中国建筑和风水英文

For well over a century, Chinese fengshui--or "geomancy"--has interested Western laymen and scholars. Today, hundreds of popular manuals claim to use its principles in their advice on how people can increase their wealth, happiness, longevity. Chinese structure is based on the principle of balance and symmetry. And its location and layout all dues to fengshui.
Feng means wind and Shui means water. Fengshui is a Chinese traditional discipline which studies the way in which human beings co-exist in harmony with nature. In ancient times, our Chinese ancestors were aware of the existence of Qi in nature, the natural rules discerned by them during their long labors. To be specific, Qi is seen as a mystical drive greatly influencing people's daily life. At first, they used the rules of Qi simply to choose the locations of their houses and graves. By following these rules, they believed well-being would knock at the door, otherwise bad luck would befall. There are three principles of Fengshui: The unity of human beings with nature, the balance of Yin and Yang, and the attraction and repulsion of five elements - metal, wood, water, fire and earth. These principles are set up to help people pursue good fortune and avoid disaster, thus improving their living standard.
Fengshui gives people many suggestions on how and where to build houses. For example, houses should have their backs to the north and fronts to the south. Because when they face south, houses can easily absorb sunshine and avoid cold north winds in winter. This is a benefit to people's health. So this tradition has come down to the present, especially in rural areas. Also, the size of a house must be moderate, neither
too big nor too small. A small house with too many people living in it is not recommended; neither is a large house with a few people. This is in accord with the doctrine of the Mean.
Fengshui has strict requirements on the proper positioning of the central axis in building cities. Generally speaking, the central axis should run from north to south, with its north end pointing directly to a mountain running from east to west. The mountain is regarded as the guardian of the city. A winding river around the city is believed to be an auspicious feature. The Forbidden City was built strictly abiding by these rules.
Nowadays, Fengshui still plays an important role in people's lives. To improve their quality of life, many people decorate their houses according to Fengshui rules. For example, beds shouldn't be put too close to windows because beams of light would directly affect the quality of sleep. Mirrors should not be hung on walls opposite beds in case you may be scared by reflections at night. And beds should not be put directly opposite doors, otherwise you may feel unsafe.
Fengshui is a great treasure of Chinese traditional culture. It embodies a simple recognition of nature by our Chinese ancestors. Though there are many people who believe it's a kind of superstition, its wisdom can be made use of to enhance our lives.
The basic feature of Chinese architecture is rectangular-shaped units of space joined
together into a whole. The Chinese style by contrast combines rectangular shapes varying in size and position according to importance into an organic whole with each level and component clearly distinguished. Traditional buildings are sited in order to be in harmony with nature and to receive qi from auspicious. Fengshui in Chinese architecture represents a willing of ancient Chinese they pray for fortune and peace, and they believe through this way, they can get what they want. Maybe with the developing of fengshui, more and more parlance were created, Taoists practice fengshui according more tools, but how mysterious they are, fengshui just a way for people to pray for lucky.
