Chinese Palaces and Houses

7/29/2019 Chinese Palaces and Houses

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CHINESE PALACES & HOUSES

Tabirao, Jack Nicole T.

AR35History of Architecture 3

Arch. Ticao

PALACES


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Gong is Chinese word for palace. After the founding of the Qin Dynasty (221- 207 B. C.), gong came gradually to

mean the group of buildings in which the emperor lived and worked.

At about the same time, Chinese palaces grew ever larger in scale.

Palaces grew into a veritable city and is often called gongcheng (palace city). Daming Gong (Daming Palace) is a political, economic and cultural center of

the Tang Dynasty.

The Forbidden City of Beijing, which still stands intact and which served asthe imperial palace for both Ming and Qing emperors (1368-1911) covers an

area of 720,000 square metres and embraces many halls, towers, pavilions

and studies measured as 9,900 bays. It is one of the greatest palaces of the

world.

Other abodes of the emperor are also called gong. The Yiheynan Park used to bethe Summer Palace; the Mountain Resort at Chengde and the Huaqingchi thermalspa near Xi'an were both "palaces on tour."

There is another type of gong called zhaigong, where the emperor prepared himselfabstinence before he offered sacrifice at grand ceremonies. There is one such

zhaigong on the grounds of Beijing's Temple of Heaven.

Daming Gong (Daming Palace) Summer Palace

The Forbidden City

FORBIDDEN CITY


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A translation of the Chinese nameZijin Chengliterally "Purple Forbidden

City". Another English name of similar origin is "Forbidden Palace".

Zi, or "Purple", refers to the North Star, called theZiweiStar, and intraditional Chinese astrology was the abode of the Celestial Emperor.Jin, or

"Forbidden; no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor'spermission. Chengmeans a walled city.

The Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as

well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

Construction lasted 15 years, and required more than a million workers.

Material used include whole logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood found in thejungles of south-western China, and large blocks of marble from quarries near

Beijing.The floors of major halls were paved with "golden bricks" specially baked

paving bricks from Suzhou.

was constructed in accordance with the laws of geomancy or feng shui. the most fundamental being the positioning of the palace along a north-south axis. odd numbers are thought to be masculine and even ones feminine, the number

nine, the "ultimate masculine" number, was associated with supreme Imperial

sovereignty. For instance in the number of studs on the gates.

towers guarding the four corners of the palace each have nine beams and eighteencolumns.

is comprised of 9,999 rooms. specific designation of colored glazed tiles. use of yellow tiles was exclusively reserved for Imperial palaces, mausoleums,

gardens and temples. The association of the color yellow with the Emperor

originated with the idea that the great Yellow River was the cradle of Chinesecivilization.

yellow also represents the concept of earth in the Chinese occult universe. green was used on palace buildings reserved for court officials. red, signifying happiness and solemnity was generally used on doors. elements of zoomorphic symbolism; the most apparent of is the use of the dragon

and phoenix, symbols of the emperor and empress. Omnipresent in the palace,

these legendary animals have been found on objects dating back as far as three

thousand years.

the lion who guards various entrance gates. Always found in a pair, the lion on theleft is male and holds a ball symbolic of imperial unity. The one on the right is

female and plays with a lion cub, symbolic of fertility. As the lion was thought to bethe ruler of the animal kingdom, it represented qualities of power and prestige.

animal ornaments found on imperial rooftops. Dragon King - ruler of the sea; withpowers over the waters, this animal was thought to protect the palace buildings

from fire. Along the roof edges are various smaller animals, the sizes and numbers

of which differ according to the rank and status of the dweller within.

Yellow is the color of the Emperor. Thus almost all roofs in the Forbidden City bearyellow glazed tiles. There are only two exceptions: The library at the Pavilion of


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Literary Profundity had black tiles because black was associated with water, and

thus fire-prevention. Similarly, the Crown Prince's residences have green tiles

because green was associated with wood, and thus growth.

The main halls of the Outer and Inner courts are all arranged in groups of three the shape of the Qian triagram, representing Heaven. The residences of the Inner

Court on the other hand are arranged in groups of six the shape of

the Kun triagram, representing the Earth.

The sloping ridges of building roofs are decorated with a line of statuettes led by aman riding a phoenix and followed by an imperial dragon. The number of statuettes

represents the status of the building a minor building might have 3 or 5. The Hall

of Supreme Harmony has 10, the only building in the country to be permitted this in

Imperial times. As a result, its 10th statuette, called a "Hangshi", or "ranked

tenth", is also unique in the Forbidden City.

