Third Response

Sorry for the delayed response but I wasn't able to do it in Guatemala. I hope that my feedback will still be of some use to you...

This is a really interesting topic and it reminds me much of Katie's. You still need a conclusion thats going to sum up all of your resource though. I really like the pictures you incorporated in your blog and how they put emphasis on what your talking about. Overall good job

Thor, your last post was incredibly interesting. All of this information really helps answer your thesis. It's great that you focused some small details like the chiwen and the curves of the roof that both have such great meanings. Another detail you mentioned that was really interesting was about the numbers and how important structures are based around the number 9. Personally I would have never of thought that so much thought and meaning goes into Chinese architecture. Great comeback from being out lately.
Sierra

End Statment

I feel that by analyzing major elements and movements (if I did them all I could right a book) in Chinese architecture I was able to accurately answer half of my thesis statement. I was not able to find enough information supporting a major connection between past and present architecture. Besides the brief description of how Chinese buildings still display a great symmetry and small traditional details around windows and doors I have been unable to find a wealth of information on the subject. "Since the late 19th cent. the Chinese have adopted European architectural styles. When first under Communist rule they tended to imitate modern Soviet buildings. The trend has been toward the impressively massive and the clearly functional in public buildings." This quote from a Chinese informational website clearly explains the modern movement in Chinese Architecture. A great example of this trend is the Air Force Academy. I clearly displays all characteristics of modern Chinese buildings; large and foreboding, impressive, distinctly western style, and abstract.

I was however able to connect traditional architecture with movements (such as the move towards a Confucian society in classical China) and with architectural elements. Many of China's past architectural marvels are getting sold, moved, or lost forever to make way for the modernizing of China. In This rush to modernize many Chinese are forgetting what it means to be Chinese and scumming to western pressure. This picture is a great example, it is of a McDonald's placed right in front of Drum Tower in Beijing.

Chinese Architectual Elements

All Chinese buildings embody certain elements that make them uniquely Chinese. These elements are greatly influenced by culture.

One of the most familiar of these elements is the stone lions that adorn temples, palaces, and important residences throughout China. The lion is a very important animal to the Chinese, it was believed to represent power and prestige. Lions also held great significance in the Buddhist faith. It was believed that the lion is a divine animal of nobleness and dignity, which could protect the truth and ward off evils. These beliefs lead to the tradition of placing two stone lions in front of a traditional building. The lions were usually male and female with the male lion resting his paw on a ball and the female lion fondling a cub. The ball represented the unity of the empire while the cub represented thriving offspring. Because of the power lions were believed to represent they were often posted outside important peoples homes and used to show status. Ranking officials would show their importance by placing lions outside their how. The amount of curly tufts of hair on the lion were used to show the importance of their owners. Thirteen tufts represented first grade officials with the number decreasing in proportion from there. Officials below the seventh grade were not allowed to post stone lions outside their house. Lions were also often incorporated in bridges. The best example of this is the Lugouqiao (also known as the Marco Polo Bridge) bridge in Beijing. This bridge has some 485 lions along its length for good luck and decoration.

Another common element of Chinese architecture is a screen wall. These are used to shield a dwelling for and outsiders gaze. Traditionally a screen wall was a symbol of status, with only noblemen, religious temples, and palaces allowed to have one. However they have been adopted by many wealthy and or influential people in more recent history. Apart from keeping passers-by from peeping into the courtyard, the screen wall could also be used by visitors, who could get off their carriage and, standing behind the wall, tidy up their dress before going in. Screen walls were usually quite plain and made of ceramic tiles, brick, stone, wood, or often a mix of all four. In the picture to the left a screen wall can be easily viewed. I n the front of the court yard there is a structure covering the entrance. The back wall of this makes up the screen wall. This design not only protects a visitor from the rain as he enters the courtyard but also provides the inhabitants of the house a felling of tranquility and separation from the outside world. Also easily visible in this picture is the symmetry which all Chinese buildings display.

The grandest of the screen walls are a set of three walls called the "Nine Dragon Walls." They are made of bright glazed tiles and are all over 100 feet long. Before being moved to different locations in China they were parts of palaces and temples making them all functional parts of traditional Chinese architecture. The pictured "Nine Dragon Wall" is now located in Beijing's Beihai Park, and is widely believed to be the grandest of the three.

