COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides advanced lectures on the history of Chinese architecture from ancient times to the first half of the 20th century. Through three thematic sections—vernacular architecture, high-style archi-tecture, and architectural transformation in the 20th century—the course intends to present the historical diversity and narrative multiplicity of Chinese architecture. It encourages students to reconsider the characteristics of Chinese architecture in the multiple scopes of single buildings, human settlements and cultural landscapes, thinking about how the historic built environment has interacted with the human body, technology, and society. It also invites students to explore various methods for interpreting historical materials, such as physical objects, literature, and images.

SCHEDULE AND TOPICS 

An Overview of Traditional Architecture in China

Speaker: CHANG Qing, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Part One:

Vernacular Architecture

Ritual and Residential Spaces in Chinese Vernacular Architecture: Focused on Min and Zhe Regions

Speaker: ZHOU Yizhi, Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Adaptive Construction Traditions of Vernacular Settlements in the Loess Region of the Yellow River Basin

Speaker: LIN Xiaodan, Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Along the River During the Qingming Festival: Urban Form and Everyday Life in Ancient China

Speaker: LIU Diyu, Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Temple-School Gardens in Jiangnan Region during the Ming Dynasty

Speaker: XU Ruitong, PhD Candidate at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Ethnic Architecture in the Three Parallel Rivers Area of Yunnan Province

Speaker: PAN Xi, Professor at the School of Architecture and Design, Beijing Jiaotong University

Part Two:

High-style Architecture 

The Disappeared Palace: Restoring the Early Ming-dynasty Gallery-Courtyard of the Three Main Halls in the Forbidden City

Speaker: ZHU Yuhui, Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

Wood Joints: A Key to Understanding Chinese Architecture

Speaker: LIU Yan, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and City Planning, Kunming University of Science and Technology

Housing the Enlightened for Worship: Tang Architectural Classicism of Buddha Hall and Its Medieval Reconfigurations Across East Asia

Speaker: Xu Zhu, Associate Professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen (on-line)

From a Private Garden to an Imperial Landscape: Jichang Garden and the Making of the Summer Palace

Speaker: LIU Shanshan, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and City Planning, Beijing University of Civil Engineering & Architecture

Part Three: 

Architectural Transformation in the 20th Century

The Classical Chinese Style: Competing China-ness in a Global World

Speaker: LI Yingchun, Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

From Historical Narrative to Design Discourse: A Case Study of the New Campus of National Central University, 1933–1937

Speaker: DONG Xiaoxiao, Assistant Professor at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University