Mr. Liang Sicheng's research on the history of Chinese architecture is not limited to the technical level, he believes that "the architecture of a country and a family is suitable for learning from its material spirit and carrying forward the past and forging ahead into the future", "architectural activities are actually implicated in the trend of national culture", "the personality of Chinese architecture is the character of our nation, that is, a special part of our art and thought, not only the material method of its structure itself". It is from this point of view that he devoted his life to the study of architectural history, and The Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture bears witness to Mr. Liang's efforts to develop the discipline of Chinese architectural history.
Introduction
Fu Xinian
Mr. Liang Sicheng's English book "The History of Chinese Architecture in Pictures" was completed during the Sino-Japanese War, but due to various reasons, he was unable to see the publication of this work. More than ten years after his death, his friend Ms. Fei Weimei tried his best to find it, and finally realized the combination of pictures and texts of the manuscript, and then after her careful editing, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press in the United States printed and published it in 1984, and in 1991, the China Architecture and Building Press printed a bilingual version in Chinese and English, so that this work with high academic value has not been obliterated, and has become an extremely important basic document for the study of ancient Chinese architecture.
This work presents the important academic achievements made by Mr. Liang Sicheng in the study of Chinese architectural history in the thirties and forties of the 20th century, which is mainly reflected in the development of China's architectural structure system and its evolution. Ancient Chinese culture, including architecture, has continued to develop for thousands of years without interruption, becoming the world's longest-lived culture. In the long-term development, ancient Chinese architecture has gradually formed an independent architectural system with distinctive and stable characteristics. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some foreign scholars have been the first to be interested in traditional Chinese architecture. After Gengzi, the Japanese did some investigation and research on the palaces in Beijing and famous buildings in various places, and achieved certain results, and European scholars also did some work.
In the early 30s of the 20th century, Mr. Liang Sicheng and Mr. Liu Dunzhen joined the China Construction Society, and due to their excellent academic level and hard work, the study of China's architectural history soon developed by leaps and bounds. Mr. Liang took the method of combining theory and practice from near to far, first took the Qing Dynasty's "Engineering Practices of the Ministry of Industry" as a textbook, worshipped the old craftsmen as teachers, took the Forbidden City in Beijing and some important Ming and Qing official buildings as specimens, studied hard, and soon mastered the design rules of Qing Dynasty official buildings, and his results were expressed in the book "Qing Style Construction Rules". After that, he studied Song-style architecture with greater perseverance, using the difficult and difficult Song Dynasty "Constructing the French Style" as a textbook, measuring a number of Song, Liao, Jin, and Yuan buildings, obtaining accurate drawings and data, and then corroborating them with "Constructing the French Style", and finally basically clarified the design method of the Song-style architecture by material and the scientific achievements contained in it.
Mr. Liang Sicheng's 1932 publication of "Jixian Dule Temple Guanyin Pavilion Mountain Gate Examination" reflects his process and scientific research methods for preliminarily exploring the laws of Song-style architectural design through precise surveying and mapping and corroborating with "Construction Style", which is the first important paper in this regard. This paper not only surpassed the level of Western and Japanese scholars studying Chinese architecture at that time, but also surpassed the depth of Japanese scholars' research on Japanese architecture at that time in terms of in-depth exploration of ancient architectural design laws through form.
In 1937, Mr. Liang discovered the Tang Dynasty Hall of Foguang Temple on Wutai Mountain, which was printed on books after repeated investigations by the Japanese, but he did not know that it was an important ancient building built by the Tang Dynasty. From "Jixian Dule Temple Guanyin Pavilion Mountain Gate Examination" to "Remembering the Architecture of Foguang Temple in Wutai Mountain", Mr. Liang has developed the research methods of ancient Chinese architecture more complete and rigorous through a series of investigations and studies on ancient architectural relics, not only scientifically analyzing the characteristics and achievements of each building one by one, but also grasping the commonalities of each era and the differences of different eras through comparison. It is on this basis, under the most difficult conditions of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, that Mr. Liang carried out a special study of the general history of architecture and the "Construction of the French Style", and completed the writing of "The History of Chinese Architecture in Pictures" with pictures and texts for Western readers.
