Function-wise, China's ancient architecture can be classified into palaces, gardens, temples, pagodas, residences, and mausoleums. Among them, palaces and gardens stand out for their remarkable architectural achievements.
The imperial palaces in Beijing feature grandeur and flashy colors, while the gardens in China's south impress with their delicacy and tranquility.
The Forbidden City, culmination of classical Chinese palaces
The Forbidden City, home to 24 Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) emperors, is the culmination of classical Chinese architecture.
A full 960-meters-long and 750-meters-wide, the palace complex was designed to give full prominence to the emperor's authority mainly through its solemnity and magnificence, grand scale and compact spatial pattern. The palace complex is divided into two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Palace. The former consists of the first three main halls, where the emperor received his courtiers and conducted grand ceremonies, while the latter, also featuring three halls in the central line, was the imperial living quarters. Symmetry is the ultimate layout rule, with the six imposing halls standing along the north-south axis and other buildings logically distributed on either side.
Yellow is the dominant color in the Forbidden City, as the color was symbolic of the royal family. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles, decorations in the palace are painted yellow, and even the bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process.
Zoomorphic decorations can be found everywhere in the palace complex, even on the roofs. Dragons, phoenixes, lions, elephants, and many mythical animals were used to display the overwhelming imperial majesty or to ward off evil sprits.
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