The Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Architecture

    In China, according to modern or western learning, to reshape the concept of Chinese architectural history, the famous architect Mr. Liang Sicheng is one of the pioneers, and can be said to be the most important one. When Mr. Liang Sicheng did the research on the history of Chinese architecture, he took the history of Western architecture in Europe as a reference. So we can also use this basic discourse logic to talk about this question: What are the characteristics of Chinese architecture compared with Western architecture?

    The first basic feature is its unique planar layout. Now when we look at a building, everyone will talk about its shape, facade, and plan. These are actually typical Western architectural concepts. Chinese architecture is a group of buildings formed with courtyards as the basic framework, and it is not discussed as a single building. This is a very unique aspect of Chinese architecture.

      The second fundamental feature of Chinese architecture is the beauty of the environment. When looking at Chinese landscape painting, including in the real environment, as long as there are traditional buildings, they form a particularly good relationship with the surrounding landscape trees, which is really like painting.

    The third fundamental feature, I call it the natural and real construction system. One unique aspect of Chinese architecture is its preference for using natural materials. The most durable material in architecture is stone, which is not used as the main material in Chinese architecture. The main material is actually wood. If the structure is the main body, the main structure of Chinese architecture is wood, thus forming a special system dominated by wood.

    Relying on a complete social and cultural system is the fourth characteristic of traditional Chinese architecture. Today, architecture is a professional field, and only those who have studied architecture can understand architecture. In fact, in ancient China, it was up to some scholars and intellectuals, such as officials from the Ministry of Rites, to determine a series of design issues such as the layout of the building. They were very clear about the entire layout of the building. Just like the Chinese language system, ancient Chinese architecture belongs to a holistic social system, and everyone is well aware of its structure and cultural connotations.