Chinese Architecture in Beijing Forms and designs
Chinese Architecture in
BeijingForms and designs
Chinese architectureof The Ming dynasty uses bright colors,
painting detailed scenes, roof tiles, roof guardians, and many
marble fence posts. It looks very different than western
architecture. Power is shown by space not height.
In China, the Forbidden City was considered to be the center of the world.
The Emperor was to be at the center of the cosmos,so the main axis of the city is North-South. The Hall of Supreme Harmony at the center of the city is where the Emperor held audiences.After entering the city you passed
through several halls and courtyards on your way to this audience. It was meant to
make you feel small.
Arial view of Forbidden City
From this view of the Forbidden City you can see the North-South axis and the way
that Feng Shui was used to design it. It must have a mountain at the back so they built an
artificial one called Coal Hill. It was surrounded by a moat which was the
necessary water feature for an auspicious location. It is in concentric circles within a
square which represents heaven and earth.
Forbidden City
Each gate is narrow which contrasts with the large squares surrounding all gates.
Together the depth and width of the space creates a sense of mystery and a regal
attitude.
The dragon represents the Emperor while the phoenix represents the Empress.
Summer Palace, Beijing
The Forbidden City was designed to be both beautiful and impressive. Its
golden yellow roof tiles made it stand out from all other buildings in the
area.Although it covers huge areas, it maintains harmony because of how it
was designed.
Nine is a lucky number in China. Notice the number of nails in each door.
Nine is a lucky number in China so the Emperor will have 9 roof guardians The
color of a roof reflects the social status of the people living inside. Yellow was
reserved only for the Imperial family.Princes can only use green while ordinary people use grey roof tiles. Any Imperial door will
have 9 studs in each direction.
Summer Palace
• Golden Roof Tiles for an Imperial Residence.
Who lived in this house ? How could you tell ?
Roof Guardians
The dragon is associated with the Emperor and is used extensively in the Forbidden City
as a decorative element. These dragons serve as downspouts to move water away from the hall to protect it. They are the embodiment of
imperial power but also serve a practical purpose.
Emperor’s Dragon Way
Hall of Supreme Harmony
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony there are 66 great columns. The throne has
dragon decorations as does the screen behind it. The cross beams have dragons in
yellow decorating them. The Emperor’s cloak had dragons woven into it. Altogether
there are 12,654 dragons in this room. A multiple of the auspicious number 9.
Large pots are for Fire prevention
All buildings must have water in front of them and mountains at the back pointing to the sun. In this case the water also served the practical feature of protecting wooden
structures in case of fire.The large pots are found all over the Forbidden City.
Roof Guardians with light bulbs
A marble railing
Private Gardens of the Emperor
Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is where the Emperor made sacrifices to assure bountiful harvests . China was an agricultural society
so the importance of this sacrifice was shown by the emperor himself offering it up
to the heavens.The hall itself is high and is a symbol for the heavens. All carvings inside
are of clouds.
Lamma Temple was built by the Ming Emperor’s as a home away from home
for the Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism. When he visited Beijing, he
lived here.
Lamma Temple ,Beijing
A gate to Ming Tombs
The Badaling section of the Great Wall is one of the more easily reached from Beijing but its also very steep. It crosses a critical
pass that protects Beijing. The guard towers used dried wolf dung to burn to announce invaders were coming. The amount they
burned told how many soldiers were coming through the pass. This gate is an entrance
to the wall itself.
Badaling section of Great Wall
Interior Painting detail
Interior painting in a temple at the Great
Wall
Prince Gong was an imperial official who was executed for his “
extravagance “ . His real crime was in building a stone boat which angered the Emperor and led to his execution.
The former palace at Beijing University shows his taste but this was his palace.
Today it is a teahouse.
Prince Gong’s Mansion
Drum Tower
Beijing University
A female lionwith her paw on her baby .
The Empress Cixi’s’ Stone Boat