of storeys, seven, nine or thirteen, each with its own eaves, and are often square or eight-sided. A famous one is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, 大雁塔 (Dàyàn Tǎ), in Xi’an, built in the Tang dynasty for the scriptures the monk Xuanzang brought back from India.

Question 5

What is a Chinese courtyard house?

Accepted Answer

四合院 (sìhéyuàn), four sides together: four single-storey buildings round a courtyard, closed to the street. The main hall on the north side faces south and belongs to the eldest generation; the gate is usually in the southeast corner, with a spirit screen, 影壁 (yǐngbì), behind it, and the lanes between the houses are the 胡同 (hútòng) of old Beijing. In the south, houses close round a small open well, 天井 (tiānjǐng), and in Fujian the Hakka build round earthen fortresses, 土楼 (tǔlóu).

Question 6

What are the elements of a Chinese garden?

Accepted Answer

A classical garden, 园林 (yuánlín), is a landscape in miniature: rocks piled into hills, 假山 (jiǎshān), water, 池塘 (chítáng), pavilions, 亭子 (tíngzi), covered walkways, 回廊 (huíláng), and arched bridges, 拱桥 (gǒngqiáo). Round “moon gates” and lattice windows frame views, and the designers “borrow” scenery from outside the wall, 借景 (jièjǐng). The best known are the gardens of Suzhou, like the Humble Administrator’s Garden, 拙政园 (Zhuōzhèng Yuán), listed by UNESCO.

Question 7

Can’t hear it?

Accepted Answer

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	In Chinese	What it is for
Upturned eaves	飞檐 fēiyán	Roof corners that sweep up: they throw rain clear of the walls and let in more winter sun
Glazed tiles	琉璃瓦 liúlíwǎ	Yellow for the emperor, green for princes and many temples, blue for the Temple of Heaven; grey tiles for everyone else
Roof animals	脊兽 jǐshòu	A row of small beasts on the ridge, led by an immortal riding a bird; the more of them, the higher the building’s rank
Brackets	斗拱 dǒugǒng	Interlocking wooden blocks under the eaves that carry the roof’s weight down to the columns
Mortise and tenon	榫卯 sǔnmǎo	Wooden joints that lock together without nails or glue, and give a little in an earthquake
Columns	柱子 zhùzi	Red-lacquered wooden pillars that hold the roof up; the walls between them carry nothing
Spirit screen	影壁 yǐngbì	A wall just inside the gate: it keeps the courtyard private and, people said, keeps out evil spirits, which can only move in straight lines
Threshold	门槛 ménkǎn	A raised wooden sill across the doorway: by custom you step over it, never on it
Courtyard house	四合院 sìhéyuàn	Four buildings round a courtyard, the main hall facing south: the old Beijing family home

Chinese architecture

The parts of a Chinese building, and what they are for

Buildings

Roofs, beams and columns

Layout and feng shui

Doors and windows

Gardens

Famous buildings

Now read them in a real story