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Architecture Of The Song Dynasty
The architecture of the Song dynasty (960–1279) was noted for its towering Buddhist pagodas, enormous stone and wooden bridges, lavish tombs, and extravagant palaces. Although literary works on architecture existed beforehand, architectural writing blossomed during the Song dynasty, maturing into a more professional form that described dimensions and working materials in a concise, organized manner. In addition to the examples still standing, depictions in Song artwork, architectural drawings, and illustrations in published books all aid modern historians in understanding the architecture of the period. The professions of architect, master craftsman, carpenter, and structural engineer did not have the high status of the Confucian scholar-officials during the dynastic era. Architectural knowledge had been passed down orally for thousands of years, usually from craftsman fathers to their sons. There were also government agencies and schools for construction, building, and engine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liuhe Pagoda
Liuhe Pagoda (), literally Six Harmonies Pagoda, is a multi-story Chinese pagoda in southern Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. It is located at the foot of Yuelun Hill, facing the Qiantang River. It was originally constructed in 970 by the Wuyue Kingdom, destroyed in 1121, and reconstructed fully by 1165, during the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). History and background The pagoda was originally constructed by the ruler of the Wuyue Kingdom, whose capital was Hangzhou. The name ''Liuhe'' comes from the six Buddhist ordinances and it is said that the reason for building the pagoda was to calm the tidal bore of the Qiantang River and as a navigational aid. However, the pagoda was completely destroyed during warfare in the year 1121. After the current pagoda was constructed of wood and brick during the Southern Song dynasty, additional exterior eaves were added during the Ming dynasty, Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasty, Qing Dynasties (1644–1911). The pagoda is octagonal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bianjing
Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east- central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is most known for having been the Chinese capital during the Northern Song dynasty. As of the 2020 census, 4,824,016 people lived in Kaifeng's Prefecture, of whom 1,735,581 lived in the metropolitan area consisting of Xiangfu, Longting, Shunhe Hui, Gulou and Yuwantai Districts. Located along the Yellow River's southern bank, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the west, Xinxiang to the northwest, Shangqiu to the east, Zhoukou to the southeast, Xuchang to the southwest, and Heze of Shandong to the northeast. Kaifeng is a major city for scientific research, appearing among the world's top 200 cities by scientific output as tracked by the Nature Index. The city is home to a campus of Henan University, one of the national key universities in the Double First C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nelumbo Nucifera
''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant taxon, extant species of aquatic plant in the Family (biology), family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often refers to members of the family Nymphaeaceae. The lotus belongs in the order Proteales. Lotus plants are adapted to grow in the flood plains of slow-moving rivers and delta areas. Stands of lotus drop hundreds of thousands of seeds every year to the bottom of the pond. While some sprout immediately and most are eaten by wildlife, the remaining seeds can remain dormant for an extensive period of time as the pond silts in and dries out. During flood conditions, sediments containing these seeds are broken open, and the dormant seeds rehydrate and begin a new lotus colony. It is cultivated in nutrient-rich, loamy, and often flooded soils, requiring warm temperatures and specific planting depths, with propagat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xihua Gate
Xihuamen, or the West Prosperity Gate, is the western entrance to the Forbidden City. It is situated just south of the complex’s west wall. History History of Ming and Qing Dynasties Xihuamen was originally constructed in 1420, during the 18th year of the Yongle Emperor’s reign in Ming dynasty, the Ming Dynasty. Just outside the gate lies Xiyuan, the imperial garden. During the Qing Dynasty, emperors and empresses frequently exited the Forbidden City through Xihuamen when visiting Xiyuan or traveling to other gardens in the western suburbs. In 1751, the 16th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, a grand celebration was held for the Empress Dowager’s 60th birthday. Later, in 1790—the 55th year of Qianlong’s reign—Qianlong Emperor, Emperor Qianlong marked his 80th birthday with similarly lavish festivities. The route from Xihuamen, passing through Xizhimen to Haidian, Beijing, Haidian, was lined with lanterns and decorations. Colorful tents were erected and musical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cun (unit)
A ''cun'' ( ; Pinyin cùn International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA , mi=), often glossed as the ''Chinese inch'', is a traditional Chinese units of measurement, Chinese unit of length. Its traditional measure is the width of a person's thumb at the knuckle, whereas the width of the two forefingers denotes 1.5 cun and the width of four fingers (except the thumb) side-by-side is 3 cuns. It continues to be used to chart acupuncture points on the human body, and, in various uses for traditional Chinese medicine. The cun was part of a larger decimal system. A cun was made up of 10 fen (length), fen, which depending on the period approximated lengths or widths of millet grains, and represented one-tenth of a chi (unit), chi ("Chinese foot"). In time the lengths were standardized, although to different values in different jurisdictions. (See ''Chi (unit)'' for details.) In Hong Kong, using the traditional standard, it measures ~3.715 cm (~1.463 in) and is written "tsun". ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Units Of Measurement
