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The Chinese nation has a splendid and long-standing civilization, and on this basis, it has formed a unique national spirit on the mainland. In essence, Chinese architectural elements are actually a reflection of the national spirit in the field of architecture.
With the rapid development of economy and culture, the architecture of the Tang Dynasty has developed to a relatively mature period, showing an architectural style of "grandiose, strict and cheerful", reflecting the characteristics of its unique era.
In addition, Tang style architecture has a long historical tradition, so in the process of modern architectural design, how to better integrate the architectural elements of the Tang Dynasty into it, this is a question worthy of deep consideration for our descendants.
One. Tang Dynasty architectural style
1. The background of Tang Dynasty architecture
In Chinese history, the development of Confucianism was rather tortuous. From Qin Shi Huang's "book burning and pit Confucianism" to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's "deposing a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", Confucianism has experienced a process of "great ups and downs". In the Tang Dynasty, Confucianism became the cornerstone of national governance, and finally ushered in its glory.
In terms of education, the Tang Dynasty inherited and developed the imperial examination system of the Sui Dynasty, and its assessment content was precisely the Confucian Four Books and Five Classics, which created certain conditions for the development of Confucianism. After the Middle Tang Dynasty, Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan launched the "Ancient Literature Revival" movement, which made articles a new way to spread Confucianism.
In addition, Han Yu once emphasized in "Answer to Li Yishu" that the author should "be careful to state his words" and have his own true feelings, which promoted the development of Confucianism to a certain extent. As a result, Confucian culture influenced the political and economic systems of the Tang Dynasty in the process of development, and had a profound impact on the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty.
Confucianism advocates the rule of etiquette, as recorded in the "Analects of Politics": "The Tao is governed by government, and all are punished, and the people are free and shameless; The way is virtuous, all are courteous, shameful and qualified. In feudal society, in addition to etiquette and politeness, "etiquette" is also closely related to the supremacy of imperial power and social order.
For example, Chang'an City, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was built in a regular square shape because the square building gave the ruler the dignity of living in the middle palace. In addition, the capital of Chang'an City is nine miles long, this is because "Zhou Yi" believes that "nine is the highest yang number, representing the sky." "In this way, it can match the supremacy of imperial power.
In addition, the rulers of all dynasties called themselves the "Son of Heaven", so in order to realize the unity of the "Son of Heaven" and the "Mandate of Heaven", the Tang Dynasty also put a lot of effort into the architectural design.
The overall architectural plan of Chang'an City began with a central axis with Chengtianmen, Zhuque Gate and Mingde Gate, and the two sides of the axis were divided into the East and West Markets. With the central axis, it is possible to determine the most central position of the palace and realize the "unity of heaven and man".
2. The style of Tang Dynasty architecture
The architecture of the Tang Dynasty presents a different kind of "wind and bones" beauty. "Jin Shu Helian Bo Bo Ji Treatise" once recorded: "However, his instrument knowledge is high, his style and bones are strange, Yao Xing is fascinated by it, and Song Zu is moved when he hears it." ”
This is the earliest origin of the word wind bones. The Tang Dynasty was a dynasty with a high degree of social and economic prosperity on the mainland, but the Tang Dynasty did not form a "luxury" style, but pursued the beauty of "wind bones" more.
Among them, the most representative is the political center of the Tang Dynasty - Daming Palace. With a total area of about 3.2 square kilometers, Daming Palace was the most magnificent palace complex in the Tang Dynasty and the largest in the world at that time.
When building the Daming Palace, the craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty paid more attention to the organic connection between the single body and the group, the part and the whole, they adopted the overall layout of "the front and the back garden, the three major halls, the left, the middle and the right three roads", and skillfully combined the palace architecture with the general environment, and created the "palace and garden combined, the palace city set up an inner garden, and the outer forbidden garden" architectural mode.
On the contrary, they disdained to add overly cumbersome decorations and tacky colors to the design, and advocated the realization of the beauty of "wind bones" through grand architecture. In addition, the majestic architectural style can also achieve the purpose of establishing the majesty of the ruling class and intimidating other countries.
2. Characteristics of Tang Dynasty architecture
The Tang Dynasty was very developed in terms of construction technology and is a representative presence in the history of the continent. Under the hands of Tang Dynasty craftsmen, Tang Dynasty architecture not only has a unique shape, but also has high aesthetic value. In terms of building structure, the Tang Dynasty mainly used the structure of the dougong to undertake the roof.
It was recorded in the "Book of Rites and Rituals": "The mountain festival is said to engrave the head of the column as a bucket arch, which is shaped like a mountain. "Dougong has a variety of shapes and exquisite carvings, and plays a unique role in the process of building houses, so it is also known as the soul of ancient Chinese architecture. In addition, the Tang Dynasty often used colorful painting as decoration in terms of architecture.
The content of the painting is relatively rich and colorful, which has a high ornamental value, and also reflects the social life and religious beliefs of the period. In terms of building materials, Tang Dynasty architecture was mainly based on wooden structures.
