4 replies to this topic

[ih8eurocentrix]

Has there already been a topic on this im not sure but i cant find it .

The Tang dynasty converted to Brick and stone from Rammed Earth for buildings ?
The pre Tang dynasty architecture can only be seen from models from Tombs found?
Do you have any pictures of Ceramic models from Han tombs or Earlier?

[General_Zhaoyun]

Has there already been a topic on this im not sure but i cant find it .

The Tang dynasty converted to Brick and stone from Rammed Earth for buildings ?
The pre Tang dynasty architecture can only be seen from models from Tombs found?
Do you have any pictures of Ceramic models from Han tombs or Earlier?

I thought Pre-Tang chinese architecture were still essentially made of wood, instead of brick/stone. Only the city walls were made of stone, and the base of a building were made of stone.

[Non-Han Nan Ban]

I have a one-word answer to that, Zhaoyun...

Pagodas.

Lol. Well, you could say besides walls, pagodas and bridges were converted to stone and brick as early as the 7th century. For example, the massive Sui Dynasty Anji (Zhaozhou) Bridge, a segmental arch bridge made of stone, designed by the architect Li Chun, and for pagodas, just for example, look at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda of Chang'an (Xian).

Eric

[General_Zhaoyun]

I have a one-word answer to that, Zhaoyun...

Pagodas.

Lol. Well, you could say besides walls, pagodas and bridges were converted to stone and brick as early as the 7th century. For example, the massive Sui Dynasty Anji (Zhaozhou) Bridge, a segmental arch bridge made of stone, designed by the architect Li Chun, and for pagodas, just for example, look at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda of Chang'an (Xian).

Eric

Yeah.. that's correct.. didn't realize other structures such as bridges, pagodas were made of stone. Anyway, I know very little about chinese architecture, although I can roughly tell which dynasty period a certain building is from, by looking at its design.

Although chinese had been building towers (for military use) since pre-Qin era, pagoda in China was developed only after buddhism was spreaded from India to China IIRC (correct me if I'm wrong).

Chinese pagoda IIRC actually originated from Indian buddhist architecture of stupa (it's a stone structure where you put the Buddha or master's relic in it). When buddhism spreaded to China during late han dynasty, stupa architecture were also imported into China. From Tang dynasty, pagodas were built in huge numbers using stone. By Song dynasty, pagodas began to in-corporate chinese-style wooden roof framework design.

In buddhist architecture, the number of levels in a pagoda often represent (if I'm not wrong) the various stage /path of cultivation towards buddhist enlightenment. Pagoda in buddhist monastery sometimes not only housed the buddhist relics, but also buddhist scriptures.

[Non-Han Nan Ban]

http://www.allempire...t...=15114&PN=5

Here's the discussion me and Gun Powder Ma have been having over existent Chinese architecture. I recently posted a bunch of stuff on Han Dynasty tombs, including brick-constructed arched vaults and arch domes built in a spiraling brick pattern. This was in response to his question posed to why the Chinese before the Tang Dynasty didn't incorporate arches or domes into their architecture. Well, there you have it.

Good stuff.

In buddhist architecture, the number of levels in a pagoda often represent (if I'm not wrong) the various stage /path of cultivation towards buddhist enlightenment. Pagoda in buddhist monastery sometimes not only housed the buddhist relics, but also buddhist scriptures.

Contrast this with the Japanese methodology of creating pagodas with only five levels due to it representing fire, water, spirit, wind, and earth.

Eric

Edited by Non-Han Nan Ban, 13 October 2006 - 02:10 AM.