Overview

Palace Architecture explores the transformation of the palace in ancient China, from the primitive state of early palaces to the ornate and luxurious imperial palaces of the great dynasties. Chinese palace architecture was closely related to the Chinese ideology of land, agriculture, and the worship of heaven and ancestors. Palace buildings were erected around a central courtyard and were closed to the outside world. The Forbidden City, or the Imperial Palace in Beijing, is the most magnificent among the palaces of the Qing Court. The sole imperial palace preserved intact in China today, it is often viewed as the perfect synthesis of all architectural measures of previous dynasties. In ancient China, the palatial city was a restricted zone, closely guarded to ensure the emperor's absolute safety. The walled enclosure of the Forbidden City was built wide and tall, and the moat surrounding it was wide and deep, forming an extremely fortified position. The huge complexes of the Forbidden City not only embodied imperial power, but they were demonstrations of imperial dignity. In Palace Architecture, Ru Jinghua and Peng Hualiang detail the Imperial Palace in Beijing, in addition to the Imperial Palace in Shenyang, a magnificent complex built during the Qing dynasty. Palace Architecture includes 159 color photographs, 28 illustrations and figures, 2 charts, and 2 maps, providing the reader with a detailed visual account of the two palaces' beauty and ornate design. It also explores the general layout of the Imperial Palace and the design of individual palatial buildings, including their architectural planning, construction, and decoration.

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9781627740128

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Ru Jinghua graduated from the Department of Architecture of Tsinghua University in Beijing. She specializes in the research, construction, and historic preservation of ancient Chinese architecture. She has written several articles on ancient Chinese architecture and has been working in the Palace Museum as a senior architect. She is one of the authors and editors of Palaces of the Forbidden City and the Palaces Volume of the Great Treasury of Chinese Fine Arts Peng Hualiang graduated from the Department of Architecture of Tangshan Engineering College of Jiaotong University. He has worked in the Central Design Institute of the Ministry of Building Engineering and the editorial department of the Architectural Journal. He was editor-in-chief of Hong Kong Architecture and one of the authors of A Guide to Ancient Chinese Architecture. He has also edited Selected Works of Liang Sicheng and Palaces and Religious Buildings.

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