ARC 4303B
Aspects of Asian architecture
Spring 2002–03

Wood-frame architecture in China:
Tang, Song, and Yuan

Home

References

week 01, 09 January
Defining the language of sections in the Yingzao fashi

week 02, 16 January
Rules and gaps in the Yingzao fashi

week 03, 23 January
Defining style formally: shape grammar

week 04, 30 January
Chinese new year

week 05, 06 February
A shape grammar of the Yingzao fashi

week 06, 13 February
Change of cai over time

week 07, 20 February
Parametric change over time

week 08, 27 February
An extant building

week 09, 06 March
Consultations, field trip

week 10, 13 March
Presentations: individual analysis

week 11, 20 March
Writing 1

week 12, 27 March
Writing 2

week 13, 03 April
No class

week 14, 10 April
No class

week 15, 17 April
Consultations

week 16, 24 April
Review week

week 17, date TBA
Paper due, conclusion

2 units, elective
Thursdays 9:30 am – 12:15 pm

Andrew I-kang Li, instructor
Room 518
Phone 6553
Email andrewili@cuhk.edu.hk


Course description

This course is about wood-frame architecture of the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties (AD 618–1368). One of our purposes is of course to get to know the artifacts that populate / make up / embody this tradition / style. And in this case artifacts include not only buildings, but also a key text in Chinese architectural history, the Yingzao fashi.

Our other purpose is to apply an explicitly precise approach, in which statements and logical operations on those statements are clearly defined. One could also call it formal or mathematical or computational; these are almost the same thing. As we will see, such an approach is uniquely well suited to Chinese wood-frame architecture, but has not been employed before. It requires concentration, but helps us to be clear about what we know and how we know it.

This course is more or less a small version of my long-term research, which is a computational study of Chinese wood-frame architecture, from the Tang (or, if archeological sources are included, from the Warring States period) through the Qing.


Goals for students

  • Learn about the Yingzao fashi. It is not just a laundry list of obscure terms; it is a window into a sophisticated approach to architecture.

  • Learn about wood-frame buildings and the tradition they form.

  • Learn about shape grammar and the analytical tools it provides.

  • Practice writing as communicating with both yourself and others.


Course structure

The main deliverable of this course is a paper presenting a formal discussion of wood-frame architecture of the Tang, Song, and Yuan (precise wording to be announced). To help you write this paper, the course is structured in the following way. In each of the first six classes, we discuss one analytical technique or one piece of the argument or knowledge base; each week you do an exercise or write a short paper (sometimes both). With this foundation, you analyze a single extant building, first in relation to the Yingzao fashi, and then in relation to the extant buildings analyzed by your classmates.

The short papers and analyses form the raw material for your final paper. By breaking the single large task into several smaller ones, you should produce a better paper with less effort. In fact, if you have never written a long paper, this will be good training.


Writing

Writing is important for communicating, not only to others, but also to yourself, that is, as a tool for critical thinking. Writing is difficult but rewarding. Because it is both difficult and important, you will have many opportunities to practice. Good writing is good thinking; assignments are evaluated accordingly.


Evaluation

  • Weekly assignments 30%

  • Final paper 70%


Classroom policy

Attendance at all classes is expected except in case of illness or family emergency. Late assignments will be marked down. Beepers and phones which sound during class will be confiscated until 5:00 p.m.