The document discusses the traditional architecture of China and Japan. It explains that Chinese architectural traditions were influenced by Daoism and Confucianism, which emphasized harmony with nature and order/respect for authority respectively. These traditions were later imported to Japan, where they blended with indigenous Shinto ideas focused on nature worship. Wood was a primary building material in both countries, and moveable partitions were used to blur interior and exterior spaces. The chapter goes on to provide numerous examples of specific architectural styles and structures from China and Japan.

1. Buildings across Time, 4th Edition
Chapter Four: The Traditional Architecture of China and Japan
Introduction
Indigenous Chinese religious traditions are reflected in its architecture. These
traditions include animism, a reverence for natural features, such as trees, rocks,
hills, sun, sky, and moon. The Chinese mystical philosophy Daoism sought
harmony in human action through the study of nature. It is anti-authoritarian and
anti-rational, and is espoused in the book I Ching, or Book of Changes. In contrast
the philosophy of Confucianism relied on order, ancestor-worship and respect for
authority. Traditional Chinese architecture tends to reflect one or the other of
these two philosophies (or sometimes both).
Chinese building traditions were imported to Japan, where they interacted with
indigenous Shinto (nature worship) ideas and resulted in architecture that blurred
the distinction between interior and exterior space. Wood as a building material,
and the use of moveable screen partitions were important architectural tools.

2. ©2014 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Introduction
Neolithic houses, Banpo
Reconstructions from
Neolithic houses from
Banpo, showing early and
late designs. As was the
case with prehistoric houses
in western Europe, these
dwellings used readily
available materials—wood,
thatch, and earth—to
provide shelter. A central
hearth is also part of many
houses at Banpo.

3. ©2014 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Chinese Architecture
The Pagoda
A pagoda is a tiered tower
with multiple eaves, built in
traditions originating as
stupas in historic China.
Most pagodas were built to
have a religious function,
most commonly Buddhist.
The pagoda’s original
purpose was to house
religious relics and sacred
writings, but this purpose
expanded, and pagodas
became vertical markers in
the landscape.

4. Chinese Architecture
Dazu
This form of the pagoda derives from the chatra atop Buddhist stupas
in India. As Buddhism moved eastward, the chatra changed from
being a finial atop the stupa to become a building in itself.

5. ©2014 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Chinese Architecture
Buddhist caves at Yungang
Pier, or engaged
column, carved in the
form of an early pagoda
and used as an internal
support in the Buddhist
caves at Yungang.

6. Chinese Architecture
Pagoda, Dazu, Sichusan province 12th century C.E.
The design of the
Pagoda at Dazu is
ultimately based on the
chatra or stylized Bodhi
tree set atop Indian
stupas. The parabolic
form of the entire
pagoda may also owe
something to shikhara
roofs of Hindu temples,
and the finial suggests a
stupa’s shape.

7. Chinese Architecture
Fogong Monastery, Shanxi province, 1056 C.E.
The pagoda at the
Fogong Monastery in
Shanxi province (1056)
is the oldest surviving
pagoda constructed
entirely in wood, and
one of the tallest
wooden constructions
in the world. On the
exterior, these five
levels are expressed as
intricately bracketed
cantilevered roofs and
galleries that contrast
with trabeated wall
sections.

8. Chinese Architecture
Fogong Monastery, Shanxi province, 1056 C.E.
Plan of the Fogong
Monastery in Shanxi.
Notice the north-south
axial alignment of
elements as one proceeds
from the entrance gate to
the octagonal pagoda to
the hall for teaching at the
termination of the axis.
This reflects Confucian
notions of order and
hierarchy.

9. Chinese Architecture
The jian
Diagram of a typical Chinese
house. A modular unit called
the jian was defined as the
basic measure in construction.
The jian’s dimensions varied,
but it was a rectangular
module roughly 2:3 in
proportion, that served as the
basic modular unit for wooden
construction. Houses tended
to be built with separate
pavilions for different
functions, and they are
generally arranged around
courtyards, with axial position
determining hierarchy and
importance.

