Chinese architecture

Table of Contents

Introduction
The elements of traditional Chinese architecture
Stylistic and historical development to 220 ce
- Neolithic and Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 bce)
- The Zhou dynasty (1046–256 bce)
- The Qin (221–206 bce) and Han (206 bce–220 ce) dynasties
Stylistic and historical development from 220 to 1206 ce
- The Three Kingdoms (220–280) and Six Dynasties (220–589)
- The Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties
- The Five Dynasties (907–960) and Ten Kingdoms (902–978)
- The Song (960–1279), Liao (907–1125), and Jin (1115–1234) dynasties
Stylistic and historical development, 1206–1912
- The Yuan dynasty
- The Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- The Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12)
Stylistic and historical development since 1912
- The influence of foreign styles
- Into the 21st century

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Chinese architecture

Written by Jerome Silbergeld, Liu Qiyi•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Related Topics:: China; architecture; feng shui; pavilion concept

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Chinese architecture, the built structures of China, specifically those found in the 18 historical provinces of China that are bounded by the Tibetan Highlands on the west, the Gobi to the north, and Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Vietnam to the southwest. The first communities that can be identified culturally as Chinese were settled chiefly in the basin of the Huang He (Yellow River). Gradually they spread out, influencing other tribal cultures until, by the Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce), most of China was dominated by the culture that had been formed in the cradle of northern Chinese civilization. Over this ...(100 of 9439 words)

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