One of the main ideals of the book was to symbolize the palace as the center of power and emphasized the authority of the emperor.
Here is an extract: (OHP)
The master builders who laid out a capital, made it a square and three miles on a side, each side having three gateways. Within a capital city there were nine lengthwise and nine crosswise avenues.(usually this was interpreted as having 3 avenues from each side- being composed of 3 parallel roads.) with the width of each avenue nine chariot tracks or axle widths. On the left (east) Was located the ancestral temple, on the right, the alter of the earth. The court and palace were placed in front (south) and to the rear, the marketplace (north).
It was the Chinese custom to place important things, or an important guest to the east. Thus the ancestral temple is placed there as it was considered more important than the Alter of the Earth. Also the width of these main roads varied according to whether it was a main ring road or a suburban road. This indicated that even 2500 years ago the width of the roads varied to accommodate different levels of traffic.
This text was followed right up to the cities of Dadu, of the Yuan dynasty and Beijing of the Ming dynasty, some 2000 years after it was written!
In China the dynasties are complicated and the way they created a new capital each time complicates things further. I have prepared a brief timeline which only covers the major dynasties and some of the major cities they created. Some of which were covered in the lecture.
Some key points from the time line:
- The Chinese used slavery systems up until 770 bc. This is when the eastern Zhou dynasty came to be and was also the time of Confucius. From this time onwards a feudal system was used (Feudal: relevant in W Europe in the Middle Ages, in which powerful land-owning lords granted degrees of privilege and protection to lesser subjects holding a range of positions within a rigid social hierarchy)
- Cities began to grow more rapidly-- now and the population increased.
- The Han Dynasty grew --and in 200bc created Changan as its capital. They made this city grand and large to symbolize their power in the region. They also strayed from the Kaogongji using a new housing system: the Luli system.
- The eastern Han period made the capital of Chengzhou in 25ad.
- Han split into three smaller dynasties: Shuhan(short-lived), Wu and the largest; Wei.
- In 581 ad the Sui and Tang dynasties created Louyang from the old Chengzhou city.
- The song dynasty abandoned the Luli system in their city of Pingjiang in 900ad.
- The Yuan Dynasty created Dadu. This was later used under Mongol rule by the ming dynasty as Beijing in 1368 and later by the Qing dynasty in 1644.
To go into further detain I will start with the Kao Gong ji. This was used as an early codification of Chinese city planning. It determined that Chinese cities were built to be orderly and around the principles of authority. Some key features stated in the text are:
- Site preparation: By this they meant making sure that the site chosen was in harmony with nature. It was necessary to inspect the land and to taste the water and that things be built according to Feng Shui (in correct orientation). This meant that buildings were to face south for the sun- and even tombs as these were believed to be the dwellings of the dead in the after life.
- To determine a midpoint that the ruler should occupy. This helps to emphasize his authority and power.
- The city should be enclose by regular walls in a square.
- The city should be bounded by entrances- usually 3 on each wall and straight roads created a grid pattern.
- There should be a main axis- usually north to south.
Within the city certain elements always stayed fixed: Th hall of audience was a very important structure in the city- where the emperor received his subjects. IT always faced south and was in a central position.
The ancestral temple should face east and be in the east of the city.
The alters of grain or the alter of the earth should be on the west, facing west.
The market should be to the North.
So this text was used in the creation of many cities, one of which is Changan. Although in Changan it was not used rigidly. Infact the Han dynasty who first founded changan didn’t stick closely to the principles. (OHP)The walls were not fully regular and the gridiron streets and entrances had changed. Plus they orientated the PALACE sections A-Symmetrically. Another change they made was a new system of housing called Luli. This created neighborhoods, governed by an office in each ward. Markets were lined along the east and west sides of the main thoroughfare. This moved away from the Kaogongji but was convenient for the people to go to markets. According to the records of Changan (known as the Changan zhi) The streets looked like a checker board --and lined with buildings looked straight as an arrow, was hitherto unknown in the imperial cities.
One of the smaller dynasties that originated from the Han was the Wu and they created the southern capital of Jiankang, near the Yanggtze river. This his city stuck more closely to the Kaogongji (OHP)
In 581ad the Sui and Tang dynasties created Louyang- ‘the eastern capital’ A big city of 500,000, used a regular grid and again used wards but was unlike the Luli unit of housing. It also used the ideals of walls within walls to create an internal ‘imperial city and forbidden city.’ One change made which was not mentioned at all in the Kaogongji was the addition of a watercourse, which enforced the axis in the city. (OHP)
This finally brings me onto the most recent of the imperial cities. Beijing. This city was originally known as Dadu and was founded under the Yuan Dynasty. It was surely the largest of these cities. The Yuan were Mongolian but used the Zhou ritual (Kaogongji) to legitimize their rule in china. A magnificent city enclosed with a wall and moat, with the palace centrally located. All the major roads led to gateways and between the major streets were residential lanes. The major building groups were the palace ensemble and courts on the main axis. The Ancestral hall and alters were located at its sides, completely conforming to tradition.
Two dynasties which followed the Yuan and this time stayed in Beijing as their capital were the Ming in 1553, who redeveloped it on the foundations of Dadu. To reinforce defense works an attached city was added to the south which enclosed markets, temples and alters. Thus creating three cities within, imperial, inner and outer city. The Qing Dynasty also used this city in there rise in 1644.
The design of Beijing expressed the idea that the emperor represented heaven and symbolized his domination over the people.
In china the city planning ideals were very continuous throughout their history. They very much represented the idea that the sky is round and the land is square idea. In these cities some amazing private gardens were used for the rich and for the palaces and imperial cities. The poorer housing was very organized. The high walls around the palace represented seclusion and control of the people. That was also expressed in the Luli unit and the houses within it. Basically the idea that one Luli unit was controlled by their own central office.But mostly the Chinese values in town planning expressed a longing for harmony, found in horizontal axis and positions of objects according to the Kaogongji and feng shui principles.