10. Chinese Architecture
The jian
Since the structural system
was separate from the
system of enclosure,
Chinese buildings have a
certain freedom in plan, as
lightweight non-load-
bearing walls can be located
in response to internal
needs.
This concept developed
independently in western
European and American
architecture in the early 20th
century and is known as the
Free Plan.

11. Chinese Architecture
Nanchan Monastery, Shanxi province, 782 C.E.
Section and plan of the Main
Hall of the Nanchan
Monastery, 782. Among the
oldest surviving wooden
buildings in China, the main hall
of this temple is set on axis in
the position of greatest
importance, preceded by two
courtyards and steps to change
the level.
Chinese architecture relies on
axial arrangement, formal cues
(color, shape, number of
brackets, etc.), and sequencing
to establish dominance, as few
buildings are over one story tall.

12. Chinese Architecture
Nanchan Monastery, Shanxi province, 782 C.E.
Elevation and section
through the main hall of
Nanchen Temple, showing
details of the roof
bracketing system.
Note also the slight
curvature given to the roof
ridge and the wider spacing
applied to the central space
between the columns, both
of which give grace and
liveliness to the structure.

13. Chinese Architecture
Nanchan Monastery, Shanxi province, 782 C.E.
In traditional Chinese hall
architecture, columns rose
from a raised platform to
terminate in bracket sets,
interlocking supports that
both allowed the roof to
overhang for protection of
the wooden construction
from the weather and
exhibited the sophisticated
Chinese joinery that
transcended construction
and even decoration to
become art.

14. Chinese Architecture
Chinese Bracket Sets

15. Chinese Architecture
Chinese Bracket Sets

16. Chinese Architecture
Chinese Bracket Sets

17. Chinese Architecture
Chinese Bracket Sets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vRIuAOrZgo

18. Chinese Architecture
Foguang Monastery, Shanxi province, 857 C.E.
The East Hall of
Foguang
Monastery, 857.
Here the landscape
has been terraced to
create a higher
platform for the
Main Hall, which
as one might
expect, is set on
axis in the position
of greatest
importance.

19. Chinese Architecture
Foguang Monastery, Shanxi province, 857 C.E.
Elevation and longitudinal
section of the Main Hall of
Foguang Temple. In
Chinese architecture,
important buildings receive
more elaborate structural
treatment. The challenge in
this temple was to span a
larger space in the center
without additional columns.
The broad eaves present an
opportunity for the
extensive brackets
supporting the roof structure
to be displayed.

20. Chinese Architecture
Denoting importance in Chinese architecture
The Yingzao-fashi book of
Chinese building standards
prescribed three styles of
ornamental painting for
buildings: hexi, xuanzi, and
Suzhou. Color schemes
descend in importance, down
from gold, the most prestigious.
Building orientation also
denoted importance: principle
buildings faced south, to take
advantage of the sun and
prevailing winds. Secondary
buildings faced east-west. The
approach axis ran from south to
north, and a southern courtyard
ensured light and air would get
to the most important rooms.
Xuanzi painting style

21. Chinese Architecture
Denoting importance in Chinese architecture
Feng shui, the
Chinese art of
adjusting the
building to
particular
features of the
individual site
and its
microclimate, is
but a further
elaboration of
the Daoist
principle that
human actions
should be in
accord with the
cosmos.

22. Chinese Architecture
Jinci Temple complex, Taiyuan, 1023-32 C.E.
Plan of Jinci
temple complex at
Taiyuan. The
central axis in the
center of the plan
organizes the
pavilions and
bridge that precede
the Hall of the
Sacred Mother
(top center).
Water features are
shaded on this
plan.