On the front porch of the main hall of Foguang Temple, Liang Sicheng stands next to the tripod in the foreground
Mr. Liang Sicheng's research on the history of Chinese architecture is not limited to the technical level, he believes that "the architecture of a country and a family is suitable for learning from its material spirit and carrying forward the past and forging ahead into the future", "architectural activities are actually implicated in the trend of national culture", "the personality of Chinese architecture is the character of our nation, that is, a special part of our art and thought, not only the material method of its structure itself". Therefore, when he talks about the main characteristics of Chinese architecture, he divides it into two aspects: "structural approach and development" and "environmental thought", and compares material and technical factors and spiritual and social factors. It is precisely on the basis of this viewpoint that he devoted his life to the study of architectural history, advocating the protection of ancient cities and buildings with historical, cultural and scientific value, and the new architecture with Chinese characteristics, that is, "new in the middle". His study of ancient architecture was not to think about the past, but to apply what he had learned, but it led to the confusion of his later years.
In 1956, I joined the Department of Architecture of Tsinghua University and the Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. When I first reported to Mr. Liang's house, he had a long conversation with me, saying that ancient Chinese architecture was an independent system that lasted for thousands of years, creating a unique architectural style and corresponding planning and design methods. From large cities to small single buildings, they are all unique in the world and have achieved high achievements, which need to be carefully studied and summarized. It is not only a valuable cultural heritage, but also a reference for future architecture. At present, there are conditions to carry out an unprecedentedly extensive survey and investigation and research of classification and sub-items, and today, when a lot of information has been accumulated, the work of comparing similarities and differences and exploring the laws should also be put on the agenda, and the two complement each other, and finally form a work on the history of architecture with historical facts, theories, and can summarize the laws of development. At that time, I was a beginner student, and I didn't understand what he said very well, so I could only remember it, but it played an important role in guiding me to turn my research direction to the exploration of building regulation and planning and design methods.
In 1935, Liang Sicheng took a photo when he surveyed and mapped Longxing Temple in Zhengding, Hebei
Ms. Fei Weimei devoted a lot of effort to the editing and publication of "Pictorial Chinese Architectural History". After this book came out, she asked a friend to bring the first batch of books to Guangzhou and distribute them to friends in China. I still have the letters she wrote me about the publication of this book. She was very meticulous in her work, and she also explained the binding design of the book in her letter, saying that the reason why the cover of the book did not use color photos was because the publisher believed that Mr. Liang's own illustrations were all black and white, so the cover should be consistent with it. She also asked me to convey my gratitude to scholars such as Luo Zhewen, Qi Yingtao, Sun Zengfan, and Wang Shixiang for their help in the editing and publication of this book.
With his strong patriotic enthusiasm and rigorous scientific research, Mr. Liang Sicheng has left us a valuable academic legacy. "The Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture" is a testament to Mr. Liang's efforts to develop the discipline of Chinese architectural history, and we should conscientiously study and Xi his works, continue to carry them forward, and promote the continuous progress of the study of Chinese architectural history.
September 15, 2022
Foreword
Liang Sicheng
This book is not at all a complete history of Chinese architecture, but merely attempts to illustrate the development of China's architectural structure system and the evolution of its form with the help of photographs and illustrations of some typical examples. Initially, I was planning to leave the text without a commentary at all, but after the drawings were completed, I felt that a few words of explanation might still be necessary, so I supplemented this brief text.
Chinese architecture is a highly "organic" structure. It was entirely native to China: it was conceived and originated in distant prehistory, "developed" in the Han Dynasty (around the beginning of the Common Era), matured and flourished in the Tang Dynasty (7th-8th centuries), perfected in the Song Dynasty (11th-12th centuries), and then began to show signs of senility and restraint in the early Ming Dynasty (15th century). It is difficult to say how long it will remain alive, but for at least the thirty centuries covered in this book, the structure has maintained its own function, which is derived from the ingenious construction of this well-organized timber frame, in which the size, shape, and position of each component depend on the needs of the structure. Therefore, the study of Chinese architecture should first analyze its structure. Because of this, its cross-sectional view is more important than its elevation. This is an aspect that is very different from the study of European architecture, and perhaps Gothic architecture is different, because its structure has a greater constraining effect on its form than any other form of European architecture.
Plan and cross-sectional view of Guanyin Pavilion of Dule Temple in Jixian County, Hebei Province
Nowadays, with the advent of reinforced concrete and steel frame structures, Chinese architecture is facing a grim situation. It is true that there are some basic similarities between ancient Chinese architecture and the most modern buildings, but can the two be combined? Is it possible that the traditional Chinese architectural structure system can use these new materials and find a new form of expression? But this should not be blindly "antique", but must be innovative. Otherwise, Chinese-style architecture will cease to exist in the future.
