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Construction · Zhonghua - Looking back on the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the China Construction Society
□ Zhao Mo, reporter of this newspaper / planning and execution
【Editor's Note】 In the 1930s and 1940s, the China Construction Society, a private academic group, examined thousands of historical relics in politically turbulent China in just a dozen years, and the precious architectural remains that were rediscovered after their investigation spanned the historical periods from the Han, Tang, to Ming and Qing dynasties. The tireless research and sorting out of the development system of ancient Chinese architecture by the predecessors of the society, as well as a series of precious inspection reports, architectural surveys and mappings, and photographic pictures, not only accumulated extremely important basic materials for the study of early Chinese ancient architecture, but also strongly answered the question of "Is ancient Chinese architecture valuable?", and created an academic career in the construction of Chinese architectural historiography and theoretical system research that combines literature excavation and relics investigation. At the same time, they have also achieved fruitful results in the extension of Chinese architectural historiography, such as the protection of historical buildings, the transformation of old cities, and the investigation and research of Chinese vernacular architecture. Ninety years later, the opposition and contradiction between "tradition" and "modernity" have become an inevitable pain in the modern transformation of Chinese culture. We hope that the review and combing of the brief history of the China Construction Society and its academic achievements will not only allow readers to appreciate the inseparable extension and thickness of traditional architecture and time, but also make us realize that architecture is not only a "house", it also reflects the lifestyle and aesthetic needs of a nation, as well as the thinking and imagination of people and the environment, people and the world, and people and beliefs. Presumably, this will urge us to think about how to preserve and carry forward the cultural concepts and values of traditional architecture in the contemporary era, and this is the best consolation for China's construction society and the ancestors of the society.
Distant back: Zhu Qizhao
□ Tangshan
"Whatever the forces that shaped China's cause, its achievements are extraordinary. In its difficult architectural materials, it reflects the outstanding genius of this nation's rationality and elegance. In Science and Civilization in China, Needham gave high praise to ancient Chinese architecture.
Needham made this judgment entirely under the influence of the Journal of the China Construction Society. He once commented: "A journal of academic materials with extremely rich content is indispensable for anyone who wants to penetrate the essence of this discipline through its surface." ”
Previously, the history of world architecture written by Westerners was based on the evolution of European architecture, combing out a vein from low-level to high-level, from simple to complex. On this "backbone", architecture in other regions is just a branch of European architecture. In particular, Chinese architecture is only listed as a stub, which seems to be a misguided path in evolution, because there is no "system", so there is no need for inheritance and there is no possibility of opening up new ones. However, the China Construction Society completely overthrew this prejudice, and proved irrefutably that ancient Chinese architecture was a completely different "system", with its own unique development logic and aesthetic qualities, it was so vivid that it was enough to move towards the future.
From the birth of the China Construction Society to today, the time has turned over a full 90 years. It is thought-provoking: at that time, the academic conditions were very poor, why did that generation of scholars still make first-class achievements? What is it that is supporting them?
Use the spirit of craftsmen to make up for the shortcomings of Confucianism
Zhu Qizhao, the founder of the China Construction Society, was born in the late Qing Dynasty, and with the help of his uncle Qu Hongyu, a famous minister of the late Qing Dynasty, he entered the army as a donor and served as a minister in the Inner and Outer Patrol Police Department of the Beijing Division. Later, he served as the general office of the northern section of Jinpu Road and entered the "old transportation department". The "Old Department of Transportation" was an important political force in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, headed by Yuan Shikai's secretary Liang Shiyi, who controlled railways, shipping, postal services, and a number of banks.
In the summer of 1924, Li Yuanhong, Zhu Qizhao and Zhang Xueliang recuperated in Beidaihe (the third from the right is Zhu Qizhao)
In 1918, when the North and the South were negotiating peace, Zhu Qizhao, as the representative of the North, when passing through Nanjing, found a photocopy of the Song Ben "Building the French Style" in the Jiangnan Library. Zhu Qizhao immediately realized: "Taixi architecture is mainly masonry and stone, and wooden backbones are rare. "Zhu Qizhao is a wise eye.
Seven years later, Liang Sicheng, who was studying in the architecture department of the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, received his father Liang Qichao's gift for the first time, "Building the French Style", but complained that he could not understand it. One is that there are too many strange words, and the other is that the record is too simple. For example, "where there is a flat seat paving, if the fork column is made, that is, each corner is used with a bucket, and the root of the column is forked above the bucket", which is confusing.