The layout of buildings follows ancient customs laid down in the Classic of Rites.Thus, ancestral temples are in front of the palace. Storage areas are placed in the

front part of the palace complex, and residences in the back.


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A. Meridian Gate

B. Gate of Divine Might

C. West Glorious Gate (Xi Hua)

D. East Glorious Gate (Dong Hua)

E. Watch towers

F. Gate of Supreme Harmony

G. Hall of Supreme Harmony

H. Hall of Military Eminence

J. Hall of Literary GloryK. Southern Three Places

L. Palace of Heavenly Purity

M. Imperial garden

N. Hall of Mental Cultivation

O. Palace of Tranquil Longevity

- - Approximate dividing line between Inner (north) and Outer (south) Courts.


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Summer Palace -

"Gardens of Nurtured Harmony" is a palace in Beijing, China. originally named Qingyi Yuan or the Garden of Clear Ripples, was first constructed in

1750. mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water. Longevity Hill is about 60 meters (200 feet) high and houses many buildings

positioned in sequence.

The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometers was entirely man madeand the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill.

Grand buildings include The Cloud-Dispelling Hall, the Temple of Buddhist Virtue,and the Sea of Wisdom Temple form a south-north (lakeside - peak) oriented axis

which is flanked by various other buildings.

In the center of the Temple of Buddhist Virtue stands the Tower of Buddhist Incense,

which forms the focal point for the buildings on the southern slope of Longevity Hill.The tower is built on a 20-meter-tall stone base, is 41 meters high with three stories

and supported by eight ironwood (lignumvitae) pillars.

Paiyunmen Gate and octagon tower

The Seventeen-Arch Bridge Marble Boat


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HOUSES

Huizhou Architecture

On passing through a doorframe, constructed of stone rather than wood, the visitorwill enter a small courtyard flanked on three sides, to allow for adequate

illumination and ventilation, while restricting possible rain and drafts.

The sloped roofs above the courtyard are so designed as to collect the maximumamount of rainwater. This is done because geomantically-minded Huizhou

merchants were reluctant to let any form of energy escape their control; they were

interested in amassing and accumulating property rather than letting it disperse

and escape. The collection of rain is symbolic of their accumulation of wealth.

Either side of the small courtyard, features a garden, are two bedrooms. Straight ahead is the central meeting hall behind which is the dining and kitchen

area. Unlike other courtyard homes, often Huizhou homes are two-storied,

sometimes three storied. The upper floors, shaded from view, sport verandas, fitted with benches. Since

Huizhou women were discouraged from meeting men from outside the family,

these benches were placed for them to survey goings-on in the main courtyard

beneath.

To build a home with more courtyards than your rank permitted was a punishableoffense.

To increase his prestige was by improving the fixtures within the house.Consequently, Huizhou homes boast some of the best stone, wood and brick

craftsmanship in China.

Complex latticework adorns their windows. Beams, pillars and purlins (the horizontal beams, resting on principals, that run the

length of the roof to support the rafters) are gilded or painted.

Brackets, eaves, arches, balustrades and shrines bear exquisite carvings.

Huangshan Huizhou Village Houses


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Huangshan Huizhou Village, Anhui

Feng Shui and Homes

Many buildings are laid out with the principals of feng shui in mind. Feng shuiis the

practice of bringing about good fortune among the living, the dead and the spiritual world

by making sure objects placed in a landscape or space are in harmony with the universe in

such a way that they optimally draw on sources of qi(cosmic energy or life force). Also

known as geomancy, feng shui is often expressed in terms of Chinese and Taoist

cosmology and is said to be over 3,500 years old.

The five directions of Chinese cosmology and feng shui are north, south, east, westand center. South represents light and brings good luck. North represents darkness

and brings bad luck.

Doors of houses should not face north of northwest: they should face south. The entire house should be oriented towards the south with mountains to the north

to block the bad luck from entering and keep good luck from escaping.

The best location is at the foot of a mountain, facing a river. Waters helps attract qi. Buildings with a square plan help hold it firmly.


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The location of the family alter, the orientation of the house and the arrangement ofthe furniture should be in harmony.

Bedrooms should face the sun and stairway shouldnt be visible from the frontentrance.

Qi is believed to enter through the front door and exit through the toilet.

Walls can be constructed at certain angles to attract positive energy. Doors can be adorned with coins bearing the names of famous emperors to attract

good luck.

Fountains in corners are sometimes used to deflect bad energy from the sharpangles of nearby buildings.

Mirrors are also used to deflect bad energy. Cell phones are believed to disrupt feng shui. Thriving plants are signs that qi is plentiful. In the north, where wood is scarce, dwellings and walls have traditionally been

made of stone, tamped mud or sun-dried bricks reinforced with straw.

