Why Is The Appreciation Of Chinese Architecture Similar With That Of The Scroll Painting?

1) Why is the appreciation of Chinese architecture similar with that of the scroll painting?

Because, like a scroll painting, Chinese architecture needs to be slowly but steadily unfolded in front of the viewer until it lays wide open at the end. Only then can we fully perceive the scenery of buildings and open spaces.

2) Why were high-platform buildings so popular, especially in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period?

It’s difficult to say why they were so popular, but there are some ancient texts that give some reasons that can explain the emergence of high-platform buildings; for instance, it was stated in some ancient texts that "Houses built high above the ground can prevent moisture and damp".

Also, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period, an ancient text gave such a story: When mounting his magnificent high-platform building, halfway up it Duke Jing of Qi became too tired to go on because the building was too high, and he was so angry that he asked who had offered the idea of constructing such a sky-high building.

3) What specific effects did aesthetics of the Wei and Jin have on this kind of garden?

• Gardens began to represent nature by abstracting, refining and typifying instead of simply copying.

• Gardens mainly were used to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the landscape.

• Private gardens appeared as an independent type and were led by two trends:

- Pursuing splendor to show the owner’s wealth.

- Seeking cultivation and emotional expression of the mountains and woods, among the springs and stones.

• The construction of imperial gardens was included in the planning of capital cities. The garden then became a part of the city center. Gardens in Buddhist monasteries also appear as a new type. From the point on the private garden, the imperial garden and the temple garden become the classical Chinese gardens.

• Buildings, as one of the landscape elements, reached harmony with the other natural elements. The design of gardens became a careful, conscious and artistic creation.

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