HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE – 1

CHINESE & JAPANESE

ARCHITECTURE

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 CHINESE ARCHITECTURE FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT

1. GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITION
• The country is mountainous with vast fertile valleys. The
central plain lies between 2 rivers, hence a thick deposit of
soil was found abundantly which helped in agriculture.
• It has many natural harbors, which promoted trade and
commerce as well as art and culture.
2. GEOLOGICAL CONDITION
▫ Coal is abundant, as well as red sandstone and lime stone were
also readily available.
▫ Mulberry trees helped produce silk in large quantities, which
was exported to large parts of the world.
▫ Timber was used for roof and columns in buildings. Roofs
were usually covered with colored clay tiles.

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 CHINESE ARCHITECTURE FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT

3. HISTORICAL CONDITION
• The Chinese history is divided into various dynasties. The country flourished under the
reign of many able emperors. The series of dynasties were:
➢ Shang Dynasty (1450-1050 BC) ➢ Tang Dynasty (618-906 AD)
➢ Chou Dynasty (1050-249 BC) ➢ Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD)
➢ Chin Dynasty (221-206 BC) ➢ Yuan Dynasty (1280-1367 AD)
➢ Han Dynasty (206-220 AD) ➢ Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD)
➢ Jin Dynasty (265-419 AD) ➢ Ching Dynasty (1644-1911 AD)

• Shang Dynasty played a major role in driving China on a rode to self-improvement.

Science & astronomy developed rapidly, with the invention of the Calendar based lunar
months.

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 CHINESE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES

a. The characteristics largely depended upon Buddhist architecture.

Temples, tombs and other buildings followed the same plans
similar to those of India.
b. Temples were approached by a gateway, then a courtyard & a
portico, covered with timber roofs. ‘Pai Lous’ the ceremonial
gateways were characteristic of this style.
c. Openings were square headed. Windows were rectangular in
shape and lined with oyster shells to prevent glare of the sun.
Rice papers were used to line the openings as glass was rarely
used.
d. Walls were built in timber and bricks.
e. Usually the temples faced southwards.

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 CHINESE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES

f. The roofs were steep with carved eaves, which were enriched with
ornamentation such as dragons, fish, etc. They were placed one
on top of each other, which made the lower storeys stay cool.
g. Instead of constructing columns first, & then placing a roof
above it, they first prepared the frame-work of the roof, which in
turn helped determine the position of the columns.
h. Columns rested on stone foundations and were usually without
capitals. Instead, simple moldings were provided in brackets
supporting the roofs.
i. Since rainfall was heavy, houses and temples were provided with
gabbled roofs, bent slightly upwards, and were covered with
colorful tiles.

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CHINESE ARCHITECTURE TYPES OF STRUCTURES

i. PAGODAS
 These form the important structures in temple enclosures. They
contain 3-15 storeys, the number always being odd, with a
staircase to each storey.
 They are usually constructed out of timber and bricks.
ii. PAI-LOUS
 These look like ‘Toronas’ of the Buddhist architectural style.
 They are built of either wood or stone, with one or 3 openings.
 The horizontal rails which are supported on vertical posts bear
ancient inscriptions.
 The projecting roofs are covered with colorful tiles, whose edges
are turned upwards.

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JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE FORMATION & DEVELOPMENT

1. GEOLOGICAL CONDITION
• About 3/4th of Japan is covered by forest and wild vegetation. Bamboo is
widely available and used extensively in buildings.
• Stone is used only for foundation, that is the sub-structure, whereas timber is
used for the superstructure.
2. CLIMATIC CONDITION
• Rains are heavy in the region so steep roofs are most common, with
projecting eaves to protect the buildings from the hot sun.
3. RELIGIOUS CONDITION
• Temples are the main place for worship & is approached through ‘Torii’
(gateways).

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JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES

a. Japanese style is much derived form China, but it still has its
own special characteristics, much of which can be seen in its
timber constructions.
b. Temples are characterized by the ‘Torii’ or gateways, formed by
2 upright posts connected to 2 or more horizontal rails.
c. The houses have a vestibule, a verandah, living room, dining
room & guest room. Usually there are no bedrooms as any room
could be converted into one by spreading floor-mats on ground.
d. Light movable sliding doors, with partitions made of translucent
paper screens are commonly used. Whenever required, these
panels can be moved or raised up to allow the whole house to be
open to the garden.
e. Size of the rooms are related to the size of the floor-mats, which
are usually 6ft x 3ft in size.

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JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES

f. House walls are constructed with wood or stout-paper filling to

avoid as much damage during earthquakes. Walls are made as
thin as possible, the columns taking all the load to the roof.
g. Windows are decorated with timber trellies. Shutters are made of
wood from the outside and rice-paper on the inside.
h. The roofs have subtle curvature and are supported on curved
brackets which are richly decorated.
i. Hollowed bamboos are used as roof gutters and down pipes.
j. Columns are without capitals, and instead have brackets to
support the roofs. They are in various shapes such as round,
square, octagonal, etc.

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