OHTNESE AKCIIirKCIT^IIH. G7\) 



Itrilliiuidy lacciucrcd, the walls arc outlined with hands of terra-cotta 

 reliefs molded with liiiures and floral spi-ays: hut in spite of every- 

 thiiiii,' the monotony of (he oriainnl type is always apparent. 



Chinese htiildinii's ari> usually one-storied and are dex'elopi'd hori- 

 zontally as they are increased in size or nuniher. The pi'inciple which 

 <letei'mint's the plan of projection is that of symmetry. The main 

 i)uil(lini>s and win£>s, the side huildinji's, the avenues, the coui-tyai'ds, 

 the pavilions, the motives of decoration, all the details, in fact, are 

 planned symmetrically. The architect only dej)arts from this formal 

 rule in the case of sunnner residences and pirdens, Avhich are, on the 

 contrary, designed and carried out in the most capricious 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 iniexpected surprise at every turn. 



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

 idea of ancient architecture. The first large buildings described in 

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

 w^ere usiialy 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'ai, one intended as a 

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

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

 third, the kuan hsiang t'ai, fitted up as an astronomical observatory. 

 The Hsia dynasty, of the second millenimn B. C, Avas renoAvned for 

 its buildings and irrigation Avorks; their predecessor. Shun, as a 

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

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

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

 the later representatiA^es of the t'ai are the towers of the great Avail, 

 Avhich are built of stone with arched doors and AvincloAvs — the Chinese 

 Avould seem always to haA^e employed the arch in stone architecture — 

 the storied buildings dominating the gatcAvays and angles of the city 

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

 which is also a square tower mounted upon the city Avail. When 

 the tower is planned of oblong section, broader than it is deep, it is 

 technically called a '" lou." 



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

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

 trations alloAved in our limited s[)ace. The Hall of the Classics, 

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

 by the Enijx'ror Cli'ien Lung in Peking, adjoining the naticmal 

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



