Chinese architectural history

series of fortifications built along the historical border of China

A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves, common across Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but sometimes Taoist or Hindu, and were often in or near viharas. The pagoda traces its origins to the stupa, while its design was developed in ancient India. Chinese pagodas () are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. In addition to religious use, since ancient times Chinese pagodas have been valued for the spectacular views they offer, and many classical poems attest to the joy of scaling pagodas.

Chan Buddhist temple in Dengfeng county, Henan, China

Ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing, China

mountain in Sichuan, China

cave in People's Republic of China

style of architecture

Yinxu (; ) is a Chinese archeological site corresponding to Yin, the final capital of the Shang dynasty (). Located in present-day Anyang, Henan, Yin served as the capital during the Late Shang period () which spanned the reigns of 12 Shang kings and saw the emergence of oracle bone script, the earliest known Chinese writing. Along with oracle bone script and other material evidence for the Shang's existence, the site was forgotten for millennia. Its rediscovery in 1899 resulted from an investigation into oracle bones that were discovered being sold nearby. The rediscovery of Yinxu marked the

archaeological site

The Dujiangyan () is an ancient hydraulic engineering system in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan, China. Originally constructed around 256 BC by the State of Qin as an irrigation and flood control project, it is still in use today. The system's infrastructure develops on the Min River (Minjiang), one of the longest tributary of the Yangtze. The area is in the west part of the Chengdu Plain, between the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan Plateau.

UNESCO World Heritage Site in China

an imperial park, built in Song Liao Jin dynasties, adjacent to the Forbidden City in Beijing

First Buddhist temple in China

cave in People's Republic of China

cave in People's Republic of China

Chinese statue pairs of lion-like creatures

thumb|Dougong inside the East Hall timber hall of Foguang Temple, built in 857 during the [[Tang dynasty]] thumb|Dougong brackets on an Eastern Han dynasty|Eastern Han (25–220 CE) era architectural model of a watchtower thumb|A stone-carved relief above a cave entrance of the Yungang Grottoes ([[Shanxi province) showing an imitation of dougong brackets, Northern Wei dynasty (386–535 CE)]] thumb|Stone pillars made in imitation of wooden dougong and "人-shaped gong" (Chinese: 人字栱) at cave entrance of Tianlongshan Grottoes, Northern Qi. Dougong (Chinese: 斗拱; pinyin: dǒugǒng; lit. 'cap [and] block'

covered bridge in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Guangxi Province, China

historic sites in China

Bixi, or Bi Xi (), is a figure from Chinese mythology. One of the nine sons of the Dragon King, he is depicted as a dragon with the shell of a turtle. Stone sculptures of Bixi have been used in Chinese culture for centuries as a decorative plinth for commemorative steles and tablets, particularly in the funerary complexes of China's later emperors and to commemorate important events, such as an imperial visit or the anniversary of a World War II victory. They are also used at the bases of bridges and archways. Sculptures of Bixi are traditionally rubbed for good luck, which can cause conservat

temple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Portuguese fortification in Macau

Menshen, or door gods, are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu () and Yulü () under the Han, but the deified generals Qin Shubao () and Yuchi Gong () have been more popular since the Tang. In cases where a door god is affixed to a single door, Wei Zheng or Zhong Kui is commonly used.

protected area

aspect of Chinese history

building in Mentougou District, Beijing, China

archaeological culture

Architecture book by Jie Li

section of the city of Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the Forbidden City at its center

archaeological site in China

cordon

Panlongcheng () or Panlong City is an archaeological site associated with the Erligang culture () during the Shang dynasty period (). The site is located just north of the Yangtze river, on the bank of the Panlong lake, and is surrounded by the Fushui river in Huangpi, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Panlongcheng is the largest excavated Erligang site ( at its greatest), showing the southernmost reach of the Erligang culture at its peak. It was discovered in 1954, and excavated in 1974 and 1976.

9 Chinese dragons, who are sons of the Dragon King

ceremonial gate tower in traditional Chinese architecture

'''Di'anmen (), previously Bei'anmen''' (and commonly known as the "back gate"), was an imperial gate in Beijing, China. The gate was first built in the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty, and served as the main northern gate to the Imperial City (the southern gate is the much more famed Tiananmen). The gate was located north of Jingshan Park and south of the Drum Tower. The gate was demolished in 1954. Efforts to restore it have been under way since 2013.

hotel in Taipei

traditional Asian garden pavilion

main hall of a buddhist temple in China, Korea or Vietnam

the first hall inside shanmen in Chinese Buddhist temples, which enshrines Four Heavenly Kings, Maitreya Buddha, Skanda

Chiwen () is a roof ornamental motif in traditional Chinese architecture and art. Chiwen is also the name of a Chinese dragon that mixes features of a fish, and in Chinese mythology is one of the nine sons of the dragon, which are also used as imperial roof decorations. As architectural ornaments or waterspouts, they are comparable with Western gargoyles, but are not related to the mythological character.

temple in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China

building in Haidian District, China

building in Puji Temple, China

spider web ceiling

Bronze heads associated with Chinese zodiac

type of roofing tile used in China

style of Chinese architecture

town in Yunnan, China

pagoda

Huanbei (), also known as Huayuanzhuang, is the site of a Bronze Age city on the northern outskirts of the modern city of Anyang in Henan province, China, discovered in 1999. The name refers to its position to the north (běi) of the Huan River. The city seems to have been burnt to the ground after 50 years of occupation, shortly before the construction on the other side of the river of the site now known as Yinxu, the source of the earliest Chinese written records, oracle bones relating to the last nine kings of the Shang dynasty. Huanbei is accordingly assigned to a "Middle Shang" period.

aspect of history

Ganzhou, Jiangxi

artificial lake in Beijing in ancient China

bridge

Buddhist pillars engraved with dharani sutras

Caihua (), or "colour painting", is the traditional Chinese decorative painting or polychrome used for architecture and one of the most notable and important features of historical Chinese architecture. It held a significant artistic and practical role within the development of East-Asian architecture, as Caihua served not only decoration but also protection of the predominantly wooden architecture from various seasonal elements and hid the imperfections of the wood itself. The use of different colours or paintings would be according to the particular building functions and local regional cust

fort in Macau, China

single-hole circular arch bridge in China