Topic 2: to compare your native culture with Chinese culture and to draw your conclusions; Introduction and Background It is all known that architectural culture play an important role in any nation culture and history. It reveals the achievements of the nation in various aspects such as artistic realizations, the development level of the nation and at the same time the civilization degree of the nation.This paper will discuss and compare the different culture between Chinese traditional architecture and Western architecture. Chinese traditional architecture so far has shown an important accomplishment in term art and it has always represented the high achievement of China in architecture. With the improvement of international trade together …show more content…
The main contrast between them is the cultural aspect. The difference between China and Western has definitely led to two kind of thinking process which has impacted the two types of architectural styles. There are three main points that distinct between Chinese traditional and Western architecture. Firstly, difference is the building materials. In old time, the Chinese architecture used wood as their main materials for construction while the Western used masonry as the main materials. The primitive and traditional agriculture have dominated the China for a long period of time and during that period the Western traditional economic mode was very different and not control by the agriculture. The different building materials used in these two cultures reflect their material culture and philosophy differences from the perspective of building construction. Before the birth of contemporary architecture, the main construction technique was masonry structural system such as the Pyramids, the roman coliseum, the Greek temples, aqueduct, medieval church in Europe. It was only in Asian classical architecture including China that the housing framework was done purely in wood structure. For Chinese and the Western, the choice of construction material was more influenced by natural factors, but more importantly by the difference in cultures, and finally different ideologies that led to the …show more content…
However, Chinese agriculture which was the base for economy at that period, aimed to recreate the original civilization in the frame of re collection, re storage approaches. Chinese traditional Architecture derived its form from the traditional Chinese philosophy which objective is a unify world with harmony, which is a revelation of man to nature. People are part of nature therefore Chinese people would select wood as a basic building material. It is of great importance that the Chinese people choose wood since it shows the relationship between its qualities and these of life
Islamic and Ancient China art forms are very different, yet similar. Islamic art focused on the depiction of patterns, such as geometric and Arabic calligraphy. Instead of human-like figures, because it is feared that the depiction of the human form is idolatry and a sin against God. Ancient Chinese art focused on the depiction of humans and nature in their artwork. Chinese artists did so to capture the relationship between humans and nature.
The Ming and Qing dynasties China restored to its traditional socially, patriarchally, politically, and even infrastructurally looking at the Great Wall. The culture of art and education became once again powerful and traditions of Confucianism were once again largely influential and the sculpting tool of the Ming and Qing
When someone hears about the Chinese empire and the Roman empire they often do not think that they have similarities; however, that is not the case. Both of these empires have various similarities along with differences. Each empire was unique and individual in many ways but were similar in many aspects such as religious policies, public works projects, the army, and the role of the emperor.
For a great many years, architecture has been a breaking point for different artisticeras in history. Some of the most famous “works of art” have been chapels, temples, and tombs. Among the most dominant and influential eras of great architecture are the sophisticated, stoic Greeco-Roman periods and the more mystical, elemental Japanese eras. These two very distinct and very different eras have more in common than you may realize.
One difference between China and the Ottoman Empire is that in China there was a fall of the Qing dynasty in the 1900 which led to a long period of the revolution, the occupation as well as the civil war. Another one is the collapse of the Ottoman Empire was followed by the creation of new, smaller nation-states that included the Turkey Islam which retained a hold on civilization.
During Classical China, the main religions that were believed in included Taoism and Confucianism. While Confucianism wrote about “earthly life”, morals, and spoke of the 5 key relationships, Taoism was its spiritual counterpart. When it came to politics, emperors tended to favor Taoism, due to it’s lack of political threat. In the beginning of Classical China, starting with the Zhou dynasty, China ran it’s civilization using feudal system. However, it soon showed its faults with betrayal and that loyalty can’t be truly promised. Since then, Classical China evolved into using bureaucratic political system, in which people could be replaced throughout the system causing a stronger central government which positions that could be replaced. Despite that, Legalism was thought of to be useful, because of it’s ability of control and discipline. Even though China had religious beliefs, they mainly
Perhaps the most famous thing we have inherited from Ancient China, however, is the Great Wall. One of the eight wonders of the ancient world, construction first began on this gigantic border fortification was built from stone, brick, tamped earth and wood during the Shang Dynasty in the 7th Century BC. Some of its most famous parts were constructed as the era that we know as Ancient China was drawing to a close in the 3rd Century BC by the man who would unify China into a country bearing his name, Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
The Great Wall of China has been called a wonder by many who have seen it. It brings pride to the Chinese nation, and is known for being the only man made structure visible from space. The magnitude of The Great Wall is an architectural achievement as well as an example of the will power of man. Many find it hard to believe that such an amazing sight could have a history so filled with death, slavery and sadness as The Great Wall does. The Great Wall of China is one of the world's most famous architectural triumphs and has helped China throughout its history, even though its creation is marked by tragedy.
“Architecture should not be seen as representing a magical transition from the worldly to the heavenly, as had been implied by the Baroque Style, but rather as a medium that told nothing less than the story of the “origins” of mankind.” (Ching 610)
“The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built” (Frank Lloyd Wright). Throughout the centuries, architecture has fascinated everyone. History is inscribed in buildings and they can express the political and economic power of a nation. Although time has gone by, buildings have not. You can still idolize ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture and see how the events that occurred at that time influenced them.
Religion? Culture? Ancient China had many distinct characteristics that made it so unique and memorable. Religion, culture, and many other attributes served as a foundation for what we know as ancient China today. Ancient China had many distinct religious and cultural characteristics, but also had huge amount of influence and impact to each other. Philosophy and the distinct way of life was defined by the many practices and beliefs within the Chinese culture. Religious practices in China pushed people to gain god's favor, in other words do good deeds. China's almost too perfect geography kick started the start of a new civilization.
In Classical India and Classical China, the development of institutions and traditions were very different yet very similar in many ways. For instance, India and China both put women below men and considered merchants as a middle class. However, they differed in areas such as centralized government. Outside of the Mauryas and the Guptas, India was run by the religion-based caste system while China had a very centralized government, except for the Warring States period and the Three Kingdoms period. If you look closely, Classical China and Classical India are like opposites drawn in the same colours. They both socially stratified their people in ways dictated by their beliefs but while India made it impossible to move any way but down, China allowed movement in any direction through the pyramid of society if you could earn it. Furthermore, while China worshipped their ancestors and looked to learn from the past, India believed in reincarnation and looked to the future.
The ancient Chinese created incredible inventions to help with farming, for example, they created the hoe to help prepare the dirt for planting seeds, a Winnowing Machine to help remove the outer shells from husks from grains, and the Human Hammer for harvested grain to be crushed by a tilt hammer. Most farmers were peasants. Ancient China also had very well developed architecture, ancient Chinese architecture was mostly timber work which consisted of wooden posts, beams, joists and lintels that would be used to make up the frame of a house or simple structure. An example of how well their architecture was developed is that materials they used could withstand over thousands of years, some structures like the Great Wall of China, which was made from a series of stone bricks hand placed built by several
In particular, the researcher examines how the architectural program reflect the needs of the cultures that utilized it, the features that distinctly represent it, features borrowed from other cultures, and how these architectures fit into
Chinese culture is truly one of the great civilization our world has come across. It boasts a vast geographic expanse, over 4000 years of written history, as well as a rich and profound traditional society. Many aspects of Chinese civilization can be traced back many centuries. It is so diverse and unique, yet harmoniously blended, and presents itself a priceless benefit to the world.