23. Chinese Architecture
Jinci Temple complex, Taiyuan, 1023-32 C.E.

24. Chinese Architecture
Jinci Temple complex, Taiyuan, 1023-32 C.E.
Elevation and section through
the Hall of the Sacred
Mother at Jinci. The roof
structure here provides a
clear span on the interior
through a series of stacked
transfer beams. Extra eave
rafters and brackets give the
ends of the roof a slight
upward curve, creating a
feeling of lightness. The
importance of this building is
indicated by its two-tiered
roof and elaborate bracketed
structure.

25. Chinese Architecture
Jinci Temple complex, Taiyuan, 1023-32 C.E.
TRANSFER BEAM

26. ©2014 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Chinese City Planning
Idealized City Diagram
Ancient Chinese diagram
for a city. This idealized
schematic plan had three
gates in each of the sides
of the square forming the
city walls. Straight streets
leading from the gates
establish a regular grid that
divides the city into
blocks.
The 5th century book Kao
Gong Ji is a treatise on
city planning, based on
Confucian teachings.

27. ©2014 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Chinese City Planning
Chang’an, 6th century C.E.
Plan of Chang’an, the ancient
capital of China. Its basic
features conform to the
idealized city diagram, with
the major exception that the
palace is set in the middle of
the north side, terminating the
north-south axis. Its plan
incorporates a square layout,
grid streets, the entrances in
each side, and a 150-foot wide
tree-lined central artery
leading from the center of the
south wall to the palace along
the northern side of the city.

28. ©2014 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Chinese City Planning
Beijing, fifteenth century C.E.
Plan of Beijing in the fifteenth
century. The processional
axis begins on the south side
at the Yung Ting Men Gate
and continues for over three
miles to the imperial audience
hall – the Hall of Supreme
Harmony - in the center of
the palace, or Forbidden
City.
Visitors arriving in Beijing for
an audience with the imperial
court passed through four
separate walled areas in
traversing the ceremonial axis
road.

29. Chinese City Planning
Beijing
Plan of the Imperial and
Forbidden cities of Beijing.
Note the alternating
sequence of gates and courts
along the central axis,
through which ambassadors
would pass before reaching
the Hall of Supreme
Harmony, where the
emperor received state
visitors. A moat (shaded)
surrounds the walls of the
Forbidden City.

30. Chinese City Planning
Beijing
This whole axial approach
was consciously designed to
provide a suitable impressive
setting for emperors who
considered themselves the
mightiest rulers on earth. At
no point can one see the
entire route or the final
destination. The axis unfolds
instead as a staged series of
spaces, progressing logically
from one to the next, and it is
the cumulative experience of
the sequence that gives it
measured dignity and power.

31. Chinese City Planning
Beijing, Hall of Supreme Harmony

32. Chinese City Planning
Beijing, Hall of Supreme Harmony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPfYrmcfvYE

33. Chinese City Planning
Beijing, Hall of Supreme Harmony
The central stairway
with a carved central
section was reserved
for the emperor, whose
throne was raised on a
dais at the center of the
hall. As the culmination
of the nearly three-mile
long procession from
the city gates, this
pavilion was given all
the dignity that position
and unfolding spatial
sequence could
provide.

34. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Beijing House
Plan of a typical house in
Beijing, showing how the
independent pavilions are
organized around courts.
Note that the entrance from
the street is off axis, thus
preventing those who called
at the gate from intruding on
family privacy. The first
courtyard is for service
functions, while the more
secluded second courtyard is
surrounded by living
quarters for the family.

35. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Beijing House
Halls serving the various
needs of an extended family
were organized around one or
more central courtyards. On
axis, and in the largest hall,
were living quarters for the
patriarch, flanked by side
halls for use as residences of
his sons and their families.
In larger households, a servant
would control the entrance of
visitors at the gate, and a
servants’ hall might be
constructed against the street-
facing wall.

36. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Beijing House
In rural areas, where brick
or adobe was employed
for construction, houses
often had underfloor flues
to provide heat during the
cold months, but this
arrangement was not
suitable for buildings of
timber construction.

37. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Suzhou, 18th century C.E.
Roof Plan of Garden of the
Master of the Fishing Nets
in Suzhou. The buildings are
simple rectangular elements,
while water features, plant
materials, walks, bridges, and
garden pavilions are scattered
in a manner that suggests the
greatest naturalism, as if to
deny the enormous care that
has been taken in their design
and placement.
Daoist sensibilities that
underlie the overall scheme
were intended to promote the
free contemplation of nature.

38. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Suzhou, 18th century C.E.
Confucianism in
architecture: a
predictable
arrangement of
buildings,
organized by rigid
rules governing
placement and
orientation, gives
physical
expression to
Confucian ideals of
hierarchy (how
important a space
is compared to
other spaces within
a group) and
dominance.
Appears designed.

39. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Suzhou, 18th century C.E.
Daoism in
landscape design:
incorporating the
irregular and the
picturesque in the
quest for a
relaxing, natural
setting that would
foster the free
exploration of
thoughts and
feelings in a state
of meditation upon
nature. Appears
natural.

40. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Suzhou, 18th century C.E.
Daoism in
landscape design:
incorporating the
irregular and the
picturesque in the
quest for a
relaxing, natural
setting that would
foster the free
exploration of
thoughts and
feelings in a state
of meditation upon
nature. Appears
natural.

41. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Tulou houses, Fujian province, 18th century C.E.
In the 18th century
landscape of rural
Fuijian province,
located in the
mountains of
southeast China, the
rural population
built tulou,
courtyard houses
for multiple
families made of
rammed earth. The
houses demonstrate
the never-ending
inventiveness of the
human mind in
organizing the
activities of daily
life.

42. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Tulou houses, Fujian province, 18th century C.E.
In the 18th century
landscape of rural
Fuijian province,
located in the
mountains of
southeast China, the
rural population
built tulou,
courtyard houses
for multiple
families made of
rammed earth. The
houses demonstrate
the never-ending
inventiveness of the
human mind in
organizing the
activities of daily
life.

43. Chinese Houses and Gardens
Tulou houses, Fujian province, 18th century C.E.
In the 18th century
landscape of rural
Fuijian province,
located in the
mountains of
southeast China, the
rural population
built tulou,
courtyard houses
for multiple
families made of
rammed earth. The
houses demonstrate
the never-ending
inventiveness of the
human mind in
organizing the
activities of daily
life.

44. Japanese Temples
Horyuji Temple complex, Nara, 670-714 C.E.
Plan of Horyuji, 670-714.
Note that the composition
does not follow strict
symmetry, using instead
a balanced asymmetry, in
which the verticality of
the pagoda counters the
lower and more massive
Golden Hall.

45. Japanese Temples
Horyuji Temple complex, Nara, 670-714 C.E.
Symmetry:
correspondence in size,
shape, and relative
position of parts on
opposite sides of a
dividing line or median
plane or about a center or
axis
Asymmetry:
having two sides or halves
that are not the same
Axis:
a straight line with respect
to which a figure is
symmetrical

46. Japanese Temples
Horyuji Temple complex, Nara, 670-714 C.E.

47. Japanese Temples
Horyuji Temple complex, Nara, 670-714 C.E.
The Kondo or Golden Hall at Horyuji, showing the complex roof
structure and eave brackets based on Chinese temple designs.

48. Japanese Temples
Horyuji Temple complex, Nara, 670-714 C.E.
The pagoda at Horyuji.
The slight upward
curves of the eaves
accentuate the
gracefulness of the
apparently hovering
roof forms. A single
wooden support extends
from the base to the
finial, a decorative
ornament at the top of a
building.