A comprehensive study of Chinese architecture must involve Japanese architecture. For the correct classification, some early Japanese architecture should be considered to have been imported from China. However, this issue can only be mentioned briefly in this brief work.
Readers are not surprised that the vast majority of the examples presented in this book are Buddhist temples, pagodas, and tombs. It is important to know that religion has been one of the most powerful driving forces in the creation of architecture at all times and in all places.
Henan Dengfeng Shaolin Temple Hatsuzuan
Almost all of the materials used in this book are selected from the academic archives of China Construction Society, some of which have been published in the Transactions of China Construction Society. Since its establishment in 1929, under the inspiring guidance of its president, Mr. Zhu Qichao, and its acting president during the war years (1937-1946), Dr. Zhou Yichun, the institute has been systematically searching for examples of ancient buildings throughout the country and studying them from both archaeological and geographical perspectives. So far, more than 200 counties in 15 provinces have been surveyed, and we will certainly have more examples had it not been for the almost complete halt of the war that brought the field investigation to a halt. Moreover, when I was writing this book in this remote village in western Sichuan Province, my work was hampered by the fact that many of the materials were not available. When the Society moved to the mainland, these materials were left in Beiping. At the same time, some of the examples mentioned in the book must have been destroyed in the war. The extent of their damage will only be known when the buildings are re-surveyed one by one.
The information of the Construction Institute was collected through a number of field investigations. These field investigations were conducted by Professor Liu Dunzhen, director of the Literature Department of the former Construction Society, and now dean of the School of Engineering and Dean of the Department of Architecture of Central University, or myself. I would like to express my deep gratitude for his permission to quote some of his material in my book. I would also like to thank my colleague, Mr. Mo Zongjiang, an associate researcher at the Institute of Construction, who has been with me on almost all of my field trips and who has drawn most of the plates for this book.
The wooden pagoda of Fogong Temple in Yingxian County, Shanxi Province, the portrait in the picture is Professor Mo Zongjiang, who drew most of the plates for this book
I would also like to thank Dr. Li Ji, Director of the Department of Archaeology of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, and Mr. Shi Zhangru, Associate Researcher of the Institute, for allowing me to reproduce the plan of the Yin Ruins excavated in Anyang, and for Dr. Li Ji, Director of the Central Museum, for allowing me to use some of the materials from the excavation of the Han Tomb in Jiangkou, in which the China Construction Institute also participated.
I would also like to thank my friend and colleague, Ms. Fei Weimei [Mrs. Fairbank]. She is a member of the China Construction Society, has traveled extensively in China, and participated in one of my fieldwork. I would like to thank her not only for the restoration of the Wuliang Temple and the stone chamber of the Zhu Kun tomb, but also for her strong support and encouragement, which has greatly accelerated the compilation of this book. I would also like to thank her for taking the time out of her busy schedule to patiently review my manuscript and correct my English mistakes during her tenure as Cultural Counsellor at the U.S. Embassy in Chongqing. In these roles, she has made invaluable contributions to strengthening cultural exchanges between the United States and China.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife, colleague and former classmate Lin Huiyin. For more than 20 years, she has been a tireless contributor to our common cause. Since our time as a university architecture student, we have been "doing hard work" for each other, and since then, she has been with me for most of our fieldwork, making many important discoveries, surveying and sketching many buildings. In recent years, despite her serious illness, she has retained her natural agility and perseverance, and she owes much credit to the scholarly spirit and morale that the Society was able to maintain during the difficult days of wartime. Without her cooperation and inspiration, neither the writing of this book nor any of my research work on Chinese architecture would have been possible.
Acquaintance in Lizhuang, Sichuan Province
The wartime site of the China Construction Society
April 1946
Translation
Liang Congjie
*This article was written by Mr. Liang Congjie for the Chinese-English bilingual edition of Pictorial Chinese Architectural History published by China Architecture & Building Press in 1991.
This book, written by his late father Liang Sicheng more than 40 years ago, was finally published in the United States in 1984 after years of hard work and many years of hard work by her parents' best friend, Ms. Fei Weimei. After publication, it was valued and praised by all parties. For Western readers who want to learn about ancient Chinese architecture, such a book written directly in English by Chinese experts is a rare primer. However, it is obviously not enough to go through English alone in order to conduct in-depth research, and in this sense, an English-Chinese version of this book may have its own special value.
