Architecture
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Patterned Footpaths
On a stroll through a Chinese garden or park,one often finds oneself walking on footpaths of coloured pebbles arranged in patterns--a feature of Chinese landscape gardening. These patterned paths are not designed by architects,but made by artisans f...
Pavilions
A common sight in the country,the Chinese pavilion(ting,which means also a kiosk)is built normally either of wood or stone or bamboo and may be in any of several plan figures--square,triangle,hexagon,octagon,a five-petal flower,a fan and what not.Bu...
Roof Crown
One of the structural members of traditional Chinese architecture,the baoding(literally,treasure top)stands at the centre on top of certain types of pavilions,pagodas and towers which have no horizontal main ridges.Normally made of glazed tile,it may...
Gold Bricks
Palace halls and courts have been paved with bricks for 2,000 years since the Spring and Autumn Period,and this has become a distinctive feature of classical architecture.Today one can see brickpaved floors and grounds in the Forbidden City,the Summ...
Caisson Ceiling
Visitors to ancient Chinese palace hall often have their attention drawn to the centre of the ceiling.The zaojing or caisson ceiling is a distinctive feature of classical Chinese architecture,if not unique to it.It is usually in the form of a sunken...
Dougong Brackets
The dougong is a system of brackets unique to traditional Chinese architecture.These brackets,arranged like baskets of flowers,are set under the overhanging eaves,adding to the sumptuous magnificence of the buildings. Thanks to them the ancient Chin...
Water Vat
In the courtyards of palaces and imperiral gardens water vats are seen standing not far from the main buildings.In their time they were filled with water against the emergency of a fire.In winter they were covered and wrapped around with quilts and,w...
Knocker Base
The two-leafed gate of a traditional Chinese house has a pair of ring knockers,whose base,called pushou,serves also a decorative purpose. The knocker-bases for a private house are fixed only on the outermost,more solidly-built gate.They are normally...
Door Studs
The main entrances to ancient palaces,temples and mansions have doors with studs arranged in rows.Like other decorations on traditional buildings,the studs served to indicate ranks in the feudal hierarchy. Door studs go back a long time in history.T...
The Number Nine and Imperial Buildings
It may not be conmmon knoweldge among western visitors that the numberninecarried a special significance in old China.Ancient Chinese regarded odd numbers as masculine and even numbers as feminine.Nine,the largest single digit unmber,was taken as re...