Constellations: HAA 2600 Special Topics Chinese - Building a Chinese World: Cities, Offices and Homes
The design of Chinese cities, offices and homes follow principles that reflect the Chinese worldview. This system, or outlook, was already established in the early Dynastic period when imperial cities followed a regular grid pattern that faced south, and included an inner city, open only to the imperial leaders and aristocrats, and an outer city in which the business was carried out. The design and use of the city is guided by Confucian and Daoist ideals and embodied socio-political aspirations. Religious centers followed these Palace designs, but were tied to Buddhist, Confucian and Daoist practice. Village centers are arranged according to Daoist ideas about nature called fengshui. Homes had to accommodate status, ethnic background, gender, age and size of the family, among other things. We will analyze the spatial organization of these places as well as the buildings, relate that to their function, and interpret these settings in the context of time and place of their creation.
