AET. 16 CAVES OF SZECHWAN PROVINCE, CHINA GRAHAM 



FiGUEE 7. — Schematic drawing from a cave near 

 Kiating, showing the type of half brace fre- 

 quently seen in later Chinese buildings and 

 memorial arches. Width, about 5 feet 



or poles; the part circles, curved tiles such as are used throughout 

 China. (Figs. 5, G; pi. 14.) 



Another common design observed in the caves is the brace, which 

 is found in two forms. First is the half brace, employed as fol- 

 lows: When, in a build- 

 ing or on a memorial arch, 

 the space between two 

 upright posts is bridged 

 by a long beam of wood 

 or stone on which rests a 

 heavy weight, half braces 

 are often brought out from 

 the uprights to strengthen 

 the crossbeam. (Fig. 7.) 

 These half braces, occasion- 

 ally seen as ornamental 

 carvings in the caves, are very common in Chinese architecture, and 

 especially in buildings and on memorial arches. 



The regular or full brace in its simplest form 

 somewhat resembles the letter U. (Fig. 8.) 

 When a crossbeam bears up a heavy load, 

 and is likely to break, another crossbeam may 

 be placed a little way below, and several of the 

 braces fitted between the two beams. This 

 adds to the upper beam the strength of the 

 lower beam. Many of these braces are carved 

 as ornaments in the Szechwan caves (fig. 9) ; 

 several occur on the Han dynasty monument at Yachow. The writer 

 has seen many more, some of which are elaborate in design, on me- 

 morial arches and 

 in Chinese build- 



FiGDRB 8. — A simple 

 type of ancient Chi- 

 nese brace 



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____„__ XT 

 ings, both in Szech- 

 wan Province and 

 in Peiping. (Figs. 

 10, 11.) 



In a cave near 

 the great Buddha at 

 Kiating there is a 

 carving of a chariot 

 drawn by a man. In 

 the public museum 

 at Chengtu there 

 are two bricks from 

 a Han dynasty grave on the Chengtu plain, on each of which is the 

 design of a chariot pulled by a horse. These two chariots are similar 



Figure 9. — Carved entrance to the double cave near Kiating. 

 (See fig. 3 for plan.) Note representations of the tile 

 roof and brace on central column 



