Chinese architecture is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and has influenced architecture throughout East Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, the structural principles of its architecture have remained largely unchanged. The main changes involved diverse decorative details. Starting with the Tang dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural styles of neighbouring East Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Mongolia in addition to minor influences on the architecture of Southeast and South Asia including the countries of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
The Huaisheng Mosque is the main mosque of Guangzhou. Rebuilt many times over its history, it is traditionally thought to have been originally built over 1,300 years ago, which would make it one of the oldest mosques in the world.
Zhou, known in historiography as the Northern Zhou, was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty and was eventually overthrown by the Sui dynasty.
Richard Ettinghausen was a German-American historian of Islamic art and chief curator of the Freer Gallery.
The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple of Ying County, Shanxi province, China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda. It is also known as the Wooden Pagoda of Ying County. It was constructed in 1056, during the second year of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty and was renovated and expended in 1195 during the sixth year of the Jin Dynasty. The pagoda was built by Emperor Daozong of Liao (Hongji) at the site of his grandmother's family home. The pagoda, which has survived several large earthquakes throughout the centuries, reached a level of such fame within China that it was given the generic nickname of the "Muta".
The Qian Mausoleum is a Tang dynasty (618–907) tomb site located in Qian County, Shaanxi Province, China, and is 85 km (53 mi) northwest of Xi'an. Built in 684, the tombs of the mausoleum complex house the remains of various members of the House of Li, the imperial family of the Tang dynasty. This includes Emperor Gaozong, as well as his wife, Wu Zetian, who assumed the Tang throne and became China's only reigning female emperor from 690 to 705. The mausoleum is renowned for its many Tang dynasty stone statues located above ground and the mural paintings adorning the subterranean walls of the tombs. Besides the main tumulus mound and underground tomb of Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian, there are 17 smaller attendant tombs, or peizang mu. Presently, only five of these attendant tombs have been excavated by archaeologists, three belonging to members of the imperial family, one to a chancellor, and the other to a general of the left guard. The Shaanxi Administration of Cultural Heritage declared in 2012 that no further excavations would take place for at least 50 years.
Foguang Temple is a Buddhist temple located five kilometres from Doucun, Wutai County, Shanxi Province of China. The major hall of the temple is the Great East Hall, built in 857 AD, during the Tang dynasty (618–907). According to architectural records, it is the third earliest preserved timber structure in China. It was rediscovered by the 20th-century architectural historian Liang Sicheng (1901–1972) in 1937, while an older hall at Nanchan Temple was discovered by the same team a year later. The temple also contains another significant hall dating from 1137 called the Manjusri Hall. In addition, the second oldest existing pagoda in China, dating from the 6th century, is located in the temple grounds. Today the temple is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and is undergoing restoration.
Nanchan Temple is a Buddhist temple located near the town of Doucun on Mount Wutai, Shanxi, China. Nanchan Temple was built in 782 during China's Tang dynasty, and its Great Buddha Hall is currently China's oldest preserved timber building extant, as wooden buildings are often prone to fire and various destruction. Not only is Nanchan Temple an important architectural site, but it also contains an original set of artistically important Tang sculptures dating from the period of its construction. Seventeen sculptures share the hall's interior space with a small stone pagoda.
Beiyue Temple is a Taoist temple located in Quyang, Hebei Province, China. The temple was used to make sacrifices to Mount Heng by the emperors of the Song dynasty while the mountain was occupied by the Liao dynasty. The Dening Hall of the temple is the largest, earliest and one of the most important extant wooden buildings built in the Yuan dynasty. The temple also contains three gates, an octagonal pavilion and many ancient stelae.
Shanhua Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Datong, Shanxi Province, China. The temple was first founded during the early 8th century of the Tang dynasty, but its earliest surviving building dates from the 11th century. The temple was heavily repaired over the years, and today three original halls and two recently rebuilt pavilions survive. The largest, and earliest hall, dating from the 11th-century Liao dynasty, is the Mahavira Hall and is one of the largest of its kind in China. Also historically significant are the Main Gate and Sansheng Hall, both dating from 12th century during the Jin dynasty.
Gongbei, is a term used by the Hui and Uyghur Muslim populations of China in the Northwestern region to indicate an Islamic shrine complex centered on the grave (qabr) of a Ṣūfī Muslim murs̲h̲id ("master") or walī ("saint"), typically the founder of a menhuan. The grave itself usually is topped with a dome. Similar Islamic facilities with the same purpose, known as dargāh or türbe, can be found in several other regions of the Muslim world.
Zhenguo Temple is a Buddhist temple located 10 km from Pingyao in the village of Hadongcun, in Shanxi Province, China. The temple's oldest hall, the Wanfo Hall, was built in 963 during the Northern Han dynasty, and is notable for featuring very large brackets that hold up the roof and flying eaves. The sculptures inside the hall are among the only examples of 10th century Buddhist sculpture in China.
The Five Dragons Temple is a Taoist temple in Ruicheng, Shanxi Province, China. It is also known as King Guangren's Temple (广仁王庙).
Kaishan Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Xincheng village near Gaobeidian, Hebei Province, China. The temple was first founded in the Tang dynasty, and grew large and important in the subsequent centuries until declining in recent centuries. In the 20th century, the main hall of the temple, dating from 1033 during the Liao dynasty, was used as both a school and as a granary. In 2002, the hall underwent a restoration that was completed in 2007.
The Qingjing Mosque, also known as the Ashab Mosque, is a mosque located in the city of Quanzhou, Fujian, China. It is found on Tumen Street. In 2021, the mosque was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with other sites in and around Quanzhou because of its religious significance in the Song and Yuan dynasties, its importance to the medieval maritime trade of China, and its testimony to the global exchange of ideas and cultures during that time.
Geyuan Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Laiyuan, Hebei Province, China. The temple consists of three main buildings and other auxiliary structures. The main hall of the temple, the Wenshu Hall dates from 966 CE.
Gustav Emil Wilhelm Ecke was a German and later American historian of art best known for his book Chinese Domestic Furniture, first published in wartime China in 1944. The book presented the aesthetic of a neglected art form for scholars and connoisseurs and described the techniques of construction for cabinet-makers. It was the first book in any language on Chinese classic hardwood furniture.
Zhou Boqi Chinese: 周伯琦 (1298–1369) was a Chinese court poet during the Yuan Dynasty. Zhou was born in Raozhou but grew up in Beijing, and in his early career worked there as a magistrate and later as Senior Compiler for Imperial Academy. He was well known for his seal script calligraphy.
This is a family tree of Chinese monarchs during the Spring and Autumn period.