Zhu Qiju, the discoverer and reprinter of "Constructing the French Style", knows the book very well, all of which stems from his concept of "craftsmanship and Confucianism". A large part of the idea of constructing modulus in the Construction Of The French Style is closely related to Confucian culture. He realized that Confucianism had a difficult side to adapt to modernity and needed to be compensated for with the spirit of craftsmanship.
As early as when he was in charge of the Inner and Outer Patrol Police Department of the Beijing Division, Zhu Qizhao "ran to the streets and alleys of the inner and outer cities to figure out the gains and losses of the municipal layout of the five dynasties imperial capital." In 1914, after he became the chief of the Interior Department of the Beiyang Government and the municipal supervisor of the Beijing Division (equivalent to the mayor), he transformed the Zhengyang Gate and became the person who "removed the first wall brick of old Beijing".
In 1916, the "new transportation department" headed by Cao Rulin rose, and the "old transportation department" was repeatedly suppressed. Zhu Qizhao was also wanted by Li Yuanhong for supporting Yuan Shikai's claim to the throne (it was not cancelled until 1918), and Zhu Qizhao faded out of the political situation and focused on the protection of ancient buildings, the collation of ancient books, and the creation of poetry.
Gan is the god of wealth for academic institutions
The Construction Society is immersed in literature work, because most of its core members are liberal arts scholars and do not understand architecture.
For example, Kan Duo, who studied in Japan in his early years, later joined the "Old Department of Transportation", and served as the director of the General Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Beiyang Government. Kan Duo is also a red scholar who became famous for his "Dream of the Red Chamber". In 1919, Kan Duo proofread Zhang Chao's "Shadow of Dreams" in the Qing Dynasty, which attracted the attention of Zhu Qizhao.
After joining the Construction Society, Kan Duo translated many Japanese materials and established close ties with The Japanese scholars Such as Tauta Ito and Sadashi Sekino. In March 1930, the Construction Society was officially renamed the China Construction Society, and it worked at No. 7 Baozhuzi Hutong in Beiping, with only 3 tables and 6 full members, namely:
Compiled and translated into Japanese.
Compiled and translated into English by Qu Duizhi (famous writer and painter).
Liu Nance,200 ,son-in-law of the famous scholar Tao Xiang).
Codified and Shuwu Tao Su (Tao Xiang's sixth brother). Received zhu xiangjun (zhu qizhao's eldest daughter).
Surveying and Mapping Assistant Song Linzheng.
In the early days, the China Construction Society ignored the actual measurement, and in the winter of 1930, when it was learned that the descendants of the "Style Lei" were poor and prepared to sell their family's hot samples and drawings, the society immediately took action and preserved most of the cultural relics. In his later years, Kan Duo's rebellion defected to pseudo-Manchu, and the research method of the society changed, so not many people knew Kan Duo in later generations.
The 1920s and 1930s were the peak of the establishment of various scientific associations in China, with a total of 394, most of which were unfunded. Zhu Qizhao has been an official for many years and has a wide range of contacts. As soon as the China Construction Society was established, it was funded by the China Education and Culture Foundation, and 15,000 yuan was allocated every year before the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. One of the directors of the society, Zhou Yichun, a foundation built in the 1920s with money returned from the United States, is close to Zhu Qijun, and Zhou Yichun is also an officer (equivalent to a director) of the China Construction Society.
The china construction society and its party were on their way to the Foguang Temple in Wutai Mountain
From 1934 onwards, Zhongying Geng began to fund the China Construction Society, and by 1937, a total of 56,000 yuan had been paid. From 1930 to 1935, Zhu Qizhao won a private donation of 61,000 yuan, and he himself would sponsor a sum of money every year. In July 1932, the China Construction Society moved to the West Chaofang Office in Tiananmen (now zhongshan park), and from 1914 to 1937, Zhu Qiju served as the chairman of the Park Committee.
The smooth operation of the China Construction Society depends on Zhu Qizhao's blood transfusion.
Nowadays, although the China Construction Society has gone away, because it has trained Mo Zongjiang, Lu Sheng, Luo Zhewen, Wang Shixiang and other people, it has also achieved the "Huangpu Military Academy of China's Ancient Construction Masters"