Chinese units of measurement, known in Chinese as the ''shìzhì'' ("market system"), are the traditional units of measurement of the Han Chinese. Although Chinese numerals have been decimal (base-10) since the Shang dynasty, Shang, several Chinese measures use hexadecimal (base-16). Local applications have varied, but the Chinese dynasties usually proclaimed standard measurements and recorded their predecessor's systems in Chinese dynastic histories, their histories. In the present day, the People's Republic of China maintains some customary units based upon the market units but standardized to round values in the metric system, for example the common ''jin (mass), jin'' or catty (unit), catty of exactly 500gram (unit), g. The Chinese name for most metric units is based on that of the closest traditional unit; when confusion might arise, the word "market" (, ''shì'') is used to specify the traditional unit and "common" or "public" (, ''gōng'') is used for the metric value. Taiw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chi (unit)
The chi (Tongyong Pinyin chih) is a traditional Chinese unit of length. Although it is often translated as the "", its length was originally derived from the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the forefinger, and is similar to the ancient span. It first appeared during China's Shang dynasty approximately 3,000 years ago and has since been adopted by other East Asian cultures such as Japan ('' shaku''), Korea (''ja/cheok''), and Vietnam (''thước''). Its present value is standardized at around , although the exact standards vary among the mainland of the People's Republic of China, its special administrative region of Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In its ancient and modern forms, the chi is divided into 10 smaller units known as cun (the "Chinese inch"). 10 chi are equal to 1 zhàng. Modern values In mainland China, the ''chi'' is been defined as exactly 1/3 of a meter, i.e., . However, in Hong Kong the corresponding unit, pronounced ''t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rammed Earth
Rammed earth is a technique for construction, constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as soil, earth, chalk, Lime (material), lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainability, sustainable building material, building method. Under its French name of pisé it is also a material for sculptures, usually small and made in Molding (process), molds. It has been especially used in Central Asia and Tibetan art, and sometimes in China. Edifices formed of rammed earth are found on every continent except Antarctica, in a range of environments including temperate, wet, semiarid desert, montane, and tropical regions. The availability of suitable soil and a architecture, building design appropriate for local climate, climatic conditions are two factors that make its use favourable. The French term "pisé de terre" or "terre pisé" was sometimes used in English for architectural uses, especially in the 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yingzao Fashi
The ''Yingzao Fashi'' () is a technical treatise on architecture and craftsmanship written by the ancient Chinese author Li Jie (李誡; 1065–1110), the Directorate of Buildings and Construction during the mid Song Dynasty of China. He revised many older treatises on architecture from 1097 to 1100. By 1100, he had completed his own architectural work, which he presented to Emperor Zhezong of Song. The emperor's successor, Emperor Huizong of Song, had the book published in 1103 to provide architectural standards for builders, architects, literate craftsmen, and the engineering agencies of the central government. Li Jie was then made the Director of Palace Buildings. Thereafter, Li helped oversee the construction of administrative offices, palace apartments, gates and gate-towers, the ancestral temple of the Song Dynasty, along with numerous Buddhist temples. In 1145, a second edition of Li's book was published by Wang Huan. Between 1222-1233, a third printing was publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dougong
''Dougong'' (Chinese language, Chinese: 斗拱; pinyin: ''dǒugǒng''; lit. 'cap [and] block') is a structural element of interlocking wooden Bracket (architecture), brackets, important in traditional Chinese architecture for both its structural capacities and cultural implications. The use of ''dougong'' first appeared in buildings of the late centuries BCE, with its earliest renditions emerging during the Western Zhou Dynasty, evolving over the centuries into a structural network which joined pillars and columns to the frame of the roof. ''Dougong'' were widely used by the ancient Chinese during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE) and developed into a complex set of interlocking parts by its peak in the Tang dynasty, Tang and Song dynasty, Song periods. The pieces are fitted together by Woodworking joints, joinery alone without Adhesive, glue or fasteners, requiring precise carpentry. After the Song dynasty, brackets and bracket sets used in palatial structures an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Along The River During The Qingming Festival
''Along the River During the Qingming Festival'' () is a handscroll painting by the Song dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145) and copied or recreated many times in the following centuries. It captures the daily life of people and the landscape of the capital, Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng) during the Northern Song. The theme is often said to be the spirit and worldly commotion at the Qingming Festival, rather than the holiday's ceremonial aspects, such as tomb sweeping and prayers. Read right to left, as a viewer would unroll it, successive scenes reveal the lifestyle of all levels of the society from rich to poor as well as economic activities in both rural areas and the city, and offer glimpses of clothing and architecture. The painting is considered the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings, and it has been called "China's ''Mona Lisa''." As an artistic creation, the painting has been revered and artists of subsequent dynasties made hundreds of replicas, c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhang Zeduan
Zhang Zeduan (; 1085–1145), courtesy name Zhengdao (), was a Chinese painter of the Song dynasty. He lived during the transitional period from the Northern Song to the Southern Song, and was instrumental in the early history of the Chinese landscape art style known as shan shui. He is known for painting ''Along the River During the Qingming Festival''. See also *Chinese art *Chinese painting *Shan shui *Lin Tinggui *Zhou Jichang *Culture of the Song Dynasty Notes References *Needham, Joseph (1971). ''Science and Civilisation in China'': Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. External links Zhang Zeduan and his Painting Galleryat China Online Museum Landscapes Clear and Radiant: ''The Art of Wang Hui (1632–1717)'' an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Zhang Zeduan (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Zeduan 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