As the author and editors have repeatedly stated, this book is far from a complete history of Chinese architecture. Today, it seems that the chapters in the book are not only unbalanced in detail, but also fail to mention ethnic minority architecture, residential architecture, garden architecture, and so on. However, if we consider the historical conditions under which it was written, it is difficult to be harsh on its predecessors.
The text of "Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture" is taken in real time
As a popular reading material for general readers in the West, the original book uses an interlaced and non-technical language. Being good at explaining the complex ancient Chinese architectural techniques in simple terms is a characteristic of my father's academic work. In order to maintain this characteristic, the translation is also intended to avoid excessive use of terminology and to try to translate it literally from the original text, with the terms appended or the latter in square brackets [parentheses are original to the English version]. For the convenience of Chinese readers, a small number of additional notes have been made in square brackets. There are very few slight deviations from the author's original manuscript in the original English book, and there are also some materials that have been revised or explained in recent years, and are marked in square brackets. In the following English original, the corresponding page numbers of each paragraph in the main text are marked with side codes, so that the two texts can echo each other.
My father's academic works have always been written in a chic and lively manner, full of fun, and have their own unique style. Unfortunately, this translation is far from reflecting this characteristic. My parents hoped that their son would become a "craftsman", because they admired the performance of the reviser of Song's "Constructing the French Style" and ordered me to "follow the commandment". Unexpectedly, I did not get into the Department of Architecture, which made them very disappointed. Today, I have the opportunity to work hard to translate this book as an interlaced line, and make a modest contribution to popularizing the knowledge of Chinese architectural history.
The text of "Pictorial History of Chinese Architecture" is taken in real time
When my father wrote this book with the assistance of my mother and Mr. Mo Zongjiang, it was in the late stage of the Anti-Japanese War, and my family was trapped in a remote village in Sichuan, living a life of shelter from the wind and rain, and only eating vegetables. Although they have suffered from poverty and illness, and the old people are few and far between, they still tirelessly devote themselves to academic research, and work hard to write. That scene is one of the most memorable pages of my childhood memories. Forty years later, when I translated this book, it can be regarded as a commemoration of their difficult life and resolute spirit at that time! Regrettably, although I was a "class man," I was ashamed that I did not have the skill of "getting the axe," and there must have been many mistakes and inappropriateness in the translation, and I still ask my father's generation of scholars and experts in this industry to correct them.
His stepmother, Lin Su, faithfully accompanied his father through the last and most tragic period of his life during the ten years of catastrophe, and over the years, she worked hard to organize and publish his posthumous works. This time, she encouraged me to translate the book, checked the translation for me, and worked with the comrades in the reference room of the Department of Architecture of Tsinghua University to re-provide a full set of original pictures for the Chinese-English bilingual edition for plate making, and I am very grateful to her. At the same time, I would also like to express my gratitude to the comrades involved in the reference room of the Department of Architecture.
Ms. Fei Weimei has always been very concerned about the Chinese translation and publication of this book in China, and has written to me many times over the past few years to inquire about the progress of my work. In the early winter of 1986, I was reunited in the United States with the two Feis at their Cambridge home. Forty years ago, my father entrusted Mrs. Fei with the manuscript, drawings, and photographs of this book in this old building near the campus of Harvard University. Together with me, they once again fondly reminisced about the past. For more than half a century, I cannot but be touched by their unswerving friendship with their late parents and their active interest in Chinese cultural undertakings.
Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, Fei Weimei (taken in Beiping, 1933)
After the translation of this book, the publishing house hired Mr. Sun Zengfan to carefully proofread it, and in the process of proofreading, he received specific guidance and help from Mr. Chen Mingda, which solved the translation problems of some professional terms, so that the quality of the translation was greatly improved. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to both of them.
In order to promote the development of academic research on ancient Chinese architecture and academic exchanges between China and foreign countries, China Architecture & Building Press decided to publish this book with the best printing quality, regardless of the possible loss of economic benefits.
1991 is my father's 90th birthday, and the publication of this book this year is even more commemorative.
I would also like to point out here that although the book is largely based on the author's original manuscript and the plates have been remade, we have referred to the layout and some appendices of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press. For that, I would like to pay tribute to this American publishing house.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Ms. Zhang Jilian, a typist. The translation was finally transcribed after several revisions, and it is inseparable from her patient and meticulous work.
Beijing, February 1987
Corrected in May 1991
*The article is excerpted from "The History of Chinese Architecture in Images" (written by Liang Sicheng, translated by Liang Congjie, Joint Publishing Co., Ltd., 2023-11)