CHINESE ARCHITECTURE. 679 



brilliantly lacquered, the walls are outlined with bands of terra-cotta 

 reliefs molded with figures and floral sprays; but in spite of every- 

 thing the monotony of the original type is always apparent. 



Chinese buildings are usually one-storied and are developed hori- 

 zontally as they are increased in size or number. The principle which 

 determines the plan of projection is that of symmetry. The main 

 buildings and wings, the side buildings, the avenues, the courtyards, 

 the ])avilions, the motives of decoration, all the details, in fact, are 

 ])lanned synnnetrically. The architect only departs from this formal 

 rule in the case of sunnner i-esidences and gardens, which are, on the 

 contrary, designed aiul carried out in the most ca])ricious fashion. 

 Here we have pagodas and kiosques elevated at random, detached 

 edifices of the most studied irregularity, rustic cottages and one- 

 winged pavilions, dotted down in the midst of surroundings of the 

 most complicated and artificial nature, composed of rockeries, lakes, 

 waterfalls, and running streams spanned by fantastic bridges, with 

 an unexpected surprise at every turn. 



Kuins in China are rare, and we must turn to books to get some 

 idea of ancient arcliitecture. The first large buildings described in 

 the oldest canonical books are the lofty towers called " t'ai," which 

 were usualy square and built of stone, rising to the height sometimes 

 of 300 feet, so that they are stigmatized as ruinous follies of the 

 ancient kings. There were three kinds of t\ii, one intended as a 

 storehouse for treasures, a second built within a walled hunting park 

 for watching military exercises and the pleasures of the chase, and a 

 third, the kuan hsiang t\ii, fitted up as an astronomical observatory. 

 The lisia dynasty, of the second millenium B. C, was renowned for 

 its buildings and irrigation works; their predecessor, Shun, as a 

 patron of the potter's art; while among their successors the Shang 

 dynasty was celebrated for its sacrificial vessels and wine cups, the 

 Chou dynasty for the finish of its hunting and war chariots. Among 

 the later rein-esentatives of the t'ai are the towers of the great wall, 

 which are built of stone with arched doors and windows — the (^hinese 

 would seem alwaj^s to have employed the arch in stone architecture — 

 the storied buildings dominating the gateways and angles of the city 

 walls, often used to store arms, and the observatory of Peking, 

 which is also a square tower mounted upon the city wall. A\'hen 

 the tower is planned of oblong section, broadei- than it is deep, it is 

 technically called a " lou." 



Chinese buildings might be classified as civil, religious, and fune- 

 real, but it is more convenient to group all together in the few illus- 

 trations allowed in our limited space. 'Jlie Hall of the Chissics, 

 'Called "Pi Yung Kung " (pi. ii), was built after an ancient model 

 ;by the Enqn'ror Ch'ien Lung in Peking, adjoining the national 

 ainiversity called " Kuo Tzu Chien,'" where the Temple of Confucius 