Chinese architecture has also been greatly influenced by the number nine. In Chinese culture odd numbers are masculine and even numbers are feminine. Because nine is the highest single digit odd number it is viewed as being the supreme and most powerful number. As a result almost all Chinese architecture even modern architecture is somehow related to the number nine. The pictured Heaven Temple is a great example. Its three tiers are a factor of nine it also is raised three levels above the surrounding courtyard. Its 99 steps take you to its base where you can chose from nine entrances. The Forbidden City is also built with nine in mind. The towers guarding the four corners of the palace compound each have nine beams and 18 columns. There are also three famous screen walls that each include nine dragons. The number nine is sometimes combined with the number five to symbolise imperial royalty. The great hall on Tienanmen is nine bays wide by five bays deep. Many stone paved paths going to palaces are also five pavers wide.

Chinese roofs all share a kind of ornament called a Zoomorphic. These ornaments are located on the main roof ridges of palaces, temples, and mansions throughout China. There are many cultural reasons for these decorative objects. "The monstrous thing at either end of the main ridge, called chiwen, appears roughly like the tail of a fish. Fierce and formidable, it looks as if it were ready to devour the whole ridge; so it is also known as tunjishou or the ridge-devouring beast. It is, according to Chinese mythology, one of the sons of the Dragon King who rules the seas. It is said to be able to stir up waves and change them into rains. So ancient Chinese put a chiwen at either end of the main ridge for its magic powers to conjure up a downpour to put out any fire that might break out. But for fear that it might gobble up the ridge, they transfixed it on the roof with a sword." The size of the animals along the ridges also was significant. The larger the animals the more important the building. When a person thinks of Chinese architecture chances are the first thing they think of is the signature roof structure with its upturned ends. Not only is this very unique it is also functional. The curves in the roofs were created because of the Buddhist belief that curved lines repelled evil spirits better than straight ones. The roofs on Chinese buildings were an engineering marvel that rivaled most modern day architectural innovations. They supported a tremendous amount of weight in the form of ceramic tiles. The invention that allowed the roofs to support this much weight were corbel brackets (known as "dugong" in Chinese) that were placed on column heads to support the projecting eaves. This system created a extremely strong structure that was supported entirely by the columns at the buildings corners rather than walls. During the 10th Century Tang Dynasty, a favorite saying was, "The walls may topple down, but the roof would not collapse." This architectural style allowed any number of windows and doors to be included in the structure without any compromise in the buildings strength. The resulting roof was beautiful but not because it was deigned to be beautiful it was instead a direct result of the functional qualities of the corbel brackets.

Another important part of Chinese architecture was the pailou, also known as paifang. This was an archway for decorative or sometimes memorial reasons.They were made of wood, brick, or stone, and sometimes contained glazed tiles. These arches were normally placed were at crossroads, temples, government offices, bridges, parks, or tombs. They generally were inscribed with moral principles or government achievements. They also could serve as the facade of a shop to attract customers. "According to records, there used to be some 57 archways in old Beijing. Among the well-known ones were one each at the crossroads of Dongdan and Xidan, four each at Dongsi and Xisi, one at Qianmen and a couple standing astride Chang'anjie, the main street running east-west in front of Tian'anmen. Nearly all of these have been taken apart or moved elsewhere."
One of the most striking arches is the one in front of the main entrance to the Summer Palace Park. It was built 200 years ago and still stands in its original place. However its the painting on on it that makes it so unique. There are 176 golden dragons and 36 golden phoenixes painted on its walls and roofs giving it an unforgettable appearance. As stated before another main reason for arches of the memorial type was the Confucian philosophy of filial piety. This was the belief that ancestors should be held in great honor after they die. Not only did this belief spawn beautiful arches but it also lead to the creation of great Confucian temples and schools that taught people the philosophy. These temples and schools further enhanced the architecture of the age by mixing it with new ideas creating Chinese architecture as we know it.

Response

Well...you haven't got much, but you've been out and stuff so that makes sense. What you have is good, and I still think Confucius is pretty cool. Nice pictures, also.

Thor,
The little information you have is pretty good, and helps answer your thesis. The pictures represent Chinese architecture well. You definetly need more information, a conclusion, and maybe so more sources. I think you have a lot of work to do, but what you do have is interesting!

Response

I understand that you haven't had many opportunities to work on your blog, but the posts you do have are very well-written and full of information. I find Chinese architect so beautiful because it's so different from what we have. I look forward to reading more!

Fourth Response

Thor,
A very appealing topic, but out of the twelve posts so far only three of them are yours. I just want to hear more of your opinions, that's all!
Chinese, (and Japanese), culture is not something we westerners hear or talk a lot about. Your topic truly embraces a different culture and I can't wait to see what your exploration turns up. Might I suggest you take the Confucian philosophy and explain it, then explain the philosophy of Chinese architecture separately, then combine the two looking at both similarities and differences.
Again, this topic is intriguing, I just want to know even more!

