Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage of a Nation [Hardcover]

Ronald G. Knapp (Author), Jonathan Spence (Author), A. Chester Ong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2006

Winner of ForeWord Magazine's Architecture "Book of the Year" Award!

Exquisite examples of traditional dwellings are scattered throughout modern-day China. Chinese Houses focuses on 20 well-preserved traditional homes, presenting examples from a range of rural and metropolitan areas throughout China.

The photographs of each are accompanied by extensive background information and historical content. An introductory essay examines the different types of Chinese homes and provides an overview of the rich regional variety of Chinese dwelling forms. It also provides insights into little-known design concepts that emphasize the flexibility, adaptability, and versatility of traditional building forms and the work of traditional craftsmen.

Richly illustrated with photographs, woodblock prints, historic images, and line drawings, Chinese Houses portrays an architectural tradition of amazing range and resilience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chinese Houses examines traditional dwellings from a Ming dynasty manor to Mao's boyhood home."—Elle Decor

"When a house is used as a museum or tourist site, it loses its vitality, and with no chance to grow and develop, it becomes fossilized. Judging by the eagerness of officials at every level of the government to 'regenerate' the cities...this could be the only way to preserve the old dwellings of China. This book, illustrated with many beautiful photographs and drawings, could serve as the best guide for preserving China's heritage."—Orientations

"This scholarly, detailed work, beautifully illustrated with historic black-and-white photos, contemporary color photos, floor plans, and elevations, is recommended for large collections."—Library Journal

"Ronald G. Knapp...based this exhaustive book on 40 years of research in the Chinese countryside."—Icon World Monuments

"Packed with color photos of both interior and exterior dTcor, Chinese Houses also presents an in-depth survey of the rituals, culture, ornamentation influences, and floor plans of homes across China, from urban to rural dwellings. If it's a strong in-depth history of Chinese home architecture which is desired, look no further than the gorgeous Chinese Houses: it's much more than the coffee table picturebook it appears a first glance."—Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Ronald G. Knapp, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at SUNY, New Paltz, is the author of numerous books on China's cultural and historical geography, including Asia's Old Dwellings: Tradition, Resilience, and Change (2003), China's Old Dwellings (2000), and China's Walled Cities (2000).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (January 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804835373
• ISBN-13: 978-0804835374
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #581,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A strong in-depth history of Chinese home architecture, October 12, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage of a Nation (Hardcover)

China has seen many social, political and economic changes over the centuries, yet surprisingly, has managed to preserve excellent examples of changing architectural home styles throughout these years, as Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage Of A Nation presents. Packed with color photos of both interior and exterior décor, Chinese Houses also presents an in-depth survey of the rituals, culture, ornamentation influences, and floor plans of homes across China, from urban to rural dwellings. If it's a strong in-depth history of Chinese home architecture which is desired, look no further than the gorgeous Chinese Houses: it's much more than the coffee table picturebook it appears a first glance.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A serious book that also looks good on a coffee table, October 17, 2007

By 

Michael R. Gallagher (Shenzhen, China) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage of a Nation (Hardcover)

I can't imagine there being a better book out there on Chinese houses as this book has history and expert photographs. What's more it also has well-drawn sections and plans. Most books on this subject will use old diagrams or ancient drawings that are a hassle to decipher. Here the diagrams are purpose-drawn, clean, and add a great deal to the understanding. About a third is dedicated to a general history of the form, construction methods, social life, and geographical variety; and about two-thirds to about 8 pages each on specific houses. Just enough info on each.

The one gripe I would have is that, in the part of the book where he gives a general introduction of the elements and history of Chinese houses, he uses photos from the twenty or so houses that he discusses individually. It would have given a bit more breadth (and reduced a bit of redundancy later on) if he had used that opportunity for photos of houses that were not given an individual focus.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and fascinating, July 19, 2007

By 

GardenGuru (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage of a Nation (Hardcover)

The amount of detail and research that's in this book is astounding. This is not another coffee table picture book. Its filled with beautiful pictures, and an equal amount of readable, scholarly writing about a culture thats slowly getting lost to the west.

Get it!