When building the Daming Palace, the Hanyuan Hall adopted an earthen structure, but when the Qilin Hall was built, all the wooden buildings were used. It can be seen that the use of wood in construction has been widely used in the Tang Dynasty.
3. The role of architectural elements in modern architectural design in the Tang Dynasty
1. The application of the Tang Dynasty dougong in modern architecture
As the most representative structure in ancient Chinese architecture, the dougong is still widely used in modern times. In the Tang Dynasty, the dougong had the functions of load-bearing and decoration. However, with the continuous improvement of building materials, the load-bearing effect of the dougong gradually weakened, and was replaced by the improvement of the decorative role.
In modern architecture, if the situation is exceptional, the designer can still use the bucket arch to enhance the load-bearing capacity of the building. In addition, dougong can also be used in the construction process of traditional Chinese buildings, in order to better reflect the "ancient style and ancient charm".
In terms of decoration, because the dougong has a unique geometric shape and line beauty, it can present a unique visual effect in modern architecture. Designers can slightly conceive the structure of the building and the position of the arches, which can make the building transparent and bright, so as to improve the overall quality of the building and bring a different feeling to the audience. For example, the "China Pavilion" at the World Expo and the New Museum of Fine Arts in Shanghai have absorbed the beauty of dougong.
2. The application of Tang Dynasty painting in modern architecture
The Tang Dynasty was rich in color and varied in form. Painting can not only decorate buildings, but also reduce the erosion of walls by wind and rain and moths.
First of all, the colors of the Tang Dynasty were very rich, mainly vermilion, red and green, and five-colored. In the design of modern buildings, designers can apply rich colors, which can not only spread the culture of the Tang Dynasty, but also bring rich color feelings to the audience.
Secondly, the Tang Dynasty painted with a variety of patterns, flowers, birds, dragon patterns and other elements of the design can enhance the artistic sense of modern architecture and create a "unique" artistic atmosphere. Finally, the Tang Dynasty painted a strong narrative, for example, some painted murals elaborately depict the life of the upper class aristocracy, reflecting the breadth and profundity of ancient Chinese culture.
Therefore, in the design of modern architecture, designers can still draw murals with clear themes, so that the world can understand history and Chinese civilization in the process of appreciation, which can play a certain educational significance.
3. The application of wooden structures in modern architecture in the Tang Dynasty
In the architecture of the Tang Dynasty, wooden forms were mostly used. Because in ancient times, the development of science and technology had certain limitations. For this reason, wooden buildings have great advantages in terms of material selection, earthquake resistance, relocation and repair.
In the 21st century, with the upgrading of building materials, in order to be strong and practical, most modern buildings are built of concrete and steel. However, from the perspective of resources, concrete and steel are non-renewable resources, and long-term use is actually not conducive to the sustainable development of the mainland.
If wood is used as the main raw material for construction under the condition of reasonable control of the balance between harvesting and growth, coupled with proper design and maintenance, wood is actually a relatively environmentally friendly material.
In addition, wood has strong thermal insulation and thermal insulation functions, which can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the mainland to a certain extent and achieve green development. In terms of living experience, because human beings have a natural affinity for wood, the use of wood as a building raw material is suitable for the needs of people-oriented development.
In modern architectural design, the form of wooden structure has begun to be gradually applied. For example, in the construction of the Haikou Citizen Visitor Center, the use of lightweight wood makes the roof as light as a blade.
Because Haikou is close to the sea, it has been affected by humid and high-salt weather for a long time, and it will not be easy to rot and deteriorate if it adopts advanced wood preservative technology. Wood has inherent environmental protection characteristics such as moisture absorption, which is conducive to the regeneration of resources.
In addition, the main exhibition hall of Chengdu Tianfu Agricultural Expo Park is built with glulam structure, on the one hand, because the wood is originally derived from nature, which can show natural and simple colors, which is in line with the characteristics of the agricultural expo. On the other hand, it reflects the organic integration of architectural beauty and agricultural beauty.
epilogue
All in all, the architectural achievements of the Tang Dynasty were the pinnacle of the entire feudal society. The Tang Dynasty's exquisite architectural techniques and diverse architectural styles had a significant impact on the architecture of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and the architectural forms of the Tang Dynasty were also transmitted to countries such as Japan, promoting cultural exchanges between the mainland and other countries.
In addition, the integration of architectural elements with the characteristics of the Tang Dynasty into modern architectural design can not only provide new ideas for modern architectural design, but also add the cultural connotation of modern architecture, which has certain guiding significance for the development of modern architecture in the future.
Resources:
SONG Mingde,ZHANG Yuqian,NING Jiankai. The role of architectural elements in modern architectural design in the shallow Tang Dynasty[J].Tiangong,2024,(10):55-57.)
ZHANG Ruixue. Research on architectural style and cultural characteristics of Tang Dynasty[J].Lantai World,2012(27):27-28.)