In the south homes have traditionally been made with wood, brick or wovenbamboo.

A traditional large, upper-class house has a single story, tile roof, a courtyard, flutedroof tiles, and stone carvings.

Some have ornate lattice windows, deep red painted pillars, carved dragons andcourtyard fish ponds.

Old homes had paper windows and coal stoves and smelly latrines in the backyard.There were no indoor toilets; Coal was burned for heat.

Built to harmonize with nature, the traditional house of Ming dynasty scholarconsisted of a reception hall, bedroom and study placed around a series of

courtyards.

The house faced south in accordance with geomancy laws and had a high ceiling, tocreate the illusion of space, and had fan-shaped windows and wooden columns.

In century-old communal homes the grandparents sleep in one area, aunts anduncles in another. Sometimes children sleep in a converted barn above the pig pens

and the parents sleep over the open pit that serves as a communal toilet.

A traditional Chinese house is a compound with walls and dwellings organizedaround a courtyard. Walls and courtyards are built for privacy and protection from

fierce winds. Inside the courtyard, whose size depends on the wealth of the family,

are open spaces, trees, plants and ponds. In the inner courtyards of rural homes,

chickens are often kept in coops and pigs are allowed to roam inside small

enclosures. Covered verandas connect the rooms and dwelling.

Rural homes are typically built on one, two, three or four sides of an enclosedcourtyard. Sometimes one family owns all the units around the courtyard,

sometimes different families do. Many urban homes are one-story courtyard homes too. A typical courtyard house in

a hutong in Beijing has an entrance on the south wall. Outside the front door are

two flat stones, sometimes carved like lions, for mounting horses and showing off a

familys wealth and status. Inside the front door there is freestanding wall to block

the entrance of evil spirits, which only travel in straight lines.


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Freestanding wall House with courtyard

Chinese homes typically have one large space rather than separate rooms. Older houses often times don't have a kitchen and bathroom. People wash in basin

and relieve themselves in chamber pots.

Many Chinese houses are quite cold in the winters. Many people in northern China

sleep on or around a kang, a traditional brick bed or concrete platform, built over astove, oven or fireplace which is heated with coal, wood or animal dung and

provides warmth in the winter. Kangs are usually covered with cotton mattresses

and colorfully embroidered quilts. Houses south of the Yangtze generally dont have

kangs or central heating. Although not as severe as the north the winters there can

be cold and damp.


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Three-sided house courtyard

Four-sided house courtyard

Two courtyard house


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Uses of rooms in a typical two-courtyardhouse plan at left:1. Main entrance2. Rooms facing the rear. The roomsfacing the back, those near the entranceto the courtyard were reserved for theservants if the family was well-off.3. First courtyard. Cooking was carried outhere, and the second courtyard was aliving space.4. East and west-side rooms, for the sonsand daughters, or the sons' families.5. Inner Hall. Where the members of thefamily greeted guests or where familyceremonies were held.6. Main building. Living space for parents.7. Small side rooms. These used forchildren and extended family members.

CONCLUSION:

Their emphasis on beliefs and traditions have led their arts, especially their architecture

into creating marvels we enjoy today. All of the structures tell a story, a story long begotten,

a story waiting to unfold; a silent witness to what happened in those halls, courtyards,

gardens and other numerous rooms. Envisioned by the rulers of ancient China, their

continuous efforts in making a mark in the history has led them to do inhumane deeds no

other man can do, but only of a man with power and authority among the populace. To

scour all four corners of the Chinese territory to create this grand, ostentatious architecture

so immense in scale it puzzles me, at its very least. The continuous reiteration on theprinciples of Feng Shui has brought with it the very essence of what we love about Chinese

architecture: the balance of nature and human knowledge and beliefs, thereby guiding

those wholl follow this principle of the things one has to know about his surroundings and

also for his well being. Truly remarkable, one of a kind, original and above all, awesome

and Asian.


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References:

1. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/3intrhme.htm 2. http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=252&catid=7&subcatid=403. http://www.imperialtours.net/palace_arch.htm4. http://www.imperialtours.net/huizhou_arch.htm5. http://www.chinabravo.com/chinaGuide/Culture_detail.asp?id=2716. http://www.chinaetravel.com/china/architec.html#dragon7. http://xilain.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/research/8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace10.http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Travel/Sightseeing/Summer_Palace/11.http://iccf9.global.tsinghua.edu.cn/iccf9/tour/travel/Beijing.html
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Chinese Palaces and Houses