🎥  Eastern Architecture: China Part 2 by Professor Ron Lewcock

🎥  Eastern Architecture: China Part 2 by Professor Ron Lewcock

Taoist Gardens, Urban Planning, and Imperial Architecture

In this second part of his exploration of Chinese architecture (as part of the Eastern Architecture lecture series), Professor Ronald Lewcock delves deeper into the philosophical foundations that shaped China's built environment, particularly examining how Taoism complemented Confucian principles in creating a distinctive architectural tradition. This lecture reveals the dynamic tension between order and nature, symmetry and wildness, that characterizes Chinese architectural thought at all scales, from private gardens to imperial cities.

Taoism and the Chinese Garden: Escaping the "Cage"

The lecture begins by examining Taoism (or Daoism), literally "the Way", as a philosophical and later religious tradition that profoundly influenced Chinese architecture. Taoism regards the man-made world as a "prison" from which one must escape, emphasizing heightened consciousness, unity with the universe, and adaptation to nature's flow rather than resistance to it.

While Confucianism dominated urban design and "civilized" houses with its emphasis on order, symmetry, and social hierarchy, Taoism offered a counterpoint that valued individuality and harmony with nature. This philosophical duality found architectural expression in the development of Chinese gardens, particularly from the sixth century AD onward.

Professor Lewcock highlights a pivotal moment when the Chinese poet Dao Chin designed a house where one could move "beyond the hall of ancestors into nature" a concept he captured in his poem "Walking out of the Cage." This innovation allowed urban dwellers to experience nature without leaving the city, creating spaces that were "socially harmonious in the daytime" but offered "escape into the world of nature" during moments of repose.

The Taoist Garden: Symbolism in Miniature

Chinese gardens differed fundamentally from Western garden traditions:

The transition from the rectilinear, ordered Confucian house to the naturalistic Taoist garden was marked by doorways that changed from rectangular to circular or free-form, symbolizing the passage from human order to natural chaos.

The Art of the Rock

A distinctive element of Chinese gardens was the use of carefully selected rocks, often imported from regions like the Blue Lake area south of Canton. These rocks served multiple symbolic purposes:

• Representing mountains in miniature
• Symbolizing the "bones of life" in Taoist cosmology
• Sometimes resembling animals or other figures
• Becoming valuable family heirlooms passed down through generations

The most sophisticated gardens incorporated actual water features alongside these symbolic rocks, creating microcosms of the dramatic landscapes found in certain regions of China where sedimentary rocks had been worn away, leaving volcanic cores surrounded by water.

Urban Planning: Confucian Order at the City Scale

The lecture then shifts to examine how Confucian principles shaped Chinese urban planning, creating cities that were essentially scaled-up versions of the Confucian house.

The Walled City Block

Chinese cities were organized around walled blocks that functioned like self-contained communities:

• Each block was surrounded by high walls with a single entrance on the south side
• Inside, cross streets created a grid pattern
• Houses within the block faced south, turning their backs to the north
• This organization maintained social order and control

Professor Lewcock illustrates this with the plan of Chang'an (modern Xi'an), the great capital of the Tang Dynasty:

• The city's south wall was more than five miles long
• The imperial city occupied a rectangular area 1.5 miles long
• The entire city was laid out on a strict grid pattern
• Two major markets were designated for commercial activity
• Numerous temples of the three faiths (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism) were distributed throughout

Defensive Architecture

City walls were massive structures, sometimes 50 feet wide at the top. Wide enough for two chariots to pass at full speed in opposite directions. The superstructure of these walls included barracks for soldiers and rooms for customs officers, all constructed of wood (now lost to time).

The Evolution of Urban Form

By the 12th century, Chinese cities began to transform due to increasing commercial activity:

• The traditional enclosed blocks began to break down
• Shops opened directly onto streets rather than being contained within blocks
• Houses above shops became common
• Streets became more vibrant commercial spaces

This evolution reflected broader social changes, as increasing population growth drove innovation and enterprise, with people developing new products and services to earn their livelihood.