The basic feature of Chinese architecture is rectangular-shaped units of space joined together into a whole. The Chinese style by contrast combines rectangular shapes varying in size and position according to importance into an organic whole with each level and component clearly distinguished. As a result traditional Chinese style buildings have an imposing yet dynamic and intriguing exterior. The combination of units of space in traditional Chinese architecture abides by the principles of balance and symmetry. The main structure is the axis and the secondary structures are positioned as two wings on either side to form the main rooms and yard. Residences official buildings temples and palaces all follow these same basic principles. Home of the Emperor the Forbidden City also known as Palace Museum was constructed in accordance with the laws of geomancy or fengshui. Every element was taken into consideration the most essential being the construction of the palace along a north-south axis. Emphasis is also focused on the construction of a heavy platform and a large roof that floats over this base. Most of Chinese ancient royal buildings stand on marble terrace. The white marble terraces not only support and magnify the single building on it but also protect the wood structure from dampness. It also reflects the higher rank of the building. Take Hall of Supreme Harmony for example .The building is raised on a triple marble terrace 8 m 26 ft high enclosed by marble balustrades whilst those
around the same courtyard were kept lower so as to display the magnificence of the hall. Chinese architecture stresses the visual impact of the width of the buildings. This contrasts Western architecture which tends to grow in height and depth. The halls and palaces in the Forbidden City for example have rather low ceilings when compared to equivalent stately buildings in the West but their external appearances suggest the all-embracing nature of imperial China. Another important feature is its emphasis on symmetry which connotes a sense of grandeur. The three main halls Hall of Supreme Harmony Hall of Central Harmony Hall of Preserving Harmony in outer court are constructed along the axis flanked by Wenhua Literary Brilliance and Wuying Military Valor halls . So are another three main halls Hall of Heavenly Purity Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union and Hall of Terrestrial Tranquility in Inner Court which is complemented by six courtyards in the east and another six in the west. The buildings face south because the north tends to be attacked by cold wind. The importance of the East the direction of the rising sun in orientation is a form of solar worship found in many ancient cultures where the notion of Ruler is associated with the Sun. Numerology plays a significant part in the palaces architecture. The Forbidden City is comprised of 9999 rooms -just short of the mythical 10000 rooms in heaven.Odd numbers are often connected with masculinity and even ones femininity consequently the number nine the quotultimate masculinequot number stands for supreme imperial power. A case in point in point is Taihe Hall Hall of Supreme Harmony. It rests on a three-tiered terrace of white marble. It is 11 bays wide five bays deep and 35 meters high covering 2377 square meters. It is the tallest structure in the Forbidden City and largest wooden architecture in China. Likewise the towers guarding the four corners of the palace each have nine beams and eighteen columns. Only the gates used by the Emperor can have five arches with the centre one of course being
reserved for the Emperor himself. For this reason the number quotninequot or its multiples is often employed in palace structures and designs. A noticeable example is the number of studs on palace gates. The studs are usually arranged in nine rows of nine each totalling eighty-one. This is even true of the marble gates of the quot underground palacequot of the Dingling Mausoleum in Beijing: 81 or 9 X 9 studs carved out of the stone. If visitor goes to the Temple of Guan Yu in Luoyang he will also find on the red gate nine rows of nine wooden studs each. Ancient palaces generally consist of nine courtyards or quadrangles which are the same as Temple of Confucius in Qufu. Shandong Province - a magnificent architectural complex worthy of an imperial household and testifying to the importance attached to the great sage by the courts of various dynasties. There is a seventeen-arched bridge in the Summer Palace of Beijing. This too has much to do with quotninequot. Count the arches from either end and you will find that the largest span in the middle is the ninth. An extreme example of the quotgame of ninequot is perhaps the Circular Mound Altar Huanqintan in the Temple of Heaven. Site for the Ming and Qing emperors to worship Heaven the altar is arranged in three tiers. The upper terrace is made up of nine rings of slabs. The first ring or the innermost circle consists of nine fan-shaped slabs the second ring 18 2 X 9 slabs the third 27 3 X 9. . . until the last or ninth ring which is made up of 81 or 9 X 9 slabs. The number quotninequot is not only used on buildings. The New Year dinner for the imperial house was composed of 99 dishes. To celebrate the birthday of an emperor the stage performances must comprise of 99 numbers as a sign of good luck and longevity. A further element differentiating palace architecture from other traditional Chinese forms includes the specific designation of colored glazed tiles. While these were applied to the roofs of many aristocratic homes the use of yellow tiles was exclusively reserved for Imperial palaces mausoleums gardens