49. Japanese Temples
Phoenix Hall, Uji, 1053 C.E.
This hall was built by a
wealthy family who had
become devotees of an
esoteric Buddhist sect
known as the Pure Land.
Its plan suggests the
shape of a phoenix, a
mythological bird that is
consumed by fire and
rises renewed from the
ashes. This reflects the
Pure Land idea that the
Amida Buddha can
restore the faithful from
an era of spiritual
decline.

50. Japanese Temples
Phoenix Hall, Uji, 1053 C.E.
The Phoenix Hall’s plan
is symmetrical,
consisting of a central
hall with open L-shaped
wings stretching from
either side and a
covered corridor
attached to the rear like
a tail.

51. Japanese Temples
Ise Shrine, Uji-Yamada, 690 C.E. - present
The Ise shrine is part of a large complex beside the Isuzu river containing
accommodations for pilgrims and priests. The shrine itself is rebuilt anew
every 20 years.

52. Japanese Temples
Ise Shrine, Uji-Yamada, 690 C.E. - present
Elevations and plans of
the Main Sanctuary of
the Ise Shrine. The
simple elegance of
proportions and
materials used for these
buildings have come to
represent the essence of
Japanese Shinto
architecture, modest
architecture modeled on
traditional vernacular
forms, in this case,
elevated traditional
granaries.

53. Japanese Temples
Ise Shrine, Uji-Yamada, 690 C.E. - present
The shrine makes use of
decorative elements that
once had functional
aspects.
torii: ceremonial entry
gateways
chigi: rafter extensions at
the gable ends that recall
the form of earlier
crisscrossed bamboo
structures
katsuogi: horizontal
tapered logs originally set
atop the ridge as weights to
keep the thatch roof from
blowing off in storms.

54. Japanese Cities and Houses
Yoshimura House, near Osaka, ca. 1620 C.E.
Plan of a traditional Japanese
wood house or minka. Minka
were divided into two parts, an
earth-floored section (shaded in
this drawing) where animals
were kept and cooking was done,
and the raised floor living area,
covered in modular tatami mats
that set the dimension of all
rooms. Sliding screens are used
to partition spaces, and some
sections of the exterior wall
likewise open to external
porches.

55. Japanese Cities and Houses
Yoshimura House, near Osaka, ca. 1620 C.E.
Japanese minka houses are an
example of vernacular
architecture. Vernacular
architecture is an architectural style
that is based on local needs and
availability of construction
materials and reflects local
traditions.
Vernacular architecture did not use
formally-schooled architects but
relied on the design skills and
tradition of local builders.

56. Japanese Cities and Houses
Egret’s Castle, Himeji, 1609 C.E.
Japanese architecture
and art often reflect
qualities of composure
and repose, terms that
do not really describe
medieval Japanese
history. Incessant
warfare in the sixteenth
and seventeenth
centuries contributed to
the construction of a
remarkable series of
castles, twelve of
which survive today.

57. Japanese Cities and Houses
Egret’s Castle, Himeji, 1609 C.E.
What set Japanese
castles apart from
fortifications elsewhere
was their reliance on
timber as the primary
structural material.
Foundations and the
lower courses of walls
were stone, but the bulk
of the superstructure
was wood. In all cases,
the wooden structure
was made more fire-
resistant with sand and
pebbles before receiving
a thick layer of plaster.

58. Zen Buddhist Architecture
Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto, 1616-1660 C.E.
Plan of the Katsura Imperial
Villa. The ordering of the
pinwheel-like plan is
governed throughout by the
dimensions of the modular
tatami. The tatami was a
rice-straw woven floor mat
roughly three feet by six
feet, that served as a module
that determined room
proportions and sizes.

59. Zen Buddhist Architecture
Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto, 1616-1660 C.E.
Terraces and open porches
provide opportunities to
view the landscape and link
interior spaces with the
world outside.
The villa presents a series of
spaces that can change as
moveable partitions are
opened or closed, often
blurring the distinction
between inside and outside
spaces.
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=_E3HdMramfE