THESIS: Is There Aesthetic Beauty in Traditional Chinese Vernacular Architecture?
David P.Y. Lung, K.F. Chan Viewed
University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Papers in Design and Development - Volume One - p 121-127ABSTRACT:
"Is there aesthetic beauty in traditional Chinese vernacular architecture?" This is not the kind of question one would expect an answer from the common people because beauty in the house they live in is of no concern to them. However, not being aware of the fact whether beauty exists in their architecture or not, does not mean that the architecture itself has no beauty . If one looks at the manner in which the building blocks are arranged and the alignment of fenestrations, the way of building materials and structures are chosen, one would not help asking the same question . In this paper, we attempt to answer this question by examining the vernacular built-forms through our concept of aesthetics, i.e . scale and proportion . We hope to understand and reveal the wisdom of its builders - the anonymous craftsmen who were at the very roots of the great architectural achievements of China.
Key words:Vernacular Chinese Architecture, aesthetics, proportion, scale, Lu-Ban Jing, (Lu Ban's Manual)
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PDF ENGLISH ABSTRACT IN CHINESE
http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/1/100020.pdf