and temples. The association of the color yellow with the Emperor originated with the idea that the great Yellow River was the cradle of Chinese civilization. As a result yellow also represents the concept of earth in the Chinese occult universe. Green was used on palace buildings reserved for court officials while red signifying happiness and solemnity was generally used on doors. One difference between palace architecture and other traditional Chinese buildings includes the application of colored glazed tiles. Yellow tiles are exclusively utilized for Imperial palaces mausoleums gardens and temples. Yellow roof tiles still adorn most of the buildings within the Forbidden City. The association of the color yellow with the Emperor originates with the idea that the great Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese civilization. As a result yellow also represents earth in Chinese culture . Green was designated color for court officials in palace while red signifying happiness and solemnity was generally used on doors. The roofs are almost invariably supported by brackets quotdougongquot a feature shared only with the largest religious buildings. The wooden columns of the buildings as well as walls are painted in red as well. Prevalent throughout the palace is the symbolism of animal decoration. The most frequently used images are dragon and phoenix symbols of the emperor and empress. The Chinese dragon an emblem reserved for Imperial China is heavily used on Imperial architecture - on the roofs on the beams and pillars and on the doors. The dragon and the phoenix are chief decorative designs on buildings clothing and articles of daily use in the imperial palace. The throne hall is supported by columns decorated with gilded dragons the central ramps on marble steps were paved with huge slabs carved in relief with dragon and phoenix and screen walls display dragons in brilliant colours. The names in the Chinese language for nearly all the things connected with the emperor or the empress were preceded by the epithet quotdragonquot or quotphoenixquot. Thus quotdragon
seatquot for the throne quotdragon robequot for the emperors ceremonial dress quotdragon bedquot for him to sleep on and quotphoenix carriagequot quotphoenix canopiesquot and so on were used for imperial processions. The national flag of China under the Qing Dynasty was emblazoned with a large dragon. The earliest postage stamps of China were called quotdragon-headsquot because they showed a dragon in their designs. The imaginary animal can be traced back to primitive society when certain prehistoric tribes in China adopted the dragon among other totems as their symbol and guardian god. Some of the recently unearthed bronze vessels of the Yin Dynasty are decorated with sketches of dragons of a crude form. Earliest legends in China described the dragon as a miraculous animal with fish scales and long beards. As time went on it became more and more embellished in the minds of the people acquiring the antlers of the deer the mane of the horse and the claws of the eagle. In short it obtained the distinctive features of other creatures until it became what we see today in the imperial palaces. Likewise the Chinese phoenix also exists only in legends and fairy tales. It has the head of the golden pheasant the beak of the parrot the body of the mandarin duck the wings of the roe the feathers of the peacock and the legs of the crane. Gloriously beautiful it reigns over the feathered world. An early design of the phoenix can be seen on the silk painting discovered in a tomb of the Warring States Period 475-221 B. C. near Changsha in Hunan Province. The dragon and the phoenix serve in classical art and literature as metaphors for people of high virtue and rare talent. Together the two symbolize happiness and love in marriages. As an important part of folk art dragon lanterns dragon boats dragon and phoenix dances are still highly popular during Chinese festivals. A pair of marble ornamental pillars Hua Biao decorated with exquisite clouds and entwined dragons carvings can be often found in front of most large royal complexes. Originally
made of wood they are used to solicit public opinions from the people and also treated as landmarks or road signs. But later they are only applied to decorate important buildings.The most famous Huabiaos are located at Tiananmen two in front of the gate of Tiananmen and two behind the gate. On top of the Huabiaos there sits a mythical animal called Hou. It is believed that the positioning of the Hous heads is a reminder to the emperor of the hopes of the people. The two behind the gate looking at the palace north mean expecting the emperor to go out often and to understand the life of the people better. The two in front facing south express longing for the emperors return to run state affairs when he is absent from the palace for too long. These legendary animals have been found on objects dating back three thousand years. Another animal is