ARCHITECTURE

Chinese Architecture //By Yukie K. and Nora L.//  //Architecture has a very complicated meaning. To some people it's a style of building, to some people it's an art, and to others it's a big word! //

 // The Homes of Average People in China //  By Nora L. Buildings are architecture, and even when they are as simple as your house, or as complex as a cathedral, it's all architecture. There are certain parts of architecture that are country specific, or special to each country. Three key parts of Chinese architecture are the rich history, and elements such as unique roof design and symmetry. Ancient architecture of the Chinese commoner consisted of houses made of mud! Whether or not a mud house sounds like a blast to you, it's probably not what you think. The mud dried up to make a nice building to live in for the ancient people of China. The houses from long ago reflect, or show us today, why certain elements of architecture are the way they are today! When you looked at the pictures here, did you find something in common? I hope you did, because the unique roofs on these houses are very similar! The roofs have a shape that first goes down, and then curves up! This is a very common style of roof in China. This style is said to be borrowed from China's Southeastern neighbors, who originally used split bamboo leaves as roofing material, and the bamboo naturally sagged, so they began to sweep up the ends making the ends curve up. This helped shape the architectural style that emerged in today's world, where their roofs are curving up from the center.

An important part of Chinese architecture is symmetry. Not only does this look incredibly fashionable, but it has a special meaning to the people in China. "In China, buildings such as palaces, temples, and folk houses...strictly follow the axis-centered principle with symmetrical wings. so the buildings look symmetrical on the left and right sides. Such layout of ancient Chinese architectures has reflected the...standard of harmony and symmetry in ancient China" (Features). The symmetry represents harmony in China, just like a four leaf clover might mean good luck to you! The harmony of the building of the house makes it so that the people living inside might feel harmony too! Chinese architecture is very unique, and the history, roof design, and symmetry only add to the cause! Although, there are many more interesting things to learn about China and its architecture, like the architecture of imperial buildings! 




 

Chinese Imperial Architecture
**Yukie K.**  -- Did you know that the style of the buildings depended on the popularity level a person was on? Regular, day to day people, had homes that were made from different materials as from someone like the Emperor of China. The king and his family basically lived in a structure that seemed it was made from the heavens because of its detail and excellence that was put into it by the constructors. The palace layout was made to highlight its amazing appearance! The palaces were built to give the emperor a satisfying, fancy lifestyle and to shield his magnificence of his ruling.

Garden Architecture -- **<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: right; display: block;">The gardens were made for the emperor's necessities, as well. They even had man-made forests and woods built just for the royals so they could go hunting! People started added living quarters and animals that were raised and considered to be the origin of Chinese garden architecture. The architecture ended up to be fake hills, fountains, and pools. The Chinese garden architecture is known for its delicate and detailed craft work.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; color: rgb(133, 40, 246); text-align: right; display: block;">

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; color: rgb(176, 66, 240); text-align: left; display: block;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; display: block;"> Temples were also seen as art alongside with the garden architecture, although it symbolizes China and its long history. They were basically houses of worship where people just followed their beliefs. Of course, there are many different religions. For certain religions, people created different designs or structures and it included not only a temple but also a pagoda and a grotto. Chinese temples are well kept historical pieces of every dynasty. It can refer to any kind of Chinese folk religion. People also built many sacrificial structures in rural and urban areas. They built this kind of structure to worship the gods, nature, and ancestors. In the modernized world it's built in various and has become a part of Beijing, as well. As you can see from the pictures that detail and magnificence was a big thing to show-off how the king lived a long with his family. And to show how high his ranking is in society since he lived in comfort and a spoiled lifestyle with his extravagant surroundings.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; color: rgb(176, 66, 240); text-align: left; display: block;">Religious Temples **<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; display: block;">--

<span style="display: block; font-size: 80%; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Chinese Garden Architecture. [Online Image] Available http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2323/2245670666_c35b221e2d.jpg?v=0, March 23, 2009
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 101, 57); font-size: 150%; text-align: center; display: block;">Works Cited **

Chinese Imperial Palace. [Online Image] Available http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~rhegel/chtheater/changyinge.jpg, March 23, 2009

Chinese Religious Temples. [Online Image] Available http://www.ibiblio.org/chineseart/contents/cult/img/c02s01i10.jpg, March 23, 2009

Chinese Roof Design. [Online Image] Available [|http://img2.travelblog.org/Photos/1878/14331/t/61396-Roof-detail-2.jpg,][|March][| 12], 2009 "Features of Ancient Chinese Architecture." __China__ __Highlights__. 2008. 24 Feb. 2009 <http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/architecture /features.htm>.

Symmetrical Chinese House. [Online image] Available http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/features/2005/toms_diary/diary1/gallery/images/chinese_house2.jpg, March 10, 2009.

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