Chinese Architecture [Hardcover]

Fu Xinian (Author), Guo Daiheng (Author), Liu Xujie (Author), Pan Guxi (Author), Qiao Yun (Author), Sun Dazhang (Author), Nancy S. Steinhardt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0300095597 | ISBN-13: 978-0300095593

A comprehensive and authoritative study of Chinese architecture from Neolithic times to the late-19th century. Six of China's greatest architectural historians have joined with a leading Western scholar to write this text, a collaborative history of Chinese architecture. Drawing on recent discoveries and scholarly work inside China, the volume recounts the story of China's architectural achievements, the forms they took and the historical, political, cultural and social factors that shaped them. Each chapter includes sections on cities, palatial architecture, religious architecture, tombs and gardens, as well as discussions of bridges, walls, fortifications, academies and architectural writings. Enhanced with colour plates and line drawings, explanatory maps and charts, and an index that includes Chinese terms, this should be an accessible resource for both scholars of China and visitors to China alike.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This 10-year project, the third in a planned 75-volume tour of Chinese culture, is a formidable survey of 7,000 years of China's architectural heritage. Six Chinese scholars contribute learned perspectives on how the historic cycles of empire and culture, as well as regional, ethnic, religious, and natural diversity, helped to shape the built environment before the twentieth century. Timber framing, innovative joinery, upturned rooflines, bold color, and ornament are among the legacies of Chinese builders. And, yes, fengshui has historical roots, especially in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when virtually no house or city was structured without careful consideration of the siting and potential for qi, or positive energy. Along with such well-known icons as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, this volume offers the fascination of many rarely seen structures: elegant pagodas, elaborate gardens, and such surprising sights as the strikingly rococo array of relief sculptures in a Buddhist cave at Yungang. Though rather bloodless for casual readers and mostly uninterested in modern trends, this is a fine foundation for understanding Chinese building traditions and achievements. Steve Paul
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Lavishly illustrated...Clearly translated and edited, the text will appeal to academics,...[and] visuals will be accessible to...general reader[s]. -- Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300095597
• ISBN-13: 978-0300095593
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #874,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly for Libraries, September 11, 2006

By 

Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chinese Architecture (Hardcover)

This survey of pre-modern Chinese architecture is very similar to the other books ("Chinese Sculpture" and "Chinese Painting") in the Yale series: it's big and expensive; generously photographed in color; multi-authored; organized by usage type (palace, temple, other) within dynasty; and consists essentially of a parade of individual items (buildings, in this case) with commentary. If that's your thing, then go for it!

The book is very skimpy on technical topics like bracketing, joinery, roofing, and decorations. Its lack of a glossary, and its hit-and-miss index, are additional minuses. There are hardly any architectural drawings. It does have numerous site diagrams, although *none* of them has a distance scale attached.

In short, this book omits an awful lot of needful information, just in order to survey an endless parade of individual buildings. That's why I think it will be more often consulted in a university or public library, than purchased by individuals.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and Informative!, March 14, 2006

By 

A. King "magister liber" (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chinese Architecture (Hardcover)

I bought this book for a college-level Asian Art History class focused on China. This book proved an invaluable source of information on a subject not widely written about and not often found in your local bookstore. Each chapter is sectioned off by dynasty and gives the reader a short but informative background on the how the dynasty started and its major characteristics. Later within the chapter it delves into major sites of Chinese architecture and the terrific history and detail of the place.

I highly reccommend this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough, September 8, 2008

By 

randomhp - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chinese Architecture (Hardcover)

I was looking for a book on the history of Chinese architecture, not just the modern skyscrapers. I did my research and this book appeared to be the best one. It covers the origins to the beginning of the 20th century. While I have not read any others, this is a very in depth survey of Chinese architecture. It specifically analyzes the changes over time, fighting criticism that all Chinese architecture is the same. This cooperative project between Harvard and Beijing is worth the money for anyone who wants an academic approach to studying Chinese architecture.