The curved surface of the tile is taken from nature; the building of the tile returns to nature. The green and gray bricks and tiles of history show new charm and charm in the mottled colors.
The majesty of the Qin and Han Dynasties, the grace and magnificence of the Tang Dynasty, the exquisite elegance of the Song Dynasty... We have repeatedly spread Eastern aesthetics to the world, and once lost our cultural language under the immersion of the West. But today, we want to return to the East again, to find ourselves in the complicated modern life, to find the ancient oriental aesthetics. In June 2017, YT and Geely Automobile embarked on a journey to trace the origins of oriental aesthetics.
Green bricks and green tiles, China under the eaves
Tile surfaces, taken from nature;
Tile architecture, back to nature.
Watt's story
Oracle Tiles
In oracle bones, we can already see the prototype of the tile. Although no terracotta tiles have been unearthed today, the oracle bone script of more than 3,000 years ago has the appearance of an architectural structure. Some scholars speculate that this indicates that there may have been tiles made of wood or copper in the building at that time, which had either decayed or had not yet been identified.
Western Zhou Dynasty Tiles
The existence of terracotta tiles has now been traced back to the early Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC – 771 BC). The presence of terracotta tiles was found in the Western Zhou ruins of Fengyan Village in Qishan, Shaanxi, but the terracotta tiles at that time should only be suitable for the roof ridge and the part of the gutter. By the late Western Zhou Dynasty, the pottery tiles of this period in the excavation of cultural relics gradually increased, and the manufacturing quality of tiles at that time had improved, and many times tiles were used throughout the roof, and at the same time, "half tiles" also appeared at this time.
Spring and Autumn Tiles
By the Time of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period, tiles had been widely used. A large number of plate tiles and barrel tiles appeared in the Spring and Autumn ruins of Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei and other places, and half tiles and full tiles also appeared during this period. At this time, exquisite patterns began to appear on the tiles.
The tiles of the Qin and Han Dynasties
During the Qin and Han dynasties, China formed an independent pottery industry, and the process was also developed rapidly. For example, the tile tenon head replaces the tile nail and the tile nose, and its use makes the connection between the tiles more tight. Especially in the Han Dynasty, after the obvious progress of the pottery process, the barrel tiles of the circular tiles became the mainstream, and the production process of the tiles was more concise, so it was called "Qin Brick Han Tile".
Tiles of the Song Dynasty
The tile-making technology of the Song Dynasty was quite mature. Due to the development of glass technology, tiles began to have new breakthroughs in color. On the basis of the combination of tiles and glazed cylinder tiles, the standardized production of glazed and brick tiles was formed. After starting to use glass, not only the shape of the tiles was more beautiful, but also the waterproof effect was strengthened to prevent rainwater from damaging the wooden structure of the house.
The tiles of the Ming and Qing dynasties
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, tiles have become an important part of architecture. At this time, the roof has been divided into two types of "large" method and "small" method with the official product sequence. As long as the glazed tiles or the kissing beast are used, they belong to the large type, and those without the kissing beast belong to the small roof. In the large roof, different official ranks have different requirements: yellow glazed tiles are exclusive to royal buildings and important temples; green glazed tiles are used by princes and county kings; and black, blue, purple and emerald glazing is generally used in royal gardens and palace gardens. At the same time, there are also different models and specifications in the size of glazed tiles.
Watts today
Unfortunately, tiles with a long history have gradually disappeared under the invasion of today's modern industrial civilization. Behind the increasing number of ancient buildings is a change in traditional architectural thinking. When modern buildings under Western influence were erected, the unique quaint charm of China no longer existed. Fortunately, in such an era, there are still people who insist on trying this kind of charming building materials in today's new possibilities.
The building of the Xiangshan Campus of the China Academy of Art was designed by architect Wang Shu. The complex has won the Pritzker Prize, the highest award in the U.S. architectural world.
"His architecture evokes the past without directly using elements of history."
Wang Shu collected more than 7 million pieces of discarded bricks and tiles from different ages from East China, and at the Xiangshan campus, they once again gained new life. Stacked on top of each other, these historic bricks and tiles come from different eras, but they reveal a new charm and charm in the mottled colors.
Whenever it rains, a drop of rain falls to the ground under the eaves, and this poetic life in Jiangnan has been far away from modern life for too long, but today it is reappearing in front of people. In the humid weather, moss grows on the tiles, green bricks and green tiles, vines and leaves, and the tiles bring not only an ancient building, but also a poetic life.
YT Editing