Type of Chinese Architectures: Ting

        The Chinese pavilion (ting, which also means a kiosk), a common sight in China. It’s

one of the most important roles in Chinese ancient architecture. It’s no exaggeration to say

that where there is a garden, there is a pavilion in China. It is built normally either of wood

or stone or bamboo with any of several shapes - square, triangle, hexagon, octagon, a five-

petal flower, a fan and more. But all pavilions have columns for support without walls. In parks

or some scenic places, pavilions are built on slopes to command the panorama or are built

by the lakeside to create intriguing images by water.

        Pavilions also serve diverse purposes. The wayside pavilion is called Liangting (cooling

kiosk) to provide weary wayfarers with a place for rest. The "stele pavilion" gives a roof to a

stone tablet to protect the engraved record of an important event. Pavilions also stand by

bridges or over water-wells. In the latter case, dormer windows are built to allow the sun to

cast its rays into the well as it has been the belief that water untouched by the sun would

cause disease. Occasionally you will find two pavilions standing side by side like twins. In

modern times, kiosks have been erected in urban areas as postal stalls, newsstands or

photographers' sheds for snapshot services.

         Rare among pavilions are those built of bronze. The most celebrated of these is

Baoyunge Pavilion of Precious Clouds in Beijing's Summer Palace. The entire structure

including its roof and columns is cast in bronze. It is popularly known as the "Gold Pavilion”

for its elegant and dignified.