Shanghai Changning district is rich in folk culture resources, especially Xinjing district, which is known as Read More
Orange Isle, the First Island in China
Orange island is located in the center of xiangjiang river in changsha, hunan province, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the east gate of yuelu mountain. Read More
Mt. Yuelu, a Highly Reputable Scenic Area in Hunan Province
Yuelu, the foot of hengshan, is located on the west bank of the xiangjiang river, west of changsha city. Its east gate is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from orange island. It is a famous scenic spot in hunan province. Once you visit yuelu mountain, you can know changsha city better. Read More
Mawangdui Han Tombs, the Most Fascinating Attractions in Hunan Province
Located on the eastern outskirts of Changsha city, the world-famous Han tomb of Mawangdui is one of the most fascinating attractions in hunan province. Read More
Gaochang Tombs Unearth Tales of Ancient Common Civilization
China is dotted with huge mausoleums telling stories of ancient royalty, such as the one built to defend the terracotta warriors and horses of Qin Shihuang (259-10 BC), China’s first emperor. However, not many tombs tell the stories of ordinary people.
One of the most inconspicuous graves of ancient Chinese civilization can be found in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, 37 kilometers southeast of Turpan. The cemetery in Astana holds the mummified remains of residents of Gaochang from the mid-3rd century to the end of the 8th century. The cemetery is just six kilometers from the ancient city of Gaochang, also known as Karakhoja, which has a history of more than 1,400 years, dating back to the first century BC.
Thanks to the dry climate, many corpses and ancient ruins have survived the ravages of time and are still preserved. Among the 456 excavated tombs, the remains of king gao chang have yet to be found. However, the corpses of commoners and nobles have been unearthed, which gives a fascinating insight into ancient city life.
In addition to the mummified remains, thousands of ancient silk road artifacts have been excavated from tombs, revealing that the ancient city of gaochang was an important trading post on the silk road.
Gravel borders separate the burials of the various families and follow a strictly patriarchal burial sequence. The burial place usually places the husband and wife together. However, there were some exceptions, with some excavated graves showing men buried with multiple women. Families are buried by generations. For example, grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandchildren are arranged accordingly. The only entrance to the tomb is an underground ramp more than 10 meters long. The rooms are more than two meters high and have flat or domed ceilings. The inner cavity design follows the Chinese character “a”. “The body was placed on a wooden or ceramic bed behind the tomb.
Mummified bodies were found lying on carved pillows, their faces usually covered with cloth and holding a piece of wood. Sometimes a Persian coin could be found in their mouths.
Next to each body was a burial brick engraved with a person’s name and personal information. Corpses are usually dressed in cotton, linen, or silk.
In traditional Chinese culture, people are supposed to have an afterlife — so the dead are given things they can use in the afterlife, such as small pavilions, carts, horses, soldiers and sacrifices.
Chinese Opera Season: Old Traditions, New Twists
Traditional Chinese opera lovers can look forward to a feast of performances, some with a modern twist, during the 12th China classical opera festival held at the Shanghai Oriental arts center on April 26. Read More
Changsha Museum, to Enjoy the Charm of Ancient Chinese Culture
Located on the east side of Changsha binjiang cultural park, kaifu district, Read More
Ancient Gateway Bears Witness to Centuries of War and Disaster
It has been said for centuries that whoever controls Jianmenguan controls the gate to Sichuan province. Read More
The Book of Songs, the Earliest General Collection of Chinese Poems
The Book of Songs, formerly called Poetry, is the earliest general collection of ancient Chinese poems. Read More
Chinese Wooden Architecture, One of the Three Greatest Architectural Systems
Ancient Chinese architecture is a beautiful gem as well as an integral part of Chinese culture. It is also one of the three greatest architectural systems in the world, the other two being European and Arabic architecture.
The main differences between Chinese traditional architecture and other parts of the world lie in the building materials. While most ancient Western buildings were constructed with stones, ancient Chinese people simply loved wooden architectures. Particularly, the load-bearing timber-framed structures stand out as the most distinctive symbol of the traditional Chinese architectural culture.
According to archaeological discoveries, Chinese people began to develop this unique construction style as early as more than 5,000 years ago. Generations after generations and dynasties after dynasties, Chinese carpenters and artisans had ingeniously invented a great number of wooden components to build flexible and earthquake-resistant structures for durable dwellings, magnificent temples and grandiose palaces.
Dougong(斗拱), Bracket set
Dougong, or bracket set, is not only a unique structural element, but also one of the most important members in traditional Chinese architecture.
Thanks to the interlocking wooden bracket, the eaves of some buildings could project out as far as more than 4 meters, thus providing vital protection for the wooden structure and mud walls from weather damage.
The bracket sets also provide a vertical support for the uplifted roof edges, or the so-called flying eaves, designed to let light penetrate into the interior of a building.
Most monumental buildings in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) employed a big number of large Dougong to support projecting and flying eaves.
Apart from its practical function, Dougong had also been used in ancient Chinese architecture for its ornamental appeal. Usually, the more important the building was, the more complex the Dougong would be.
Wujia(屋架), Truss
Wujia, or truss, is a framework of beams, rafters and posts forming a structure to support a roof. In ancient China, trusses were almost always made of wood.
Over thousands of years, Chinese trusses slowly developed distinct features. Chinese wooden trusses were mostly rectangular with tenon-and-mortise works and bracket sets while Western countries usually built triangular trusses.
Typically, ancient Chinese roofs were supported by beams and pillars rather than walls. Due to semi-rigid tenon-and-mortise works, such frameworks were better at shock absorption, which made such buildings safer in the event of an earthquake.
The former used two or more levels of post and lintel structure to uphold the roof and the latter used square logs to bind together pillars and posts to provide support to the roof.
The post-and-lintel construction was widely applied in official buildings, temples and folk houses in the northern part of the country, while the post-and-baulk construction was often seen in the south.
However, sometimes, both wooden roof trusses were used in the same building.
Zaojing(藻井), Caisson Ceiling
As a distinctive architectural feature of temples or palaces in ancient China, Zaojing, or caisson ceiling, is an ornamental sunken panel in a ceiling or dome.
Using mainly the mechanism of Dougong (bracket set), the caisson is built with multiple interlocking layers of wood structural members. They are always richly carved, decorated or painted and appear in shapes such as square, circle, hexagon and sometimes a combination of these shapes.
As a symbol of sanctity, the caisson is always located directly above the most important part of a temple or palace, such as the throne or an altar. So, the center of a caisson is often decorated with bas-relief carving or painting of dragons or other sacred creatures.
Apart from its function for decoration, the caisson ceiling also represents one of the 28 lunar mansions in the Chinese constellations system, which is in charge of water. Since most ancient Chinese buildings were built with wood, the owners wished to have a virtual water source in the building to prevent fire hazards.
So, often one can find caisson ceilings in ancient Chinese buildings decorated with carvings or paintings of aquatic plants, such as lotus and water chestnuts.
Today, some most representative ancient Chinese wooden architectures are still in existence. For instance, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda or Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple in northern China’s Shanxi Province is the oldest and highest surviving all-wood tower. Also, the Forbidden City in Beijing is the largest wooden architectural complex in the world.
