Chinese urban history lies not only in its architectural and physical attributes, but in the range and variety of experiences in building, adjusting, governing and inhabiting cities.
(Xu, 2000)
The fundamental importance of incorporating cultural heritage into the landscape, the physical layout and key design features lies in urban traditions of Chinese imperial cities. Drawing on litteratures on Chinese history, this small article aims to provide a brief introduction to the urban heritage of Imperial China, not through the physical fabric of ancient times, but across attitudes, symbols and practices. The presence or absence of bricks and mortar is not fundamental here to observe these heritages, it is the intangible attributes that draw our attention.
History, myths and legends
The elements of feng shui are applied in constructions of all kinds in imperial China, ranging from city, town, village, to temple, garden and house. Feng shui is ‘a combination of Chinese philosophical, religious, astrological, cosmological, mathematical and geographical concepts’ (Yan, 1965), aiming at achieving the harmony between Heaven and Earth, harmony between man and Heaven and harmony between man and nature. The built environment varies around four major criteria: the selection of sites for cities, towns and villages; their cardinal north–south orientation; their spatial layout and the juxtaposition of key structures. (Sofield et al., 2017) A construction unit based on Feng Shui Principle should be built on a south-facing slope flanked by the arms of encircling hills – the dragon behind, the tiger on the left and the white horse in front, which would ensure sufficient sunshine, shelter from the winds and protection from floods. Trees should be maintained on the uphill slope behind the town, protecting the town from the winds and regulate water flows (Sofield et al., 2017).
While the goal of these practices stands on harmonizing human and nature, they are consistent with principles of conservation and good land management (Williams & Webb, 1994). These traditional practices represent today as ‘best practice’, and as such have a demonstrated sensitivity towards sustainable development (Anderson & Anderson, 1973; Fan, 1992; Hammond, Adriaanse, Rodenburg, Bryant, & Woodward, 1995; Sofield & Li, 1998).
Numerology, geomancy and astrology
The astrology, cosmology, geomancy and numerology have been combined and made an impact on the city landscapes in the ancient times in china. This is represented through a complex system of ceremonies and rituals as part of government organization, and this required the construction of temples in the villages, towns and capital city.
The altars and temples should be sited strictly, dividing a ruling class, an adviser class, religious constructions and a palace, resulting in spatial arrangements of urban areas. Around 1000 BC, the Duke of Zhou compiled these principles into the Zhou Li, it serves as a source of city theory that continued as a template for more than 2500 years of Chinese built history (Sofield et al., 2017). Zhou Li systematized the nine-squares-in-one-square through numerology (Montgomery, 2014), shaping the geometric basis of ancient Chinese architecture, urban planning and geography, as the ideal form for cities, towns and villages. The relationship of Heaven to Earth is divided into nine squares throughout north–south.
The figure nine is also associated with the Mandate of Heaven for its symbolic figure, Yu the Great cast nine bronze cauldrons standing on three legs to be used in sacrificial rites to the ancestors from Heaven and Earth (Sofield et al., 2017). The nine ritual cauldrons (jiu ding, 九鼎) symbolized the power and authority of the ruling dynasty (Watson, 1961).
By linking to the historical facts in Imperial China, this small article aimed at providing a brief introduction to the ancient Chinese cities throughout myths and traditional beliefs. It attempted to bring perspectives on another possibility to look at traditional urbanisme, rather than focusing on techniques, bricks and what the city physically looks like – the beliefs, principles and symbols are the important focus.
References:
Allan, S. (1991). The shape of the turtle: Myth, art, and cosmos in early China. Albany: SUNY Press.
Anderson, E., & Anderson, M. (1973). Mountains and water: Essays on the cultural ecology of South Coastal China. Taipei: The Chinese Association for Folklore.
Chang, K. (1987). The archaeology of ancient China. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Chang, K.-c. [張光直] (1983). Art, myth, and ritual: The path to political authority in ancient China. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Hucker, C. (1995). China’s imperial past: An introduction to Chinese history and culture. Bloomington: Stanford University Press.
Jan, Y. (1981). The change of images: The yellow emperor in Ancient Chinese literature. Journal of Oriental Studies, 19 (2), 117–137.
Zhu, Y., & Wang, H. (Eds.). (1996). Places of historical and cultural interest in China. (L. Sun & Y. Wu, Trans.).Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
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