Imperial Architecture: The Forbidden City

The lecture examines Beijing's Forbidden City as the ultimate expression of Confucian architectural principles at the imperial scale.

Layout and Symbolism

The Forbidden City demonstrates the same principles found in the traditional Chinese house, but magnified to an extraordinary degree:

• A strict north-south axis runs through the entire complex
• Three major gateways create a progression of spaces
• The Hall of Supreme Harmony (the audience hall) stands as the central focus
• The emperor's private quarters lie beyond the public spaces
• A protective artificial mountain at the north end shields the complex

This layout embodies the Confucian emphasis on order, hierarchy, and ritual progression through space.

Architectural Features

The Forbidden City showcases distinctive elements of Chinese imperial architecture:

• Elaborate bracketing systems supporting heavy tile roofs
• Red and gold as the imperial colors
• Intricate decorative details
• Careful attention to numerical symbolism (relating to seasons, months, and cosmological concepts)

The Temple of Heaven Complex

South of the Forbidden City lies the Temple of Heaven complex, which demonstrates how circular forms were used for structures related to cosmology and nature:

• The circular form symbolizes heaven, in contrast to the rectangular forms representing human order
• The complex includes the Altar of Heaven, the Temple of Heaven, and the Temple of Benign Harvests
• Elaborate numerical symbolism relates to calendrical and cosmological concepts (28 days in a month, 24 hours in a day, four seasons, etc.)
• The emperor would perform rituals here to welcome the new year and ensure good harvests

Regional Variations: Japanese and Korean Influences

The lecture concludes by examining how Chinese architectural principles influenced and were adapted in neighboring countries.

Japanese Preservation of Chinese Traditions

Japan serves as a valuable resource for understanding early Chinese architectural traditions because:

• Japanese temples have been meticulously maintained and repaired over centuries
• Wooden elements were replaced as needed, preserving the original design
• These structures show the simplicity and purity of early Tang Dynasty Chinese architecture (6th-7th century AD)

The only significant modification appears to be the pitch of roofs, which became higher in Japan over time.

Korean Architecture

Korean architecture shows influences from both China and Japan, with Chinese predominating:

• Korean buildings tend to be simpler than their Chinese counterparts
• Taoism and feng shui (the art of placement) were particularly important in Korea
• Buddhism was less influential in Korea compared to China and Japan

Philosophical Synthesis in Chinese Architecture

Throughout the lecture, Professor Lewcock emphasizes how Chinese architecture represents a synthesis of competing philosophical traditions:

• Confucianism provided the principles of order, hierarchy, and social harmony expressed in axial symmetry, geometric precision, and clear spatial progression
• Taoism contributed the appreciation for nature, spontaneity, and individual experience expressed in gardens, natural forms, and symbolic representation
• Buddhism (in its distinct Chinese form) added emphasis on meditation and enlightenment, influencing temple design and garden spaces

This synthesis allowed Chinese architecture to accommodate both social order and individual transcendence, creating environments that supported both communal life and personal contemplation.

Conclusion: The Living Legacy of Chinese Architectural Thought

Chinese architecture emerges from this lecture as a profound expression of cultural values, where every design decision reflects deeper philosophical principles. From the smallest garden to the grandest imperial complex, Chinese buildings demonstrate a consistent concern with:

• The relationship between human order and natural chaos
• The importance of symbolic representation
• The progression through space as a ritual experience
• The harmonious integration of opposing forces

The enduring power of these principles is evident in their survival over millennia and their continued influence on architectural thinking throughout East Asia. As Professor Lewcock's analysis reveals, Chinese architecture is not merely a building tradition but a physical manifestation of a worldview that balances order with nature, community with individuality, and earthly life with cosmic harmony.

This rich architectural heritage continues to offer valuable insights into how built environments can express cultural values and support both social harmony and personal transcendence. Lessons that remain relevant in our increasingly fragmented modern world.

Crepi il lupo! 🐺