Second Response

Hey Thor, I don't know if it's just me, but I can't find but one post that has information on your topic! Before I forget, remeber to set your blog so that everyone can view your posts on one single page. I'm glad you lessened the broadness of your thesis, and I find it will help your focus. Comparing the present to the past is a good way to use your information (and for everyone else to view it). Once you get some more information on your blog it should be pretty interesting to read. Can't wait!

Thor

I think that your topic is very well thought out and interesting. I think that when there is a little more information on your blog, it will be really cool. Some pictures to help show what you are talking about would be really nice.

Katie

Second Response

I think that you have a really developed idea for your thesis Thor. It is well thought out and should be easy to research because of your organized thoughts. I think that your blog will quite interesting once you put some information on it.

Confucian Memorials

The Confucian values of filial piety or the honor in of family during and after life was extremely important to the Chinese Culture. "According to Chinese tradition, filial piety (hsiao) was the primary duty of all Chinese. Being a filial son meant complete obedience to one's parents during their lifetime, and as they grew older taking the best possible care of them. After their death the eldest son was required to perform ritual sacrifices at their grave site or in the ancestral temple." This quote helps to show how Chinese people worshiped their ancestors and as a result created massive temples and memorials to show their devotion. The memorial above the Bao family memorial arches in the Anhui Province. This memorial is a great example of filial piety because of its intricacy and size. I fact all families no matter how poor had some kind of temple of memorial honoring their ancestors.

The family memorial was a large part of the layout of all family compounds. Memorials were built apart for the main living complex but still in symmetry with them. They were removed from the main living area in order to show respect and reverence for the ancestors. This picture of a Chinese memorial clearly displays the symmetry and grandeur that Chinese families looked for in their family memorials.

In short the Confucian values embodied in the Chinese people guided their architectural styles and forms greatly over the years. The same values are still embodied in most modern architecture today, however the style has changed greatly. The symmetry shown in traditional architecture is still widely present in modern architecture, but gone are the smooth slopping roofs and intricate paintings and designs. In their place are bold straight lines and massive utilitarian buildings, mostly modeled after western styles. Only in the small details of some of these buildings are traditional features still present around windows and doors.

first response

Thor,
I like the look of your blog. I think your question is an interesting one. Because Confucius' impact on China was huge, I would expect that he would have had an influence on architecture too. What that influence is, I have no idea. So....I'm really interested in what you find out. We do have some books on world architecture in the reference room that might be useful.
I don't know how many resources you'll find that will make a direct connection. If not, you'll need to research Confucius' ideas and then relate them to what you learn about Chinese architecture.
Be sure to write complete citations in the Online Resources and Books and People areas of your blog. Follow the handout I gave you to help you make complete citations.

Thesis Change

Due to the obscurity of my previous topic I have rewritten my thesis in order to write a more comprehensive blog.
How has culture influenced Chinese architecture and how has Chinese architecture influenced culture in past and present China?

This sounds like an interesting topic! I think you have a really good start for your I-Search... you should have a pretty easy time with your research because you definitely have got it narrowed down a lot. I don't really know much about your topic, so I can't really give you too much feedback. Good luck!

Your Thesis

This topic sounds really cool, mainly because I think that Confucius is pretty cool. Also, it's really specific so it shouldn't take you too much work to be able to pull out all of the important facts and ideas that relate to the topic.

Your Thesis

The idea for your i-search is very narrow but I like the idea and direction it takes.
What made you think of picking Confucian influence on Chinese arciteture anyways?
It's something i never would have thought to do. I didnt even think that he had an effect on the arcitecture of China. I think your topic will be really hard to do but i think you will get very interesting results and i cant wait to see what you come up with.

Thesis Statement

How did Confucian philosophy and values influence Chinese architecture?

How has Chinese Architecture Been Influenced by Culture

Chinese architecture combines a intricate balance of function and beauty. These qualities are a direct result of the symmetry and balance embodied in Chinese culture. From the smallest shack, to the grandest palace, all Chinese buildings uphold the same characteristics.
All Chinese buildings are built with the idea that the main structure is the axis of symmetry with all other buildings positioned to the sides to form a set of wings embracing a wide open yard. This symmetry is a direct result of the Chinese deep belief in Confucianism.
"Among the fundamental principles of Confucian philosophy are loyalty, filial piety, moral integrity, and righteousness, as well as benevolence wisdom, faith, and adherence to the Confucian code." This quote from China Conner.com gives a very accurate description of the basic principles embodied in Confucianism. These principles especially those of filial piety, adherence to the Confucian code, and faith are what inspired Chinese architects to create elaborate temples, palaces, and memorials.