the lion who guards various gates. Always found in a pair the lion on the left is male and holds a ball symbolic of imperial unity. The one on the right is female and plays with a lion cub symbolic of fertility. The ruler of the animal kingdom lion symbolizes power and prestige. Interesting are also the animal ornaments found on imperial rooftops.Roofs are very important to Chinese architecture. Palaces had particularly impressive elaborate roofs. The distinctive roof of Chinese architecture involves a great deal of symbolism. Symbolism is present in the colors and tiers of the eaves roofing materials and roof top decorations. Watch carefully you will find the ridges of each roof are topped with figures of mythical creatures. Fierce and formidable it looks as if they are ready to devour the whole ridge so they are also known as tunjishou or the ridge-devouring beast.What are they used for For decorative purposes only According to architects these strange-looking creatures can prevent the roof from sliding. Moreover the number and the size of the creatures on the eaves indicate the importance of the building. When visiting the imperial palace it can be very interesting to count the animals on the eaves and get to know exactly how
important the building is .Chinese roofs are typical hip roof with small gables. Variant styles can be seen in Chinese temples and have spread to the rest of East Asia and parts of Southeast Asia.At the outermost tip is the son of the Dragon King-ruler of the sea. This animal guards the palace buildings against fire. Along the roof edges are various smaller animals the sizes and numbers of which differ according to the rank and status of the residents within. Highest level’s imperial roof decoration has such images - man riding bird nine beasts immortal figure and dragon. Placed near the corner are a row of small figures which are often made of glazed ceramic and form an outward marching procession. Here you can see the imperial yellow glaze exclusive for the emperor. At the tail of the procession is a dragon symbolizing the authority of the emperor.At the head of the procession is a man riding a phoenix. One legend suggests that this represents a subordinate of the emperor who grew greedy for power and was hanged from the roof gable for treason. Another version of this figurine is an immortal riding a phoenix or qilin Chinese unicorn.Yet another intrepretation is that this is a servent serving the emperor being watched by the following beasts.In between are mythical beasts with odd number. The mythical beasts are set to pounce upon the man and devour him should he fail to perform his duties faithfully.At the top there is only one beast the number of beasts indicates the importance of the duties performed within the building or within the courtyard protected by a gate. The maximum number of beasts is nine including evil-dispelling bull courageous goat-bull 獬豸wind- and storm-summoning fish 狎鱼mythical lion 狻猊auspicious seahorse heavenly horse lion and chiwen 鸱吻 a son of dragon. The maximum number is seen at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. An immortal guardian 行什xingshe is placed in front of the dragon holding a sword like a cane. Structural pattern A traditional Chinese building rests on a platform of beaten earth brick or stone slabes. The timber columns raised on the
platform rest on stone bases. The heads of columns are tied together by beams in both transverse and longitudinal directions. The roof construction is different fron the rigid truss normally used in the West. In a Chinese roof a series of beams of different lengths are placed one above the other each resting on short posts raised on the beams below. The purlins are placed at the ends of these beams and the rafters go from purlin to purlin.This construction makes it natural to curve the roof. The roof is coverd by semicircular tiles in two interlocking layers. Frequently this is the most impressive section of the house. Traditionally different roof shapes are applied in acccordance with the importance of the building. Building of higher status enjoy hipped roofs and then hip-and–gable roofs whereas insignificant buildings have simple gabled roofs. The most important buildings face the south east and west usually have no openings. The southern side is open with doors latticed windows covered with translucent paper and carved wooden panels. The overhanging eaves protect the light walls let the winter sun in and keep the summer sun out . The eaves were carried by a series of bracket sets placed on top of the columns or on lintel. They consisted of bearing blocks which carried the bracket arms. The arms are intersected into the blocks and into each other at right angles. Series of arms and blocks placed one above the other at increasing width transfers the weight of roof to the column. The most ingenious member of a bracket set is the lever a pole placed obliquely over the column or lintel the lower end of which carries the eave the upper end abutting a purlin . All these construction members are dovetailed into each other. There is a striking harmony between between plan section and elevation. The application of brackets set inside a building makes a flexible floor plan possible. What were the advantage and disadvantage of the Chinese system Timber as a materia.。